Breaking: Senate Confirms Major General Faruk Yahaya as Nigeria's 22nd COAS
- Major General Faruk Yahaya has been confirmed as Nigeria's Chief of Army Staff (COAS) following a report presented
- The confirmation was made by the Senate in respect to President Muhammadu Buhari's letter to screen and confirm him
- Yahaya has been serving in an acting capacity following the death of Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru in a NAF plane crash
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FCT, Abuja - The Nigerian Senate has approved the nomination of Major General Faruk Yahaya for appointment as Chief of Army Staff (COAS).
This was made known in a statement by Ezrel Tabiowo, special assistant (Press) to the president of the Senate and made available to Legit.ng.
Source: Facebook
The confirmation was made during the plenary of the lawmakers on Tuesday, June 22, following the consideration of a report by the Joint Committee of Defence and Army.
The upper legislative chamber okayed Yahaya's appointment after the presentation and consideration of the report by Aliyu Wamakko, chairman of the Senate committee on defence.
Major General Yahaya has been serving as COAS in acting capacity following the death of his predecessor, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru.
Before his appointment, Yahaya was the General Officer Commanding Division 1 of the Nigerian Army and Theatre Commander of the counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency military outfit in the northeast code-named Operation HADIN KAI.
Buhari writes Senate, seeks Yahaya’s confirmation
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari forwarded Yahaya's name to the Senate for screening and confirmation barely five days after his appointment as the COAS.
The president's request was contained in a letter he sent to the Senate and read on Tuesday, June 1, by the president of the upper chamber, Ahmad Lawan.
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Presidency explains why Buhari appointed Yahaya
Meanwhile, the federal government disclosed the rationale behind President Buhari’s appointment of Yahaya as the new COAS.
It was reported that the government made the clarification via the minister of defence, Major-General Bashir Salihi-Magashi (rtd) in a statement issued on Friday, May 28.
The statement issued by the minister's spokesman, Mohammad Abdulkadri, said Buhari's choice was fuelled by patriotism and the need for national cohesion.
The defence minister also expressed optimism in the professional pedigree of the COAS in sustaining the trajectory of taking offensive and aggressive campaigns to the camps, corridors, and cells of Nigeria's adversaries with a view to obliterating them.
Source: Legit.ng
