•At The 2022 City People Award For Excellence
The 2022 City People Awards for Excellence will hold in a few days time and one of those who will honour is His Excellency Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai (rtd), former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Nigerian Army. He is a seasoned senior military officer who served the nation in various capacities for over 3 years decades. He retired from military service in January 2021 and was appointed Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Benin Republic the same year.
Lets tell you more. He was born on 24th November 1960 at Buratai town, Biu Local Government Area of Borno State. He started his Primary education in Kaduna and completed it in Maiduguri, Borno State. After that, he proceeded to Government Teachers College Potiskum, Yobe State, where he graduated with distinction. The zeal to serve the nation made him apply and gain admission into the prestigious Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna as a member of the 29th Regular Combatant Course (29 RC) on 3rd January 1981. On successful completion of his Officer Cadet training, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on 17th December 1983 into the Infantry Corps of the Nigerian Army.
Since his commission, he has attended several courses and seminars here in Nigeria and abroad and served in many units, formations and training institutions where he held command, staff and instructional appointments. These include the mandatory Young Officers Course Infantry (YOC) and Anti-Tank Platoon Commanders’ Course, both at the Nigerian Army School of Infantry, Jaji. He also attended Watermanship Course at Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre Forest School Aluu Port Harcourt and Joint Operations Coaching Course, and Computer Appreciation Course. He attended Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC) for his Junior Course and Senior courses in 1994 and 1999-2000. Similarly, Lieutenant General Buratai (rtd) has also attended Management Course at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and the International Conference for Directors of Planning, Research and Statistics. Others include Disarmament, Demobilization and Re-integration Course at Cornwallis Park Nova Scotia, Canada, in 2000, National Defence Course in Bangladesh, and the United Nations Staff and Logistics Officers’ Course in India.
He started his military career as a Platoon Commander at 26 Amphibious Battalion Elele, Port Harcourt, from 19th January 1984 to 30th September 1986. He was a Military Observer at the United Nations Verification Mission II in Angola from 1st October 1986 to 30th August 1987. He was again a Platoon Commander at 26 Guards Battalion from 1st September to 15th November 1987 and later served as Company Second in Command (Coy 2ic) in the same unit from 15th September 1991 to 14th August 1994. He was also a Platoon Commander at the Lagos Garrison Command Camp from 15th August 1994 to 19th April 1995.
Lieutenant General Buratai (rtd) had also served as Staff Officer to the Principal Staff Officer to the then Head of State at the State House from 20th April 1995 to 23rd July 1998 before he was appointed Officer Commanding (OC) at 82 Motorized Battalion from 24th July 1998 to 11th July 1999. He was Second in Command of the 81 Battalion from 1st August 2000 to 12th April 2000. He served as General Staff Officer Grade 1 in Charge of Training and Operations (GSO1 Trg/Ops) at the Army Headquarters Garrison from 14th February 2001 to 31st July 2001. After that, he became a Directing Staff at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC) from 1st August 2001 to 16th March 2004, where he was awarded the prestigious “Pass Staff College Dagger” (psc(+)) appellation.
Subsequently, General Buratai served as Colonel Plans at the Army Headquarters Department of Army Policy and Plans from 17th March 2004 to 4th December 2007 and then Assistant Chief of Staff in charge of Administrative Matters (ACOS G1) at the Headquarters Infantry Corps Centre from 16th February 2009 to 29th December 2009 before his promotion to the rank of Brigadier General. He was again at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, where he served as Director of the Department of Land Warfare from 30th December 2009 to 27th January 2011 before he was appointed Commander 2 Brigade Nigerian Army, where he served from 28th January 2011 to 25th January 2013. While at 2 Brigade Nigerian Army Port Harcourt, he was also the Commander, Sector 2 of Operation PULO SHIELD Joint Task Force. On his promotion to the rank of Major General, he was appointed Commandant, Nigerian Army School of Infantry (NASI), Jaji, where he served from 26th January 2013 to 16th February 2014. On 17th February 2014, he was appointed Director of Procurement at the Defence Headquarters and was later appointed Force Commander of the newly reconstituted Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) on 18th May 2015. General Buratai was appointed the 20th Chief of Army Staff on Monday 13th July 2015.
(5) A highly decorated Senior Officer, General Buratai has the following Honours and Awards; Nigerian Army Medal (NAM), Order of Military Merit (OMM Brazil), Forces Service Star (FSS), Meritorious Service Star (MSS), Distinguished Service Star (DSS) and the Grand Service Star (GSS). Others include Pass Staff Course Dagger (psc(+)), National Defence College (ndc) (Bangladesh), Field Command Medal of Honour (FCMH), Foreign National Honours Award Medal (FNHAM), Training Support Medal (TSM) and the United Nations Medal for Angolan Verification Medal II (UNAVEM II). In addition, he has the following qualifications; Nigerian Defence Academy Certification of Education, Bachelor of Arts in History (BA), Masters of Arts Degree in History and a Master of Philosophy Degree in Security Studies, Honorary Doctorate Degree in Leadership and Peace PhD from Kaduna State University and a Professor of Strategic Studies at large from Igbinedion University, Okada.
Destined for greater heights, General Buratai has always been promoted as when due. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 3rd January 1985, Captain on 3rd January 1989 and became a Major on 3rd January 1994. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on 3rd January 1998 and Colonel on 3rd January 2004. He became a Brigadier General on 3rd January 2009 and was promoted to Major General on 3rd January 2012. The President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, approved his promotion to the rank of a Lieutenant General on Thursday, 13th August 2015.
During his tenure as COAS, the Army was transformed into a truly professional and responsive Nigerian Army. An Army that has improved on its Order of Battle (ORBAT), training, operations, and general administration, including welfare and logistics, with tremendous infrastructural development. There were enhanced Civil-Military Relations, Innovations, Cyber Warfare and Cyber Security.
There was an improved Nigerian Army Intelligence Corps by procuring modern equipment. The Nigerian Army today has better intelligence and security through effective and efficient intelligence operations. The NA inter-agency cooperation was first class promoted through Exercises like PYTHON DANCE, CROCODILE SMILE, HARBIN KUNAMA, AYEM AKPATUMA and SAHEL SANITY, amongst others. With these exercises, the security situation across the country had been mainly stabilised. The welfare of troops and their families was improved with various welfare programmes in empowerment, investments and staff development.
One of Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai’s most outstanding achievements was the preservation of democracy and respect for the political authorities. The Army remained apolitical and subordinated to the democratic rule. The Buratai Initiatives from 2015 to 2021 include: (a) Nigerian Army University Biu. (b) Command and NAOWA Hospital, Abuja. (c) Nigerian Army Women’s Corps (NAWC). (d) Nigerian Army Cyberspace Command.
(e) Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC). (f) Super Green Securities. (g) Army War College Nigeria. (h) Establishment of 6 and 8 Divs. (i) ZUGWU MRAP. (j) Land Forces Simulation Centre Nigeria.
(Lieutenant General TY Buratai (rtd) is a Member of the Historical Society of Nigeria, and his hobbies include farming, squash racket and jogging. He is happily married and blessed with children.
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