The Presidency has rejected claims that the Southwest is being favored in security appointments under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Following the nomination of Major General Olufemi Oluyede as Acting Chief of Army Staff, critics on social media accused the government of promoting “Yorubanization.” In response, the Presidency emphasized that nominations are based on competence. Detractors argue that similarly qualified candidates from other regions could have filled the position temporarily, expressing concerns over perceived regional bias due to the significant representation of Southwest individuals in key roles.
AFRIPOST reports that General Taoreed Lagbaja is currently receiving medical treatment abroad, leading to Oluyede’s appointment as his stand-in.
In addressing the criticism, Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser to the President on Public Communications and Orientation, provided a regional breakdown of security appointments made during Tinubu’s administration. According to this breakdown, the North Central region has four appointments, the Southwest has five, and the Northwest has eight. Meanwhile, the South-South and South-East regions each have one appointee, while the Northeast has three.
“Facts do not lie. Here, we present the actual distribution of President Tinubu’s appointments across 20 security agencies. The claim of favoring Yorubas in the security sector does not hold. Nigeria, we hail thee!” Dare stated on his verified X account @SundayDareSD.
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