COAS didn’t introduce automatic promotion — Nigerian Army refutes reports

The Nigerian Army, NA, High Command has refuted the fake report that the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, has introduced an automatic promotion initiative for personnel who have served in their current ranks for five years or more in the Service.

In a statement made available to Defence Correspondents in Abuja by Director of Army Public Relations, Major Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, the Army declared that “this deliberate misinformation is not only untrue but also calculated to mislead personnel as well as members of the public.

It emphasized that “the Nigerian Army, like other Services of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, adheres to unified standards of promotion criteria and will, therefore, not deviate from these established protocols, which ensure fairness, professionalism, and operational effectiveness across the services”.

The statement reads, “The Nigerian Army has been notified of misleading and baseless claims currently circulating the social media, insinuating that the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede has introduced an automatic promotion initiative for personnel who have served in their current ranks for five years or more.

“This deliberate misinformation is not only untrue but also calculated to mislead personnel as well as members of the public.

“Suffice to state that promotion in the Nigerian Army is a structured, merit-based exercise governed by clearly defined statutory regulations and provisions. It is neither arbitrary nor subject to social media speculations. The conditions for elevation in rank are meticulously outlined in the Nigerian Army Administrative Policies and Procedures (Revised 2023) and the Armed Forces of Nigeria Harmonized Terms and Conditions of Service for Soldiers, Ratings and Airmen (2024). Among others, key requirements for promotion by the Armed Forces include but are not limited to serving the stipulated minimum period on a substantive rank, successful completion of requisite professional courses, maintaining satisfactory disciplinary and performance records and meeting medical and physical fitness standards.

“It must be emphasized that the Nigerian Army, like other Services of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, adheres to unified standards of promotion criteria. The Nigerian Army will, therefore, not deviate from these established protocols, which ensure fairness, professionalism, and operational effectiveness across the services.

“The public is thus urged to disregard the deceptive publication, as it by no means holds any credibility. The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, remains resolute in his commitment to the welfare, career progression, and professional development of Nigerian Army personnel, as encapsulated in his “Soldier First” mantra, but will not act in a manner that will insidiously undermine due process and international best practice.”

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