Nigerian Army Appoints first female spokesperson

April 17, 2025

The Nigerian Army has appointed Lt.-Col. Appolonia Anele as its first female Director of Army Public Relations in an acting capacity.

Anele was one time Public Relations Officer in the Office of the Chief of Army Staff, during the tenure of retired Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai.

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

An insider source told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the new spokesperson would take over on April 22, from the outgoing spokesman, Maj.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu.

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

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

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)