Martin Luther Agwai

Martin Luther Agwai
General Martin Luther Agwai.
Chief of Defence Staff
In office June 2006 – May 2007
Preceded by	Gen. A.Ogomudia
Succeeded by	Gen. O.A. Azazi
Chief of Army Staff
In office 2001–2003
Preceded by	Gen. A.Ogomudia
Succeeded by	Gen. O.A. Azazi
Personal details
Born	(1948-11-08) November 8, 1948 (age 68) Kaduna, Nigeria
Alma mater	National Defense University Command and Staff College, Jaji
Awards	Force Service Star Meritorious Service Star Distinguished Service Star Fellow of the War College Commander of the Federal Republic
Military service
Allegiance	Nigeria
Service/branch	Nigerian Army
Years of service	1972 - 2009
Rank	General
Commands	Chief of Army Staff, Federal Republic of Nigeria Chief of Defence Staff, Federal Republic of Nigeria United Nations Advisor Deputy Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone Force Commander of the African Union - United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur

General Martin Luther Agwai CFR GSS psc(+) fwc is a retired Nigerian army officer who served as Chief of Defence Staff and Chief of Army Staff.

Agwai was born on November 8, 1948 in Kaduna, a city in Northern Nigeria. He hails from a Christian home and was the President of Fellowship of Christian Students at Government Secondary School, Zaria in 1967. He graduated from the Nigerian Command and Staff College, British Army Staff College, Camberley and United States Army Armor School amongst others. He holds a Post Graduate diploma in Public Administration with distinctions from the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) and National Defence University, Washington DC, where he obtained a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy. While at NDU, he won the Ambassadors Award for excellence in research and writing, making him the first foreigner to win the award.

He was commissioned into the Nigerian Armed Forces in 1972 and has held several positions including Chief of Training and Operations of the Nigerian Armed Forces and Director of Military Training at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna. He was the Nigerian Military Adviser at Harare, covering the whole of Southern Africa between 1993 - 1996. He was a Directing Staff and Chief Instructor at the Command and Staff College Jaji - Kaduna, Nigeria. Before becoming the Chief of Army Staff he was the Deputy Military Adviser at United Nations Headquarters, New York. He was the Chief of Defence Staff of the Nigerian Armed Forces since 1 June 2006. Before that, he held several senior positions in the Nigerian Army, including being Chief of Army Staff. He served as the commander of the combined United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur. General Agwai led one of the biggest peacekeeping operations in the world with approximately 20,000 troops and 6,000 police under his command.