President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the National Assembly to confirm the four military service chiefs he appointed this week.

The president on Tuesday, January 26, 2021 announced the appointment of Major General Lucky Irabor (Chief of Defence Staff), Major General Ibrahim Attahiru (Chief of Army Staff), Rear Admiral Awwal Gambo (Chief of Naval Staff) and Air Vice Marshal Isiaka Amao (Chief of Air Staff).

This was immediately after he accepted the resignation and retirement of General Abayomi Olonisakin (Chief of Defence Staff), Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai (Chief of Army Staff), Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (Chief of Naval Staff) and Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar (Chief of Air Staff) who had been serving since 2015.

Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Babajide Omoworare, said in a Friday, January 29 statement that the confirmation request is in furtherance of Section 18 (1) of the Armed Forces Act Cap. A.20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.

He said the request, forwarded in a January 27 letter, is confirmation that Buhari had no intention of bypassing the National Assembly on the appointments as alleged by critics.

"It is on record that this same procedure was adopted when the immediate past service chiefs were appointed," he said.

Due to their perceived failures as military chiefs, many Nigerians had repeatedly called for dismissal of the old service chiefs whose normal period of service Buhari extended for over three years.

The president also ignored numerous resolutions from the Senate to dismiss the service chiefs, noting that it was up to his own discretion.

The Senate will consider Buhari's new appointments when lawmakers resume plenary sessions on February 9, with all four of them expected to sail through.