Chief of the Defence Staff (Nigeria)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2010) |
| Chief of the Defence Staff | |
|---|---|
 Standard of the Chief of Defence Staff | |
| Ministry of Defence | |
| Type | Highest ranking Nigerian military officer |
| Abbreviation | CDS |
| Member of |
|
| Reports to | Minister of Defence |
| Seat | Defence Headquarters, Abuja |
| Appointer | President of Nigeria with advice and consent from Senate |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Nigeria |
| Formation | April 1980 |
| First holder | Ipoola Alani Akinrinade |
| Website | Official website |
The Chief of Defence Staff is the highest ranking military officer of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is occupied by the most senior commissioned officer appointed by the President of Nigeria. The position was established for the first time under Nigeria's 1979 constitution.
Role[]
The Chief of Defence Staff gives operational directives to the Nigerian Armed Forces through the service chiefs and reports to the commander-in-Chief with administrative supervision of the Honourable Minister of Defence. It is the duty and responsibility of the CDS to formulate and execute policies, programmes towards the highest attainment of National Security and operational competence of the Armed Forces namely; the Army, Navy and Air Force.
The CDS is assisted by the other Service Chiefs:
List of Chief of the Defence Staff[]
The chiefs have been:[1]
| No. | Portrait | Chief of Defence Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lieutenant General Ipoola Alani Akinrinade (born 1939) | April 1980 | 2 October 1981 | 1 year, 6 months |  Nigerian Army | – | |
| 2 | Lieutenant General Gibson Jalo (1939–2000) | 2 October 1981 | 31 December 1983 | 2 years, 90 days | Nigerian Army | – | |
| 3 | General Domkat Bali (1940–2020) | 1 January 1984 | 10 January 1990 | 6 years, 9 days | Nigerian Army | – | |
| 4 | General Sani Abacha (1943–1998) | 10 January 1990 | 17 November 1993 | 3 years, 311 days | Nigerian Army | – | |
| 5 | Lieutenant General Oladipo Diya (born 1944) | 17 November 1993 | 21 December 1997 | 4 years, 34 days | Nigerian Army | – | |
| 6 | General Abdulsalami Abubakar (born 1942) | 21 December 1997 | 9 June 1998 | 170 days | Nigerian Army | – | |
| 7 | Air Marshal Al-Amin Daggash (born 1942) | 9 June 1998 | 29 May 1999 | 354 days |  Nigerian Air Force | – | |
| 8 | Admiral Ibrahim Ogohi (born 1948) | 29 May 1999 | 27 June 2003 | 4 years, 29 days |  Nigerian Navy | – | |
| 9 | General Alexander Ogomudia (born 1949) | 27 June 2003 | 1 June 2006 | 3 years, 26 days | Nigerian Army | – | |
| 10 | General Martin Luther Agwai (born 1948) | 1 June 2006 | 25 May 2007 | 358 days | Nigerian Army | – | |
| 11 | General Owoye Andrew Azazi (1952–2012) | 25 May 2007 | 20 August 2008 | 1 year, 118 days | Nigerian Army | – | |
| 12 | Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike | 20 August 2008 | 8 September 2010 | 1 year, 353 days | Nigerian Air Force | – | |
| 13 | Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin (born 1955) | 8 September 2010 | 5 October 2012 | 2 years, 27 days | Nigerian Air Force | – | |
| 14 | Admiral Ola Ibrahim (born 1955) | 5 October 2012 | 16 January 2014 | 1 year, 103 days | Nigerian Navy | – | |
| 15 | Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (1957–2018) | 16 January 2014 | 13 July 2015 | 1 year, 178 days | Nigerian Air Force | – | |
| 16 | General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin (born 1961) | 13 July 2015 | 26 January 2021 | 6 years, 161 days | Nigerian Army | – | |
| 17 | General Lucky Irabor (born 1965) | 26 January 2021 | Incumbent | 329 days | Nigerian Army | – |
References[]
- ^ "CDS CHRONICLES". defencehq.mil.ng. The Defence Headquarters. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
External links[]
| Military | |
|---|---|
| Law enforcement | |
| Intelligence |
|
- Nigerian military appointments
- Chiefs of defence