By John Ikani
Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai (rtd) has been named Nigeria’s ambassador to Benin Republic.
Similarly, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin (rtd) was named head of the mission in Cameroon.
This was contained in a statement issued by the information officer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Kimiebi Ebienfa.
According to the statement, letters of credence were presented to the ex-service chiefs on Tuesday by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyema.
The statement was however silent on the fate of former Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Ibok- Ette Ibas (retd) and ex-Chief of Air Staff Air Vice Marshal Sadique Abubakar (retd).
The statement read: The Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Geoffrey Onyeama today 22 June 2021, presented Letters of Credence to the Ambassador-Designate of Nigeria to the Republic of Cameroon, General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin (Retired) and the Ambassador-Designate of Nigeria to the Republic of Benin, Lt.Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai (Retired).
“The Minister of Foreign Affairs during the brief ceremony congratulated the immediate past service chiefs on their appointment by Mr. President and called on them to deploy their wealth of experience to promote Nigeria’s interest during their tour of duty in countries of accreditation,” he said in a statement.”
Recall that president Muhammadu Buhari has nominated immediate past service chiefs of the country as ambassadors.
The former service chief’s nomination came nine days after Buhari replaced them – having spearheaded the country’s security agencies for over five years.
While many critics rated the former service chiefs low in the state of security in Nigeria, Buhari said they had an “overwhelming achievements in our efforts at bringing enduring peace to our dear country.”
