The Nigerian Army has held a pulling-out parade for the immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, in keeping with the Military tradition of honouring retiring Chiefs.
The colourful ceremony was held at the Mogadishu Cantonment, Asokoro, Abuja, the Nation’s Capital.
The rainy day pulling-out parade began with the arrival of the immediate past Chief of Army Staff who inspected the guard of honour before proceeding to the main parade ground where he was invited to review the parade.
Parade Commander, Major Success Nnamdi proceeded to take permission from the Special Guest of Honour, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya to carry on with the parade/March pass in slow and quick time before coming to a synchronised halt.
Addressing the gathering, the former Army Chief was full of appreciation to God Almighty, family members, the men of the Nigerian Army and the former President Muhammadu Buhari for his time as the 22nd Chief of Army Staff.
He equally paid Tribute to the fallen Heroes across the country and those who also served in other international assignments and paid the supreme price.
He said that “the greatest challenges in the northeast are the post-crisis settlement of displaced persons, restoration of means of livelihood and rebuilding of destroyed Infrastructures.”
He emphasized that the Nigerian Army remained committed to securing all parts of the country, as it equally remained resolute in discharging its duty with every sense of pride and patriotism.
General Yahaya, therefore, called on all the men of the Nigerian Army to rally behind the new Chief of Army Staff to succeed while expressing confidence that the Troops have become more decisive in their actions.
The event was attended by government Functionaries, the Chief of Defence Staff, the current Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff, the Chief of Air Staff, representatives of other services and agencies and General Yahaya’s Course mates who performed the symbolic pulling out of the Former COAS from the Barracks.
BIOGRAPHY OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL FARUK YAHAYA
Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya was born on 5 January 1966 at Sifawa in Bodinga LGA of Sokoto State. He attended Jama’atul Nasril Islam (JNI) Primary School from 1970 to 1977 where he got the First School Leaving Certificate. He then proceeded to the College of Arts and Arabic Studies, Sokoto from 1977 to 1982 for his Grade 2 Teachers Certificate. Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya then enrolled on a Pre-Degree Programme at the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto from 1983 to 1985. He thereafter got admission into the prestigious Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna from 1985 to 1990 where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History.
Lieutenant General Yahaya held several appointments in Command, Staff and Instructional capacities in the course of his career. Notable amongst these appointments were the Aide de Camp – Military Administrator, Government House – Kano, Commander Guards Brigade Garrison, Directing Staff at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College – Jaji, Commander 4 Brigade – Benin and Commander 29 Task Force Brigade – Borgozo in Borno State. Other appointments held include Principal General Staff Officer (PGSO) to the Honourable Minister of Defence – Ministry of Defence and Military Secretary (Army) as well as the General Officer Commanding 1 Division Nigerian Army. He was also the Theatre Commander – Theatre Command Operation LAFIYA DOLE and Operation HADIN KAI before he was appointed the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Nigerian Army.
Lieutenant General Yahaya participated in several military operations both within and outside the country. These operations include ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) in Liberia, Operation HARMONY in Bakassi, Operation PULO SHIELD, Operation ZAMAN LAFIYA, Operation LAFIYA DOLE and Operation HADIN KAI among others. In his distinguished service to the country and for his participation in various military operations, Lieutenant General Yahaya accrued several honours, awards and medals which include the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), Nigerian Army Medal (NAM), Grand Service Star (GSS), Distinguished Service Star (DSS), Meritorious Service Star (MSS) and Field Command Medal of Honour (FCMH) among others. He has attended several courses both at home and abroad notable among them include the Junior and Senior Staff Courses, both at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College Jaji as well as the Strategic and Joint Political Management Course at the National Academy of Political and Strategic Studies, Chile. The astute leadership and guidance of the
He has continued to result in the current excellent performance of Nigerian Army personnel across all Theaters of Operation in the country. Notably, his outstanding operational competence and leadership ensured the continued accomplishment of missions when he was the Theater Commander of Operation HADIN KAI.
This resulted in the liberation of Boko Haram enclaves and hideouts leading to the mass surrender of insurgents. Similarly, as the Chief of Army Staff his situational awareness, operational guidance and support led to the dislodgement of more Boko Haram strongholds in Alagarno and Sambisa Forests in the same Operation HADIN KAI. Likewise, in the Joint Task Force North West Operation HADARIN DAJI, his rejuvenation of the operation through Operation FOREST SANITY was key to denying bandits operating in that region freedom of action. Moreso, his drive-in handling the violent secessionist agitations of the Indigenous People of Biafra stabilized the South East region that ensured the peaceful conduct of the 2023 General Elections.
Lieutenant General Yahaya’s excellent administrative and motivational approach has ensured massive infrastructural development within the Army. In this regard, he gave priority to the welfare of personnel and their families. Dilapidated structures in most Barracks were renovated and new structures were constructed to alleviate the accommodation deficit in the Nigerian Army.
Lieutenant General Yahaya recently introduced the Nigerian Army Insurance Scheme to provide immediate succour to families of deceased personnel. He also introduced the Chief of Army Staff Personnel Loan Scheme to provide affordable loans for personnel. He also created the Affordable Home Ownership Opportunity for All Soldiers (AHOOA Soldiers).
Additionally, Lieutenant General Yahaya introduced and approved fortnightly welfare flights for the movement of personnel in and out of the North East Theatre of Operation. This greatly eliminated the hitherto experiences of troops falling into targeted operations by Boko Haram insurgents in abducting soldiers on welfare passes. Other areas the COAS gave priority to include the equipping and provision of adequate medical facilities in the Nigerian Army Reference Hospitals in Lagos, Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Benin and Maiduguri to effectively cater for troops’ casualties. He is currently equipping the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Abakaliki to cater for referral cases in the region.
In the area of Logistics, Lieutenant General Yahaya facilitated the procurement of additional modern equipment to sustain all Nigerian Army Operations across the country. He has also trained and retrained Nigerian Army personnel to improve their capacity, professionalism, and readiness for combat. This training has no doubt rejuvenated the warrior ethos in soldiers. Overall, his strategy had greatly contributed to the stabilization of the North East from Boko Haram insurgency and North West from the Bandits menace as well as other troubled regions in the country.
Lieutenant General Yahaya is happily married to Mrs Salamatu Faruk Yahaya and the marriage is blessed with children. He is a Fellow of the Historical Society of Nigeria (FHSN). His hobbies include reading, travelling, cracking jokes and listening to local music.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
