COAS Appointment: General Waidi Shaibu’s Military Skills, ‘Rich’ Career History Highlighted At Get-Together Held In His Honour In Ilorin
Community leaders, politicians, youth and women leaders, government functionaries , members of the civil society organizations and other ‘important’ stakeholders in Kwara State, prayed for the success of the new Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu during the thanksgiving prayer service/ get-together held in his honour in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Saturday.
Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, who was appointed as Chief of Army Staff on October 24, 2025, was a member of the Nigerian Defence Academy 41 Regular Course and the thanksgiving prayer service/ get- together was organized by Engineer Nurudeen Adeyemi Balogun, an indigene of Esie, Kwara State, who was also a member of the Nigerian Defence Academy 41 Regular Course.
Chief Nurudeen Adeyemi Balogun, an aerospace engineer, is a member of the Board of Trustees of TETFUND where he represents the North Central geopolitical zone.
The event held at Our Garden, GRA, Ilorin, was a non-partisan gathering as it had in attendance prominent members of APC, PDP, SDP and ADC in the state while those who are apolitical also graced the occasion.
Team@orientactualmags.com reports that dignitaries at the event include Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s Senior Special Assistant on Security, Alhaji Muhyideen Aliu, Senior Special Assistant on Communications, Mr Ibraheem Abdullateef Akolu, Senior Special Assistant on Digital Innovation, Mr Kayode Ishola, former Commissioner for Information, Prince Tunji Moronfoye, Hon AbdulAzeez Abdulrazaq, Dr Bukola Saraki’s strong foot soldier, Alhaji Tajudeen Alabi, an activist, Comrade Lanre Osho and the former Senate President’s media aide, Mr Abdulganiyu Abdulqadir.
Speakers including Prince Tunji Moronfoye, Alhaji Muhideen Aliu, Alhaji Tajudeen Alabi and Mr Ibrahim Lateef Akolu ,who cited military skills and the ‘rich’ career history of Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, took turns to express confidence in his ability to ‘deliver’ while also asserting that as the professional head of the Army who is responsible for commanding and administering all aspects of military operations, he will perform his role successfully and efficiently.
They submitted that he will bring to bear the vast experience he had garnered over the years while however urging Nigerians to support the Nigerian army more than ever as they strive to end insurgency and ‘defeat’ criminal elements in the country.
Muslims and Christians among attendees of the event were later asked to pray for the new army chief and they asked God to grant him success in his new role.
Retired Brigadier General Ajibola Onasoga, a member of the Nigerian Defence Academy 41 Regular Course, who stood in for Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu at the event, commended Engineer Nurudeen Adeyemi Balogun for organizing the get-together in honour of the army chief while also acknowledging its uniqueness as a non-partisan gathering.
He however noted that this did not come as a surprise because Engineer Nurudeen Adeyemi Balogun had been known as a unifier since their days in the military school.
Onasoga said Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, ‘an excellent and a very intelligent person’ , is a perfect fit for the job adding that he is well-equipped to successfully lead the charge with respect to efforts to bring an end to insecurity in the country while however urging Nigerians to ensure increased support for the military.
He also disclosed how one of the then senior officers played a role in 1989 that has made him get considered as a ‘destiny helper’.
‘Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu was one of the best among us then. He was even the overall best cadet, Nurudeen Adeyemi, me, and the new COAS are engineers and we were supposed to be in the Engineering corps, but the then Lt Colonel Bulus said an excellent and a very intelligent young officer like Waidi should be in the armoured Corps and he took immediate action in this regard. He apparently saw the future. In the engineering corps, Nurudeen Adeyemi was also one of the best cadets and he would have also possibly become a COAS if he had received military commission’ Onasoga added-Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079, 08059100286, 09094171980. Thank you
