President Bola Tinubu on Monday appointed new Service Chiefs, after sacking all the incumbent Service Chiefs, Advisers and Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service.
Gen TA Lagbaja takes over from Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya as Chiefof Army Staff; Air Vice Marshal Hassan Bala Abubakar takes over from Air Marshal Oladayo Amao as Chief of Air Staff; Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla takes over from Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo as Cheif of Naval staff.
Gen TA Lagbajatakes over from Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya as Chiefof Army Staff; Air Vice Marshal Hassan Bala Abubakar takes over from Air Marshal Oladayo Amao as Chief of Air Staff; and Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogallatakes over from Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo as Cheif of Naval staff.
Army Chief
Gen TA Lagbaja is a member of 39 Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy and was commissioned in the rank of Second Lieutenant on 19 Sep 1992.
The senior officer has served the Nigerian Army in several capacities and has held several appointments. Until his current appointment as General Officer Commanding 1 Division, he was the General Officer Commanding 82 Division.
He assumed Command on 8 Aug 2022 as the 39th General Officer Commanding 1 Division prior to his appointment.
Air Chief
Air Vice Marshal Hassan Bala Abubakar was born on 11 September 1970. He hails from Shanono Local Government Area in Kano State. He enlisted into the NAF as a member of NDA RC 39 and commissioned Pilot Offr on 19 Sep 92.
The Air Officer Commanding, Logistics Command has attended several courses. Some of these include: Bachelor of Science Degree from the Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna. National Defence Course at the Nasser Higher Military Academy, Cairo – Egypt. He holds a master’s Degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy from ABU Zaria.
Until his appointment as the 22nd Chief of the Air Staff, AVM HB Abubakar was the Chief of Standards and Operations, HQ NAF.
The senior officer has also held several appointments, some of which are: Admin Officer 16 Engineering Wing, 1 Engineering Group NAF Makurdi, Fleet operation officer – 011Presidential Air Fleet, Commander 011 Presidential Air Fleet, Chief of Staff, Mobility Command, Director of Policy, HQ NAF, Director of Operations, HQ NAF, Air Officer Commanding Logistics Command, among several others.
The senior officer has earned several awards and decorations, some of these include: Distinguished Service Star, Passed Staff Course (psc), Fellow Defence College, Masters in International Affairs, Member National Institute of Management, Member Chartered Institute of Public Management, and Member Nigerian Institute of Safety Professionals.
Air Vice Marshal HB Abubakar is happily married with children and in his leisure time, the senior officer enjoys flying airplanes, reading, reflecting and keeping fit.
Naval cheif
Rear Adm Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla was born on 20 Dec 68 in Enugu Ezike Igbo Eze north LGA Enugu State, Nigeria. He obtained the WASC from the NMS Zaria in Jun 87 where he graduated as the best boy in Sciences. He had A1 in all subjects except English language. He is a member of the 39 RC NDA, graduated with a BSc in Maths and was awarded sword of honour as the best naval cadet in his course. He was commissioned S Lt on 16 Sep 92 and rose to the rank of R Adm wef 16 Sep 21. He completed the STC NNS QUORRA, Basic Hydrography National Hydrographic School India in May 2000, Junior and Senior Staff Courses AFCSC Jaji in Nov 01 and Jul 06 respectively. He was a participant of NDC Course 22 and was awarded fdc in Aug 14. As part of the Course, he took part in the MSc Strategic Studies programme, University of Ibadan from 2014 to 2015.
The senior officer served on board many ships including NNS AMBE, ARADU, LANA, EKUN, AGU, QUORRA, BEECROFT, DELTA and PATHFINDER. While on board NNS EKUN he took part in the ECOMOG Operations in Liberia in 1996. Also as the Base operations officer in NNS PATHFINDER, he was responsible for coordinating anti illegal bunkering operations as well the entire policing duties of the base. During the period there was a remarkable reduction in illegal activities in the maritime area within the base area of operations.
The senior officer also served as Instructor, CI and Comdt NNHS, SO 1 Survey and DD Instruments NNHO, ADCP, DD Hydro and DPR NHQ, as well as DS/ DARAS NDC and D Audit NASS NHQ. He is currently the DLL NHQ. During his cumulative 6-year tour of duty in NNHS, he taught geodesy, datum conversion, tidal predictions and analysis, satellite surveying, bathymetry, among others. As Comdt, he linked the School with Teledyn Marines, a reputable OEM in the US, which enabled the NN to procure several survey equipment from the company, leading to improvements in practical training. He was also instrumental to the review of the School’s curriculum to align with IHO requirements. During his tour of duty in the NNHO, the senior officer was instrumental to the localisation of tidal prediction and analysis. He participated in the FAO sponsored Guinea Current Large Marine Ecosystem survey in 2004 and provided professional inputs during the survey and production of the NNHO charts. During his tour of duty at the NDC, he contributed towards the improvement of the College research package and also led the 2018 participants research study tour to China and South Korea. As DLL he was responsible for collating and analysing previous NN Operations and activities with the objective of drawing lessons necessary for doctrinal and operational improvements.
The Senior officer is decorated with FSS, MSS, DSS and GSS. He is a member of the Nigerian Hydrographic Society, Nigerian Institute of Management, the International Earth Rotation Services and also a fellow of the Occupational Safety and Health Association of the UK. He is married to Mrs Ijeoma Ogalla and the marriage is blessed with 2 children. His hubbies include jugging, reading, listening and researching about science and nature.