A total of 113 generals of the Nigerian Army retired from military service on Tuesday, including 1 full general, 1 lieutenant general, 67 major generals and 44 brigadier generals.
The retirement of the dozens of top officers was marked by a Regimental Dinner Night attended by Minister of Defence Mohammed Badaru Abubarkar, who praised the Army’s support for Nigeria’s democracy while urging continued loyalty.
In his speech, Defence Mohammed Badaru Abubarkar hailed the retiring senior commanders, who collectively gave “over 1,300 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian state.”
The minister said the Army’s demonstrated subordination to civilian rule since 1999 has helped “strengthen Nigeria’s democracy,” while warning that as 2023 elections approach, the armed forces must “continue to exercise restraint and stay loyally committed to constituted authorities.”
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, thanked President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly and the defence minister for their untiring support to the Nigerian Army.
He reaffirmed the unalloyed loyalty of the NA to the President and the nation in the discharge of its constitutional roles in defending the territorial integrity of Nigeria.
He advised the retired senior officers to appreciate God and the Nigerian Army for a successful sojourn in the ‘noble profession of arms’ and attaining the point of meritorious disengagement from active service.
