Bob Emeka 
Following the appointment of General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede as the new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) by President Bola Tinubu on Friday, succeeding General Christopher Musa, it is important to let our readers know who their new CDS is before he assumes office next week.
New Telegraph recalls that Oluyede assumed office as the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS) last year after the death of General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja.
The outgoing chiefs, including General Musa, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla and Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, had been in office since June 2023, overseeing several major operations against Boko Haram, ISWAP, and armed bandits in the north-east and north-west.
However, General Oluyede, who was born in 1968 and hails from Ikere in Ekiti State, has a career that spans nearly four decades of military service.
A member of the 39th Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1992 (retroactive to 1987).
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Over the years, Oluyede has held several command and staff positions, including Platoon Commander at 65 Battalion, Company Commander at 177 Guards Battalion, Staff Officer at the Guards Brigade, Commandant of the Amphibious Training School, and Commander of the 27 Task Force Brigade, where he oversaw counter-insurgency operations in the North East under Operation HADIN KAI.
He has also participated in international peacekeeping missions, notably with the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) in Liberia and Operation HARMONY IV in Bakassi.
His military education includes passing the prestigious Staff Course, and he is a member of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Nigeria’s highest policy think tank.
Promoted to Major-General in September 2020, Oluyede’s distinguished service has earned him several honours, including the Corps Medal of Honour, Grand Service Star, Field Command Medal, Field Training Medal, and the Chief of Army Staff Commendation Award.
Married with three children, General Oluyede is expected to coordinate the strategic operations of the Army, Navy and Air Force, a crucial task amid Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.
