• President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Rear Admiral Ikechukwu Ogalla as the new Chief of Naval Staff
• The announcement was made on Monday, June 19, following the dismissal of service chiefs who served under the immediate past administration
• Rear Admiral Ogalla hails from Enugu State, the southeast region of Nigeria, and he replaced Rear Admiral Awwal Gambo

FCT, Abuja - President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Monday, June 19, approved the retirement of all the service chiefs who served under the immediate past administration.

President Tinubu appointed Rear Admiral Ikechukwu Ogalla as the new Chief of Naval Staff.

His appointment means he replaced Awwal Gambo as the number one man of the Nigerian Navy.

In this short piece, we’ll look at his profile before his appointment by President Tinubu.

1. Early life

Born on December 20, 1968, Ogalla hails from Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State.

In June I987, he obtained his West African School Certificate from the Nigerian Military School (NMS) Zaria, where he emerged the Best Boy in Sciences.

He attended the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), where he bagged his first degree in Mathematics and was given the Sword of Honour as the best naval cadet in his course.

2. Naval courses

In May 2000, he completed his STC NNS QUORRA, Basic Hydrography, at the National Hydrographic School in India.

He also participated in and completed the Junior and Senior Staff Courses at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC) Jaji.

Ogalla was a participant in the NDC Course 22 and was awarded FDC, as he holds a Master's in strategic studies program from the University of Ibadan.

3. Rising through the ranks/operations

As a senior officer in the Nigerian Navy, he was on board as a ship crew member for NNS AMBE, ARADU, LANA, EKUN, AGU, QUORRA, BEECROFT, DELTA, and PATHFINDER.

In those times, he participated in operations in several countries, including his first operation in Liberia in 1996.

Also, as the base operations officer in NNS PATHFINDER, he was responsible for coordinating anti-illegal bunkering operations and the entire policing duties of the base.

4. Achievements

During his time as a base operation officer in NNS PATHFINDER, there was a reduction in crime and illegal activities.

While also serving as an instructor in the NNHS, he taught geodesy, datum conversion, tidal predictions and analysis, satellite surveying, and bathymetry for six years.

He was also instrumental in the review of the School’s curriculum to align with IHO requirements.

According to Leadership, he is decorated with FSS, MSS, DSS, and GSS. He is a member of the Nigerian Hydrographic Society, the Nigerian Institute of Management, the International Earth Rotation Services, and a fellow of the UK Occupational Safety and Health Association.

5. Personal life/family

He is married to Ijeoma Ogalla, and the marriage is blessed with two children.

His hobbies include jogging, reading, listening, and researching about science and nature.

Meet Kayode Egbetokun, Nigeria's new IGP

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu sacked the police boss, Usman Alkali Baba, and replaced him with Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.

Tinubu also approved the retirement of all service chiefs, advisers, and Comptroller-General of Customs, as well as their replacements, with immediate effect on Monday, June 19.

Egbetokun lectured Mathematics briefly at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, before his enlistment into the police.

Source: Legit.ng