CDS OLUYEDE: TALKING LESS, WORKING HARDER AS A GENERAL

By Toby Prince

Anyone can hold a rifle, but a true warrior is forged in character. A rare soldier is not defined by medals, rhetorics, sloganeering, or even ranks, but by the quiet qualities he demonstrates when no one is watching—especially when certain death stares him in the face.

His obedience is not conditional on the presence of a supervising officer; it resonates most powerfully in moments of solitude, exhaustion, and temptation, when no one would know if he chose to cut corners.

Indeed, while the military can train a soldier to shoot, march, maintain regimented discipline, or survive harsh conditions, these skills alone do not create a rare soldier, nor do they define a General. A General is forged from deeper virtues: integrity, humility, empathy, and restraint even in the darkest places.

Rare Generals are remembered long after the guns fall silent, not merely for the enemies they defeated, but for the principled manner in which they exercised lethal force when it was necessary. General Olufemi Oluyede belongs to this rare stock—an almost exotic breed of military leader.

Tempered by 38 years of distinguished service, his journey began when he joined the elite Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in 1987 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1992. It culminated in his appointment as Chief of Defence Staff on 30th October 2024. Throughout this remarkable career, CDS Oluyede has been defined by outstanding forthrightness, free of political noise, yet grounded in deep, self-imposed discipline.

A man of exceptional physical and moral courage coupled with natural charisma, CDS Oluyede repeatedly charged into the heat of battle. He refused to obey unlawful orders and insisted that his men strictly adhere to the rules of engagement.

In Nigeria’s complex counter-insurgency operations, CDS Oluyede emerged as a shining example of a rare General who refused to view every civilian as a potential enemy. He consistently distinguished between innocent populations and armed militias, demonstrating discernment under pressure.

A consummate military professional, CDS Oluyede has always prioritised precision and proportionality. He would rather protect a single civilian life than eliminate a hundred insurgents if it meant violating core principles. This approach ensures that military power is exercised with moral restraint and strategic wisdom.

As a strong advocate and apostle of people-centric military operations, he built his exemplary career on the conviction that victory is achieved not just by defeating enemies on the battlefield, but by winning the hearts and minds of the local population, thereby preventing them from turning against the armed forces.

CDS Oluyede’s intellectual humility is matched by broad and deep knowledge. He understands that tactics may win battles, but only genuine understanding wins wars. This insight has repeatedly led him to partner with local communities who possess intimate knowledge of the terrain and cultural dynamics.

His successes stem from profound proficiency in history, historical antecedents, politics, and economics. These are applied through intelligence-driven operations informed by a rich understanding of the sociology of the people he serves, further enriched by his long and close association with the elite Brigades of Guards. This expanded worldview enabled him to recognise that in the North East, firepower alone could never defeat Boko Haram.

History will record to his everlasting credit that he helped bring an end to the era of military coups in Nigeria through his firm redefinition of the doctrine of loyalty. He shifted loyalty from individuals and cliques to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He established loyalty to the mission above loyalty to any clique. He entrenched loyalty to the welfare and lives of the men under command, even when higher directives faltered. He institutionalised a doctrine of sovereign loyalty anchored in transparency, clarity, and accountability—thereby eliminating blind loyalty that historically bred coups and destabilised institutions.

Through these reforms, senior officers were encouraged to align their allegiance with the state rather than personal or parochial ambitions. An outstanding advocate of improved rules of engagement that emphasise empathy, CDS Oluyede exemplified the rare virtue of protecting civilians even in the most intense combat situations.

By limiting civilian casualties, he reduced the risk of creating the next generation of insurgents and helped foster greater trust and confidence between the military and the communities they defend. Even as a senior General, CDS Oluyede does not merely display the basic physical endurance expected of soldiers.

He demonstrates profound soul endurance. He has refused to be hardened into bitterness, cruelty, or emotional numbness despite the daily horrors of war—the loss of his men, the constant threats to their lives, and the devastating impact on families and the personal lives of officers and soldiers.

Instead, he remains focused on the mission, sustained by a strong sense of camaraderie and brotherhood. In the trenches, he understands that rank dissolves and only trust remains—the one force that holds the line when a soldier stands alone against overwhelming odds.

A highly resourceful and meditative General, CDS Oluyede recognises that a loud soldier often seeks recognition, while true warriors remain silent in the heat of battle. He has therefore chosen the path of the warrior: no unnecessary press conferences, no social media posturing. He talks less, works harder, and delivers results with quiet competence.

In this age of optics and spectacle, such an approach marks him as a truly revolutionary soldier. CDS Oluyede’s manifest creed is to live by truth and justice. He refuses to ingratiate himself or bend principles merely to appear favourable. He speaks truth even when it is unpopular, stands up for the weak when they cannot protect themselves or him, and in so doing, he builds genuine followers rather than mere obedient subordinates.

A core military strategist whose training spans several decades across national and international institutions, with specialisation in peacekeeping, counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, and strategic leadership, CDS Oluyede has become the leading apostle of the Joint Doctrine and Welfare Centre. This initiative has created seamless integration among the Army, Navy, and Air Force, fostering collaboration, synergy, and unified doctrinal training.

It introduced the principle that security must extend beyond territorial defence to include the protection of civilian lives, the enhancement of human dignity, and the building of societal resilience. This has significantly improved cooperation within the Armed Forces while enforcing strict ethical conduct and professionalism, moving away from outdated notions of the ‘unknown soldier.’

Without theatrics or self-aggrandisement, CDS Olufemi Oluyede has prioritised real-time intelligence, digitalised warfare, and robotics as core operational standards, shifting from purely reactive postures to proactive, intelligence-led engagements. He has strengthened robust inter-agency synergy between the military and other security agencies, resulting in strategic realignment, shared responsibilities, and more effective intelligence gathering.

He has transformed the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) into an international benchmark in military equipment production. He has enhanced border management through advanced military technology and improved regional cooperation, thereby curbing the scourge of transnational crime and insurgency.

With a tall, enviable, and indisputable reputation as a soldier’s soldier, CDS Olufemi Oluyede is deeply cherished for his methodical planning and strategic execution of precision operations. He quietly prefers tangible results over loud noise and empty rhetorics. In every sense, he embodies the ideal of talking less and working harder as a General.

*Prince writes from Abuja