The director of Defence Information, Chris Olukolade, a Major General, has been replaced flowing his retirement from the Nigerian Army.

Olukolade is to be replaced by Rabe Abubakar a Colonel.

Olukolade gave the hint of his retirement and replacement as defence spokesman Thursday as he resigned his position as chairman of Forum of Spokespersons of Security and Response Agencies, FOSSRA, and handed over to the Director of Information of the Nigeria Navy, Kabiru Aliyu, a Commodore.

Olukolade said at the forum’s monthly meeting in Abuja that he was quitting the army as he had reached the mandatory retirement age.

He explained that he was due to retire in November, 2014 and had actually voluntarily applied to retire but that his request was turned down by the Army Council which extended his service.

The former defence spokesman thanked his colleagues at the forum and their agencies for the support and understanding they accorded him since he assumed office in 2013.

He reminded them that the reason for setting up the forum was to deepen collaboration among agencies in the security and emergency relief sector to engender better crisis and information management among them.

He solicited the cooperation of all for the new helmsman at the forum.

In his response, Aliyu said that Olukolade possessed leadership qualities that helped the forum to record significant achievements.

The executive secretary of Centre for Crisis Communication, Yusuf Anas, a retired Air Commodore, also commended Olukolade for his contributions to crisis and communication management at a critical time in the nation’s history.

Olukolade was appointed defence spokesman in March 2013.

The membership of the forum comprised the spokesperson of the Defence Headquarters, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, Nigeria Police, Department of State Service, DSS, National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Nigerian Customs Service, Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigerian Prisons Service, Federal Fire Service, Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA and the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA.