Jonathan promoted former Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin to Chief of Defence Staff and fired all the other service chiefs—Army chief General Abdulrahman Dambazau, Navy chief Vice Admiral Ishaya Ibrahim and Defence Chief Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike.
He also removed the Inspector General of Police Ogbonna Onovo and Director-General of the SSS Afakriya Gadzama.
Jonathan appointed Major-General Onyeabor Azubike Ihejirika as Chief of Army Staff, Rear Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim as Chief of Naval Staff and Air Vice Marshal Mohammed Dikko Umar as Chief of Air Staff.
“The appointments which take immediate effect are however subject to confirmation of the National Assembly, in line with the provision of the Armed Forces Act, Section 18, Cap A20, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” presidential spokesman Ima Niboro said in a statement in Abuja yesterday.
“The President thanked the out-going chiefs whose tenure expired in August for their loyalty and dedication to service. He specially commended them for defending the Nigerian constitution at all times and for successful command of the Armed Forces during their tenure,” he added.
Jonathan also appointed Alhaji Hafiz A. Ringim as Acting Inspector General of Police and Mr. Ita Ekpeyong as Director General of the State Security Services.
“The president thanked the out-going Inspector General of Police Ogbonna Onovo and outgoing DG SSS Mr A.A. Gadzama for their dedication to service of the fatherland and wished them well in their future endeavours,” Niboro said.
The appointment of Ihejirika, 54, as Army chief is the first time since the 1967-70 Civil War that anyone from the southeastern Igbo ethnic group has held the top post in the most powerful branch of the armed forces.
Ihejirika was born on February 13, 1956, and is an indigene of Ovim, Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State. He was commissioned as an officer of the Nigerian Army on December 17, 1977, and was until his new appointment the Chief of Defence Logistics at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja.
The new Defence chief Petinrin was born on 19 January, 1955 at Ipetu-Ijesa in Ori-Ade Local Government Area of Osun State. He enlisted into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in 1974 as a member of Regular Course 16, and was commissioned Pilot Officer on 3 January, 1977.
Fifty-five-year-old Air Vice Marshal Umar, the new Chief of Air Staff, was the Air Officer Commanding Training Command, Kaduna. He was born in Kano Municipal Local Government Area of Kano State on June 20, 1955, and joined the Nigerian Air Force in July 1976 as a member of Nigerian Defence Academy Short Service Course 12.
Admiral Ibrahim, also 55 years old, the new naval chief hails from Kwara State and was born in June 1955. He enlisted into the Nigerian Defence Academy as a member of 17 regular courses in 1975. He was the Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command, Lagos, before his recent appointment.
Acting IGP Ringim was until his new appointment the Assistant Inspector General in charge of Zone 9. He was earlier the head of the Border Patrol Unit in the Force Headquarters, Abuja. Born in Ringim, Jigawa State on April 1, 1953, Hafiz joined the police force on July 30 1977.
A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report last night said the removed Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Dambazau, was on a working visit to the United Nations when his sack was announced. The report said Dambazau and other senior military officers were on the entourage of the Minister of Defence Adetokunbo Kayode on a five-day working tour to the UN. The visit, which began on Tuesday, was supposed to end on Saturday.
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....GOOD CHECHMATES PRESIDO COS THEY ARE ALL IBB LOYALTIES...........BETRAYAL. 
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