Nigerian Army gets first female spokesperson

The Nigerian Army has appointed Appolonia Anele as its first female director of Army Public Relations in an acting capacity.

Ms Anele, a lieutenant colonel, was one time Public Relations Officer in the Office of the Chief of Army Staff, during the tenure of retired Tukur Buratai.

This is the first time a female officer would be appointed to hold such a position in the history of the Nigerian Army.

According to the Ministry of Defence website, the history of the Nigerian Army dates back to 1863 when Lt. Glover of the Royal Navy selected 18 indigenes from the Northern part of the country and organised them into a local force.

An insider source told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the new spokesperson would take over on 22 April, from the outgoing spokesperson, Onyema Nwachukwu, a major general.

Mr Nwachukwu has been posted to the Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Centre.

Ms Anele is a member of Direct Regular Course 15 and a member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).

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Apart from her role in the Office of the Chief of Army Staff, she has served as the Public Relations Officer at the Defence Space Administration (DSA), and recently served in the Department of Civil-Military Relations at the Defence Headquarters.

Her appointment marks a significant milestone in the history of the Nigerian army and had distinguished the service as a gender responsive force.

(NAN)