Security appointments: Tinubu not favouring Yorubas

The presidency has dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu’s recent appointments in Nigeria’s security agencies favour the Yoruba ethnic group, asserting that these appointments reflect fair regional distribution.

Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser on Public Communication and Orientation to President Tinubu, made this known in a statement in response to allegations of ethnic bias within the administration’s security appointments.

According to regional statistics shared by Dare on his verified X account on Saturday, of the 22 heads of security agencies, eight are from the North West, five from the South West, four from the North Central, three from the North East, and one each from the South-South and South East.

Dare, who served as Minister of Youth and Sports from 2019 to 2023, highlighted this distribution as evidence of a balanced approach, with the North West having the largest representation.

Key positions occupied by individuals from various regions include the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja from the South West, and the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla from the South East.

Other notable appointments include Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed from the North Central as the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and Major General Emmanuel Undiandeye from the South-South as the Chief of Defence Intelligence.

Dare emphasised that the diversity of these appointments illustrates President Tinubu’s commitment to inclusivity and national unity.

Captioning his post, he wrote, “Facts do not lie. Below we see laid bare the facts about the regional outlook of President Tinubu’s appointments within 20 security agencies. The label of him favouring Yorubas in the Security set-up does not fit. Nigeria we hail thee!”

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