Army, Navy, NAF Councils set to meet

From: Molly Kilete, Abuja

The Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy and the Air Force may announce the names of newly-promoted senior officers to the rank of one star and two star generals this week.
The promotion, which is expected to be announced any moment from now, is coming after the various promotion boards in the military concluded their sitting where prospective officers to be elevated were screened.
Daily Sun gathered that the report of the promotion board had been sent to the various service chiefs, who are expected to present same to the Army, Navy and NAF Councils for deliberation and approval of those who scaled through the screening.
To this end, there has been an intense lobbying by affected officers, some of whom, Daily Sun gathered, have contacted prominent traditional rulers, spiritual leaders, top government functionaries, members of the National Assembly, the Presidency, among other power brokers, to talk to their service chiefs for their promotion.
It is also was gathered that some of the service chiefs have complained about the high traffic calls they receive on their mobile telephone since the promotion board began sitting, resulting to some of them getting new numbers.
The promotion which is mostly for officers in the ranks of Colonel to Brigadier-General and Brigadier-General to Majors-General, in the Nigerian Army, Captain to Commodore and Commodore to Rear Admiral in the Nigerian Navy and Group Captain to Air Commodore and Air Commodore to Air Vice Marshal in the Nigerian Air Force, had over 500, officers appeared before the board.
Over 200, officers in the ranks of Colonel to Brigadier-General and about 60, in the ranks of Brigadier-General to Major-General were said to have appeared before the promotion boards of the Nigerian army.
The Nigerian Navy had over 150 officers in the ranks of Captain and Commodore screened before the promotion board, while the Nigerian Air Force, also had about 150 officers in the ranks of Group Captain and Air Commodore, appeared before the board.
Daily Sun also gathered that the Army Council, Navy council and NAF Council will meet at the ministry of Defence during the week.
The meetings which will be chaired by the the Defence minister, Mansur Dan-Ali, will have in attendance, Chief of Defence Staff, service chiefs, Military Secretary Army, Navy Secretary and Air Secretary.
The councils would first be presented with the names of officers who are due for retirement from service which would be followed with names of officers recommended for promotion.
Their promotion and appointment would be determined by vacancies by courses, disciplinary ground, Terms and Conditions of Service, Age on Ranks and those who have been presented three times before the promotion and failed.
At the end end of the meetings, there are bound to be changes in the coming days with the appointment of new General Officers Commanding, (GOC), Flag Officers Commanding;FOC), Air Officers Commanding(AOC), and new Principal Staff Officers(PSOs), new commanders and commandants for the various military training institutions among others across the country.