Some military officers have expressed displeasure over President Bola Tinubu’s decision not to attend the Nigerian Defence Academy’s Passing Out Parade on September 28.

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga told Peoples Gazette that the House Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, will be representing the president at the event which will be held at the Oliver Nzalgana Academy Parade Ground in Afaka, Kaduna.

According to a statement by the Nigerian Army, Saturday’s passing out parade marks a significant milestone in military tradition as it features the largest number of officer cadets in the academy’s history, with a total of 823 cadets set to graduate.

However, Mr Tinubu’s absence raises concerns within the military as he attended Friday’s Jumaat prayer in Abuja, suggesting he is not physically unable to fulfil his duties as Commander-in-Chief.

The president’s decision not to attend the event has sparked concerns among military personnel, who view the event as a significant occasion in military traditions. The Gazette granted the officers anonymity in line with its editorial policy to protect sources from possible retribution they could suffer should their identities be revealed.

“When we were told that the president will be missing the event tomorrow and will only be sending someone else to represent him, we felt really disappointed,” one senior officer said from Abuja on Friday evening.

“We don’t know why the president is acting this way, but at this time of serious national security crisis the president should not be missing on a critical issue facing the country,” another officer said. “We hope he would treat the military better going forward.”

This comes as another episode of Mr Tinubu, whose presence could symbolically bolster morale within the Nigerian military as they combat insecurity challenges in the country, failing to show up at significant events organised by the military.

In August, Mr Tinubu failed to attend the passing out of participants at National Defence College as he was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima.