₦airaland Forum

A Lieutenant General is a superior rank to Major General but subordinate to a (full) General. The rank has a NATO rank code of OF-8, equivalent to a Vice-Admiral of the Nigerian Navy and an Air Marshal in the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and the Air Forces of many Commonwealth countries.

The Lieutenant General rank is always reserved for the chief of army staff( COAS ) just as it equivalent in the sister force for the respective service chief.

In the history of the Nigerian army, there have been some exceptional cases wherein the Lieutenant General rank is being hold simultaneously by two or more senior officers.

The recent case is that of the Nigerian Army's command structure got reinforced with two active Lt-Generals: Lt-Gen Waidi Shaibu commanding as Chief of Army Staff, and Lt-Gen E.A.P. Undiandeye holding the fort as Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI).

This dual brass ain't new—recall Lt-Gen Jeremiah Useni was running the FCT ops under Abacha while Lt-Gen Ishaya Bamaiyi led the Army. And then Lt-Gen Abel Akale drilling cadets at NDA Kaduna as Lt-Gen Martin Luther Agwai helmed HQ. Remember that even Maj-General Chikadibia Isaac Obiakor's 2005 jump to Lt-Gen for UN peacekeeping under Agwai.

While in the time past, the then Major General Lamidi Adeosun's(RIP) 2019 promotion to Lt-Gen amid Lt-Gen Tukur Buratai's tenure.

Photo 1: Chief of Army Staff is Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu while the Chief of Defence Intelligence CDI is Lieutenant General E.A.P. Undiandeye (Photo 2).

Credits; Copied and modified from Greg FB page

Pythagoras001:
why cant there be more than 2 liternant general 3 stars or even general 4 stars in the army? it just doesn't make sense to me. you can have multiple 4 stars generals and still maintain an heirarchy

Pythagoras001:
why cant there be more than 2 liternant general 3 stars or even general 4 stars in the army? it just doesn't make sense to me. you can have multiple 4 stars generals and still maintain an heirarchy

Pythagoras001:
why cant there be more than 2 liternant general 3 stars or even general 4 stars in the army? it just doesn't make sense to me. you can have multiple 4 stars generals and still maintain an heirarchy

Chibuzoc:
Generals that dirty smelling terrorists are dealing with

Iceking1:
My question Is why do so many Generals go on compulsory retirement whenever a new chief of Army staff Is appointed. I have noticed that there are always a lot of Major Generals in the army. In which there are always no lieutenant Generals, except promoted to chief of army staff.

Also, from my years of observations, all the selected chief of army staff are always major generals before being promoted to Lieutenant Generals, when picked as chief of army staff.


What's confusing me right now and what I still can't get my head around Is why do other generals go on compulsory retirement Even when the newly chief of army staff Is being promoted to a lieutenant General, which Is superior than a major general.

Because from what I have observed, the generals that always goes on compulsory retirement are always major generals, can someone please enlighten me on this?

Iceking1:
My question Is why do so many Generals go on compulsory retirement whenever a new chief of Army staff Is appointed. I have noticed that there are always a lot of Major Generals in the army. In which there are always no lieutenant Generals, except promoted to chief of army staff.

Also, from my years of observations, all the selected chief of army staff are always major generals before being promoted to Lieutenant Generals, when picked as chief of army staff.


What's confusing me right now and what I still can't get my head around Is why do other generals go on compulsory retirement Even when the newly chief of army staff Is being promoted to a lieutenant General, which Is superior than a major general.

Because from what I have observed, the generals that always goes on compulsory retirement are always major generals, can someone please enlighten me on this?

Racoon:
"Meet The Simultaneous Lieutenant General Holders In The History of the Nigerian Army."

Gentlesoul2021:
U can't take orders from your mate or junior so therefore all the senior officers must go on compulsory retirement.

Iceking1:
My question Is why do so many Generals go on compulsory retirement whenever a new chief of Army staff Is appointed. I have noticed that there are always a lot of Major Generals in the army. In which there are always no lieutenant Generals, except promoted to chief of army staff.

Also, from my years of observations, all the selected chief of army staff are always major generals before being promoted to Lieutenant Generals, when picked as chief of army staff.


What's confusing me right now and what I still can't get my head around Is why do other generals go on compulsory retirement Even when the newly chief of army staff Is being promoted to a lieutenant General, which Is superior than a major general.

Because from what I have observed, the generals that always goes on compulsory retirement are always major generals, can someone please enlighten me on this?

Iceking1:
My question Is why do so many Generals go on compulsory retirement whenever a new chief of Army staff Is appointed. I have noticed that there are always a lot of Major Generals in the army. In which there are always no lieutenant Generals, except promoted to chief of army staff.

Also, from my years of observations, all the selected chief of army staff are always major generals before being promoted to Lieutenant Generals, when picked as chief of army staff.


What's confusing me right now and what I still can't get my head around Is why do other generals go on compulsory retirement Even when the newly chief of army staff Is being promoted to a lieutenant General, which Is superior than a major general.

Because from what I have observed, the generals that always goes on compulsory retirement are always major generals, can someone please enlighten me on this?

Iceking1:
My question Is why do so many Generals go on compulsory retirement whenever a new chief of Army staff Is appointed. I have noticed that there are always a lot of Major Generals in the army. In which there are always no lieutenant Generals, except promoted to chief of army staff.

Also, from my years of observations, all the selected chief of army staff are always major generals before being promoted to Lieutenant Generals, when picked as chief of army staff.


What's confusing me right now and what I still can't get my head around Is why do other generals go on compulsory retirement Even when the newly chief of army staff Is being promoted to a lieutenant General, which Is superior than a major general.

Because from what I have observed, the generals that always goes on compulsory retirement are always major generals, can someone please enlighten me on this?

AndroBlaze:
I do not believe there is any solid truth to the claim that Lt Gen is "reserved" for the COAS.

Adeosun case is the best example as he was promoted deep into Buratai's term as a Lt Gen and even outlasted Buratai who retired in Jan 2021, while a junior was made COAS and he (Adesosun) retired only in November 2021.

Buhari was the head of state when all of this happened so we cannot claim to understand Army tradition more than him.

https://www.thecable.ng/lamidi-adeosun-general-on-same-rank-with-army-chief-retires/

AndroBlaze:
Not strictly true again.

Adeosun stayed for 10 months after his junior was promoted to Lt Gen, outlasting the previous COAS.

In fact he served under 2 juniors, as Atahiru died in office and Yayha took over in the middle of 2021.

See my post above.

Racoon:
"Meet The Simultaneous Lieutenant General Holders In The History of the Nigerian Army."