# Chief of Army Staff (Nigeria)

The chief of army staff (COAS) has been the title of the professional head of the Nigerian Army since 1966. Prior to 1966, the title was General Officer Commanding, Nigerian Army (GOCNA). Since 1980, the post has been immediately subordinate to the chief of defence staff, the post held by the head of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The position is often occupied by the most senior officer appointed by the president.
The current chief of army staff is Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, who succeeded Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, who died in office in November 2024.

## Role

In the chain of command, the chief of army staff reports to the chief of defence staff, who in turn reports to the defence minister, accountable to the president of Nigeria. The statutory duty of the officer is to formulate and execute policies towards the highest attainment of national security and operational competence of the Nigerian Army.

## Chiefs of the Nigerian Army

Following is a chronological list of officers holding the position of General Officer Commanding (GOC) or Chief of Army Staff (COAS).

### General Officer Commanding

| No. | General Officer Commanding | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
| 1 | Exham, KennethMajor general Kenneth G. Exham | 1956 | 1959 | 2–3 years |
| 2 | Foster, NormanMajor general Norman Foster | 1959 | 1963 | 3–4 years |
| 3 | Mackenzie, JohnMajor general John Alexander Mackenzie | 1963 | 1963 | 0 years |
| 4 | Welby-Everard, ChristopherMajor general Sir Christopher Welby-Everard (1909–1996) | 1963 | February 1965 | 1–2 years |
| 5 | Aguiyi-Ironsi, JohnsonMajor general Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi (1924–1966) Later military ruler | February 1965 | 15 January 1966 | 0–1 years |

### Chief of Army Staff

| No. | Chief of Army Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
| 1 | Gowon, YakubuLieutenant colonel Yakubu Gowon FSS (born 1934) Later military ruler | January 1966 | July 1966 | 6 months | |
| 2 | Akahan, JosephLieutenant colonel Joseph Akahan OFR FSS (1937–1968) | July 1966 | May 1968 † | 1 year, 9 months | |
| 3 | Katsina, HassanMajor general Hassan Katsina RCDS, PSC (1933–1995) | May 1968 | January 1971 | 2 years, 8 months | |
| 4 | Ejoor, DavidMajor general David Ejoor (1932–2019) | January 1971 | July 1975 | 4 years, 6 months | |
| 5 | Danjuma, TheophilusLieutenant general Theophilus Danjuma (born 1938) | July 1975 | October 1979 | 4 years, 3 months | |
| 6 | Akinrinade, IpoolaLieutenant general Ipoola Alani Akinrinade CFR FSS (born 1939) later Chief of Defence Staff | October 1979 | April 1980 | 6 months | |
| 7 | Jalo, GibsonLieutenant general Gibson Jalo CFR FSS, JSS (1939–2000) later Chief of Defence Staff | April 1980 | October 1981 | 1 year, 6 months | |
| 8 | Wushishi, InuaLieutenant general Inua Wushishi CFR FSS (1940–2021) | October 1981 | October 1983 | 2 years | |
| 9 | Babangida, IbrahimMajor general Ibrahim Babangida (born 1941) Later military ruler | January 1984 | August 1985 | 1 year, 7 months | |
| 10 | Abacha, SaniLieutenant general Sani Abacha GCON , DSS, mni (1943–1998) Later military ruler | August 1985 | August 1990 | 5 years | |
| 11 | Abacha, SaniLieutenant general Salihu Ibrahim FSS , FHWC (1935–2018) | August 1990 | September 1993 | 3 years, 1 month | |
| 12 | Gusau, AliyuLieutenant general Aliyu Mohammed Gusau DSS, rcds (born 1943) | September 1993 | November 1993 | 2 months | |
| 13 | Alli, ChrisMajor general Chris Alli CRG, DSS, ndc, psc(+) (1944–2023) | November 1993 | August 1994 | 9 months | |
| 14 | Kazir, AlwaliMajor general Alwali Kazir DSS, Usawc, psc(+) (born 1947) | August 1994 | March 1996 | 1 year, 7 months | |
| 15 | Bamaiyi, IshayaLieutenant general Ishaya Bamaiyi DSS, Usawc, psc(+) (born 1949) | March 1996 | May 1999 | 3 years, 2 months | |
| 16 | Malu, VictorLieutenant general Victor Malu DSS, mni, fwc, psc (1947–2017) | May 1999 | April 2001 | 1 year, 11 months | |
| 17 | Ogomudia, AlexanderLieutenant general Alexander Ogomudia (born 1949) Later Chief of Defence Staff | April 2001 | June 2003 | 2 years, 2 months | |
| 18 | Agwai, MartinLieutenant general Martin Luther Agwai (born 1948) Later Chief of Defence Staff | June 2003 | June 2006 | 3 years | |
| 19 | Azazi, OwoyeLieutenant general Owoye Andrew Azazi (1952–2012) Later Chief of Defence Staff | 1 June 2006 | May 2007 | 11 months | |
| 20 | Yusuf, LukaLieutenant general Luka Yusuf CFR, GSS, GPP, DSO, psc(+), fwc, Msc (1952–2009) | June 2007 | August 2008 | 1 year, 3 months | |
| 21 | Dambazau, AbdulrahmanLieutenant general Abdulrahman Dambazau CFR, GSS, psc, ndc, fwc(+) (born 1954) | August 2008 | September 2010 | 2 years, 1 month | |
| 22 | Ihejirika, AzubuikeLieutenant general Azubuike Ihejirika CFR, GSS, psc(+), fwc, fniqs (born 1956) | September 2010 | January 2014 | 3 years, 4 months | |
| 23 | Minimah, KennethLieutenant general Kenneth Minimah GSS, psc(+), fwc (born 1959) | January 2014 | July 2015 | 1 year, 6 months | https://punchng.com/tinubu-promotes-acting-coas-oluyede-to-lieutenant-general/ |
| 24 | Buratai, TukurLieutenant general Tukur Yusuf Buratai NAM, GSS, psc(+), ndc (BD) (born 1960) | 16 July 2015 | 28 January 2021 | 5 years, 6 months | |
| 25 | Attahiru, IbrahimLieutenant general Ibrahim Attahiru (1966–2021) | 28 January 2021 | 21 May 2021 † | 3 months | |
| 26 | Yahaya, FarukLieutenant general Faruk Yahaya (born 1966) | 27 May 2021 | 23 June 2023 | 2 years | |
| 27 | Lagbaja, TaoreedLieutenant general Taoreed Lagbaja (1968–2024) | 23 June 2023 | 5 November 2024 † | 1 year, 4 months | |
| 28 | Oluyede, OlufemiLieutenant general Olufemi Oluyede (born 1968) | 30 October 2024 | Incumbent | 2 months | |
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