General Sani Abacha became the first officer in the Nigerian Armed Forces to achieve the rank of four-star general without progressing through the ranks. There had been other officers before him who had reached the rank of four-star general, but they had all skipped the rank.
Yakubu Gowon was the first officer in the Nigerian Armed Forces to achieve the rank of 4-star general but was promoted from the rank of lieutenant colonel to the rank of major general (war) on June 2, 1967 (at the start of the civil war), skipping the ranks of colonel and brigadier general. On October 1, 1971, he was again promoted twice to the rank of 4-star general (excluding the rank of lieutenant general). Murtala Muhammed was the next officer to receive a 4-star general, but after becoming head of state, he was promoted from the rank of brigadier to the rank of general (excluding the ranks of major general and lieutenant general).
The next officer to become a four-star general was Olusegun Obasanjo. In April 1979 he was promoted from the rank of lieutenant general to the rank of general. However, Obasanjo was promoted from the rank of brigadier to the rank of lieutenant general in 1975 (skipping the rank of major general).
Likewise, on October 1, President Ibrahim Babangida was promoted from the rank of Major General to the rank of General (preceding the rank of Lieutenant General).
General Domkat Bali did not skip any ranks to reach the rank of general but was not on active duty when he rose to the rank of general. Bali was the highest-ranking military officer in Babangida’s government (he was appointed before Babangida). In 1984 he became Minister of Defense with the rank of Major General.
General Sani Abacha became the first officer in the Nigerian Armed Forces to be promoted to the rank of four-star general (without jumping through the ranks) in October 1990.
