CDS Assures Nigerian Troops of Improved Salaries, Welfare in 2026

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, has assured officers and personnel of the Armed Forces of Nigeria that concrete steps are being taken to improve their salaries and overall welfare. Oluyede gave the assurance on Monday in Abuja during the 2026 Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day (AFCRD) Social Night for soldiers, ratings, airmen and airwomen. He said the initiative was being pursued in collaboration with the Service Chiefs and with the approval of President Bola Tinubu, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. “If I tell you we are working on something, please be hopeful. Something positive will come up,” the CDS said, pledging that 2026 would be a better year for personnel of the armed forces. Beyond salary enhancement, Oluyede disclosed that arrangements were being finalised to improve post-service welfare, particularly through access to soft loans for spouses and affordable housing schemes for serving and retired personnel. According to him, discussions are ongoing with financial institutions to provide low-interest loans to spouses of service members to enable them establish sustainable businesses, while housing loan options are being expanded to ensure personnel retire with dignity. The defence chief commended soldiers, ratings, airmen and airwomen for their resilience and professionalism in safeguarding Nigeria’s sovereignty across all theatres of operation, noting that their sacrifices had continued to yield significant operational successes nationwide. He also paid tribute to fallen heroes and acknowledged the vital role of military families, describing their prayers and sacrifices as a silent but powerful force behind every successful mission. Oluyede expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for his unwavering support for the Armed Forces, as well as to the Service Chiefs for their leadership and commitment to improving the welfare and morale of personnel. Earlier, the Chief of Defence Administration (CDA), Rear Adm. Gideon Kachim, described the Social Night as a deliberate gathering designed to give personnel an opportunity to unwind, reflect and celebrate. Kachim said the occasion also provided a solemn moment to honour and remember fallen heroes who paid the supreme price in defence of the nation, stressing that their sacrifices remained a timeless source of inspiration to serving personnel. The Social Night was part of activities marking the 2026 Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day. Dignitaries in attendance included the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Idi Abbas; Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke; and the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Lt.-Gen. Emmanuel Undiandeye. Highlights of the event included the presentation of awards to deserving personnel for outstanding performance and dedication to duty, as well as musical performances by legendary artistes Tuface Idibia, Zule Zoo and Magnito

