In a historic move, the Nigerian Army has appointed Lieutenant Colonel (Mrs) Onyechi Appolonia Anele FSS anipr as the Acting Director of Army Public Relations (Ag DAPR), making her the first female officer to occupy this prestigious position.

A seasoned and highly accomplished public relations and strategic communication expert, Lt Col Anele brings decades of exemplary military service, professionalism, and leadership into her new role.

Hailing from Ehime-Mbano Local Government Area in Imo State, Lt Col Onyechi Appolonia Anele was born into a disciplined military family — the daughter of the late Warrant Officer Cyraicus Anele and the late Mrs Appolonia Anele.

Her early education began at Army Children’s School, Rukuba Barracks and Command Day Secondary School, both in Jos, Plateau State.

Driven by a passion for communication and public engagement, she proceeded to the University of Jos, where she earned both a Diploma and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Communication.

Following her participation in the National Youth Service Corps, she was commissioned as a Lieutenant into the Directorate of Army Public Relations on December 8, 2007, as part of Direct Regular Course 15.

Over the course of her career, Lt Col Anele has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to professional growth. She has undergone numerous military and civil training programmes, including the Young Officers Course (2010), Media Operations Officers Course (2013), Advanced Public Relations Officers Course (2016), and Strategic Communications Course (2025), all at the Nigerian Army School of Public Relations and Information (NASPRI).

Her international training credentials are equally impressive. Between 2011 and 2013, she attended several programmes at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra, Ghana, including the Crisis Information Management Course, Conflict Prevention Course, and Integrated Peace Support Operations Course. In 2015, she expanded her expertise with training at the Royal Air Force Halton in the UK and the École de Maintien de la Paix in Mali. She further strengthened her knowledge in gender advocacy through the Gender Training of Trainers Course at SwedInt, Sweden, in 2017.

Academically, Lt Col Anele holds two Master’s degrees — one in Gender Peace and Security from the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Centre (2013) and another in Leadership and Strategic Studies from the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna (2024).


https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/04/meet-onyechi-appolonia-anele-first-female-nigerian-military-spokesperson/