President Muhammadu Buhari has deployed former chief of army staff Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.) in Benin Republic as ambassador.
The president also named former chief of defence staff Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin (retd.) head of mission to Cameroon.
Minister of foreign affairs Geoffrey Onyeama, according to a statement by the ministry’s spokesman Kimiebi Ebienfa, presented letters of credence to the ex-service chiefs, during a brief ceremony in Abuja.
He said, “The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, today June 22 2021, presented Letters of Credence to the Ambassador-Designate of Nigeria to the Republic of Cameroon, General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin (retd.), and the Ambassador-Designate of Nigeria to the Republic of Benin, Lt.Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai (Retired).
“The Minister of Foreign Affairs during the brief ceremony congratulated the immediate-past service chiefs on their appointment by Mr President and called on them to deploy their wealth of experience to promote Nigeria’s interest during their tour of duty in countries of accreditation.”
The statement did not say where the other former service chiefs – Vice Admiral Ibok- Ette Ibas (retd.); former chief of naval staff, Air Vice Marshal Sadique Abubakar (retd.), ex-chief of air staff and Air Vice Marshal Muhammad Usman (retd.), former chief of defence Intelligence — were deployed.
