Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman, says President Muhammadu Buhari is satisfied with the performance of the service chiefs he replaced on Tuesday.

Adesina, who said this when he appeared on Channels TV, added that the president replaced them because he “just felt it was time to have fresh energy.”

The president replaced the service chiefs who have been in office three months into his first term in 2015.

During the television programme, Adesina said: “The fact that they (the service chiefs) had to leave today does not mean that they have failed.

“The president in the statement we issued also commended the outgoing service chiefs for their contributions in engendering a safer country.

“That shows that by and large, he was satisfied with their performances and he just felt it was time to rejig the system, have fresh energy, fresh blood and fresh ideas.

“The president did what he feels is right at a given time. A number of times, he has said the service chiefs could do better. It is just the time to have fresh energy and fresh ideas in the theatre of battles where the military is involved. It is just a matter of doing what is best for the country at the best time.”

The new security heads are Lucky Irabor, a major-general of the Nigerian army appointed as chief of defence staff; Ibrahim Attahiru, chief of army staff; Awwal Gambo, chief of naval staff; and Isiaka Amao, Chief of air staff.