President Mohammadu Buhari of Nigeria

President Muhammadu Buhari has extended the tenure of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai; the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas; the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Gabriel Olonishakin.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer to the Minister of Defence, Col. Tukur Gusau.

Gusau said the extension was approved by the President following a review of all the ongoing military operations across the country.

According to the Gusau, “President Muhammadu Buhari, having carefully reviewed the ongoing military operations across the nation and the efforts of the Chief of Defence Staff and the service chiefs in the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the northeast coupled with the security operation in the Niger Delta region, has graciously approved the extension of the tenure of the service chiefs’’.

The statement said : “the approval is pursuant of the powers conferred on the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by section 218 (1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Section 09.06 of the harmonized terms and conditions for service for officers (2012) revised.’’

The Honourable Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, in his reaction, congratulated the service chiefs for earning the confidence of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic and the people of Nigeria.

The tenure of the service chiefs was extended in June by President Muhammadu Buhari following the expiration of their terms.

President Buhari had in July 2015 appointed the service chiefs following the sack of their predecessors.