A Minister of Particular Concern

By Ugo Onuoha A Minister of Particular Concern “What happened between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and Navy Lieutenant A.M. Yerima is unfortunate. When Wike arrived at the site of the disputed land in Abuja, the officer explained that he was simply obeying lawful orders. Wike should not have exchanged words with the officer; he ought to have addressed his concerns through the officer’s superiors. He is our colleague, and he could have reached out to us to resolve whatever issue there was. “The officer’s action was lawful—he was trained to be disciplined, loyal, and obedient to orders. Therefore, the young officer merely carried out his duty, which is worthy of commendation. He did not commit any offence under military regulations. If you observe carefully, he spoke respectfully and conducted himself properly. “There is, therefore, no offence under military law for which he should be charged. Wike should not have engaged him in an altercation, especially out of respect for the uniform he was wearing. Anyone who disrespects a soldier indirectly disrespects the President, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. There is, therefore, no basis for any punishment against the officer. This is not about supporting the military to act disrespectfully towards civilians. The Minister should understand that every officer has superiors. “I gathered that he called the Chief of Defence Staff, who advised him to wait for an investigation. However, he did not wait and instead went straight to the site. As a leader, he ought to have exercised patience and waited for the outcome of the investigation. Wike also contacted the Chief of Naval Staff, who assured him that an inquiry would be conducted. Yet again, he did not wait. It was supposed to be a one-day inquiry, but he chose to go there and confront them. Now that the Chief of Naval Staff has visited the area—since it involves a land dispute—the matter will be investigated to determine who owns the lawful documents. If the land has been revoked, there are established procedures to follow diplomatically. “We [the Ministry of Defence] have not received any formal complaint from Wike, but I called him after the video went viral and advised that he should have spoken with me before going there, rather than confronting the officers directly.” A Matter Effectively Closed I have chosen to reproduce the words of Alhaji Bello Matawalle, the Minister of State for Defence, because of what they represent. Although he mentioned the need for further investigation, the tone and tenor of his statement suggest that the matter is effectively closed—and the naval officer has nothing to worry about. Lt. Yerima, by every indication, acquitted himself well. He was professional and measured in his conduct during that very public confrontation with a “super minister” known for his loquacity. To reinforce the sense that the matter is closed, one only needs to recall the words of the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru, who stated that his ministry and the armed forces “will always protect our officers on lawful duty.” Badaru added: “We will not allow anything to happen to him so far as he is doing his job, and he is doing his job greatly well.” The defence minister made this statement during a ministerial briefing for the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day in Abuja. Let that sink in. You may call it esprit de corps, but several retired generals from both the North and the South—including former Chiefs of Defence Staff and Army Staff, Generals Lucky Irabor and Tukur Buratai—have spoken in Yerima’s defence. They even called for a public apology from Wike to both Yerima and the Commander-in-Chief, President Bola Tinubu, for dishonouring a military officer commissioned by the President himself. Lawyers, Silence, and Political Optics Notable voices have weighed in on the Wike–Yerima confrontation over the disputed plot of land in Abuja last Tuesday. Some are lawyers—senior and junior—while others are political commentators and public intellectuals. A few have argued in favour of Wike, citing the 1999 Constitution (as amended), but the majority have faulted him, emphasizing due process, the rule of law, and the impropriety of resorting to self-help, as appeared to be the case here. As usual, the legal community has been divided—lawyers seldom agree on anything, even when the law seems straightforward to the “unlearned.” For most of the past week, they have been doing what they do best: lawyering. Their disputations may be intellectually stimulating, but one must not take them too seriously. Often, their arguments are shaped by convenient partisanship masquerading as constitutional fidelity. By the way, has anyone noticed the deafening silence from Wike’s colleagues in the Federal Executive Council? Nearly fifty cabinet members, yet not one has publicly spoken in his defence. Does this silence reflect how they truly regard the Minister? As for President Tinubu, who appointed Wike “on our behalf,” the Minister may well be beyond reproach or removal—for obvious political reasons. The Politics of 2023 and the Future of 2027 Wike appears untouchable—because of the past (2023) and the future (2027). President Tinubu, ever the political strategist, prioritizes electoral victory by any means necessary—the Machiavellian creed that the end justifies the means. And Wike fits perfectly into that school of thought. Tinubu “discovered” Wike in 2023, when the latter was nearing the end of his governorship of oil-rich Rivers State. Having fallen out with his own party, the PDP, Wike was eager to prove his relevance. Tinubu needed a foothold in the Niger Delta and, by extension, the national electoral map. In that year’s presidential election, Wike reportedly “delivered” Rivers State to Tinubu—an opposition candidate—in defiance of his own party’s standard-bearer, Atiku Abubakar. An APC governor from the North, astonished by Wike’s performance, allegedly remarked that his party merely begged for 25 percent of the votes but received an overwhelming—and inexplicable—victory. Unsurprisingly, the PDP still won the subsequent governorship election by a landslide, demonstrating the complex web of political transactions that define Nigerian

Defence Perm Sec Commissions 30-Seater Buses To Boost Staff Welfare

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar Kana, mni has said that the Federal Government was committed to boosting the welfare of staff by providing incentives that would make them happy and be committed to their work. He stated this when he commissioned the state-of-the-art three 30-seater buses on Tuesday, at in Ship House, Abuja. Speaking during the commissioning, Dr. Kana said the buses were provided to support and augment the welfare of staff in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 8 Point Renewed Hope Agenda and to implement the Federal Civil Service Strategic and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP) reforms.  In addition, the Permanent Secretary said that the buses would ease transportation logistics that will contribute to a positive and motivated workforce. “As we celebrate this milestone, the Ministry reiterates its commitments to supporting the welfare and professional growth of the staff,” he said. He expressed his gratitude for the unwavering dedication of staff to work, saying to whom much is given, much is expected. Dr. Kana further stated that log book would be attached to the well-trained drivers in order to ensure maintenance and sustainability of the bus scheme which he hopes will continue to increase in numbers. The highpoint of the event was the test run of one of the buses by the Permanent Secretary to signal the commissioning of the well equipped 30-seater buses for use by the staff.

INEC dramatically ends defence against Obi, LP with one witness 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday dramatically terminated its own defence in Peter Obi’s petition against them, after calling one witness and tendering four documents. INEC had through its counsel Abubakar Mahmoud SAN, suddenly announced the closure of its defense, calling one witness against the three registered with the Presidential Election Petition Court at the pre-hearing section. In his evidence-in-chief, the witness, Dr Lawrence Bayode, admitted that INEC suffered glitches during the presidential election but maintained that the glitches did not in any way affect the conduct of the election, collation of results, and declaration of final results. On the allegations of blurred result sheets on INEC’S portal, the Deputy Director of Information and Communication said that clear result sheets can still be obtained on request by those in need of them. Sequel to INEC’s closing of its defence, Tinubu’s lead counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, told the Court that his client is fully ready to kick-start his defence against Mr. Peter Obi and the Labour Party on July 5. Olanipekun maintained that Tinubu is ready with his witnesses and documents to justify his victory in the presidential election. Meanwhile, further hearing in the petition has been shifted to July 5 by the Court.