President Bola Tinubu on Friday, October 24 approved the appointment of Major General Waidi Shuaibu as the new Chief of Army Staff.
This approval was announced in a statement signed and released to newsmen by Chief Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication.
According to Dare, Major General Waidi Shuaibu replaced Lt. General Olufemi Oluyede who is now the Chief of Defence Staff.
18 things you probably do not know about Major General Waidi Shuaibu, the new Chief of Army Staff
He was born on December 18, 1971
He hails from a village in Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State
He obtained a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Nigerian Defence Academy (1993)
He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the Nigerian Army Armoured Corps in 1994 after graduating from the Nigerian Defence Academy
He obtained a Post Graduate Certificate in Public Administration from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration
He obtained a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Calabar
He obtained another Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies from the University of Ibadan
He obtained another Master’s Degree in Security and Strategic Studies from the National Defence University in Washington DC
He served as a Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai in the North East
He served as a Commander, 27 Task Force Brigade under Operation LAFIYA DOLE in the North East Theatre
He served as a Commander, Sector 2 Operation LAFIYA DOLE
He served as a Commandant, Amphibious Training School
He served as a Director of Plans at the Nigerian Army Headquarters
He served as a Director of Foreign Liaison at the Defence Intelligence Agency
He received the Security Watch Award in December 2024 as the most outstanding defense command in Africa
He successfully implemented community engagement activities, including the construction of 30 two-bedroom Community Base Quarters and a Quranic recitation contest
He reportedly neutralized over 567 terrorists associated with JAS, ISWAP and recovered 492 assorted weapons and over 10,714 rounds of ammunitions
He received the following awards and decorations: Distinguished Service Star (DSS), Distinguished Service Order (DSO LR), Foreign Training Assistance Medal (FTAM), Pass Staff College (psc), Fellow of Defence College, Purple Heart Medal for Counter Insurgency Operation in North East Nigeria,Command Medal, Field Command Medal and General Operations Medal