24th June, 2023
By Sumaila Ogbaje
The Nigerian Army on Saturday pulled out of service the immediate past Chief of Army Staff, retired Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya, following the change of leadership of the Armed Forces of Nigeria by President Bola Tinubu.
Tinubu had on June 17, approved the appointment of new service chiefs, marking the retirement of the erstwhile chiefs from the service of the armed forces.
Pulling Out Parade is a traditional military ceremony to mark officers’ retirement from service which involves review of parade by the retiring senior officer, March past by troops and pull out if the retired officer by top Generals.
In his valedictory speech, Gen. Yahaya thanked God for a successful career that saw him through the ranks and for reaching the peak as the chief of army staff.
He said that whatever had a beginning must have an end, saying that Saturday, June 24 marked the end of his career that started on Sept. 27, 1985, when he reported to the prestigious Nigerian Defence Academy.
He said his time in the army in command positions enjoyed a measure of support from subordinates, quoting Abraham Lincoln who once said, “no man is good enough to govern another man without the other man’s consent or support”.
“The Nigerian army has indeed grown and I want to use this opportunity to appreciate my predecessors for their dedication service to the army.
“Their efforts significantly addressed some security challenges in the country during their tenure and provided good platform on which others can build upon.
“It was on those efforts and platforms that I tried to build which enabled me to contribute my own quota to the upliftment of the Nigerian army,” he said.