“North still leads in security roles” – Presidency defends Tinubu’s appointments

Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Public Communication and Orientation, Sunday Dare, has defended the President’s security appointments.

Dare was addressing recent criticisms that the president’s appointments of service chiefs were ethnically skewed to favour the Yoruba ethnic group.

The criticisms gained traction following the appointment of Major General Olufemi Oluyede as the Acting Chief of Army Staff.

On his X page, Dare presented a detailed breakdown showing that the North has a greater representation in security appointments than the South.

He said out of 22 appointments in the security sector, 15 are from the North while 7 are from the South.

He explained that the North-West region has the highest representation with eight appointments, followed by the North-Central with four, and the North-East with three.

He noted that among southern regions, the South-West received five appointments, whereas the South-East and South-South regions secured only one appointment each.

The president’s aide stated that even though the South-West holds significant roles like the heads of the Nigerian Army, Police Force, DSS, Customs, and EFCC, the North-West holds key positions, including the Ministry of Defence, Defence Headquarters, and the Nigerian Air Force, among others.

He said the South-East heads the Nigerian Navy, while the South-South oversees the Defence Intelligence Agency.

He added that the North-East is represented in roles such as the National Security Adviser and heads of the NDLEA and NFIU, while the North-Central manages the National Intelligence Agency and several other security bodies.