The Presidency has revealed that the appointment of service chiefs is not based on the principle of federal character and ethnic balancing. This was made known on Monday night by the presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina while speaking on the Politics Today program aired by Channels Television.
He said, “Don’t subject security to ethnic balancing, don’t subject security to federal character. In fact, the Constitution that prescribes federal character even gives the President some prerogatives that he can appoint on his own.
“Look at the echelon of security agencies since 2015, would you honestly say they have all been from one part of the country? Who was the Chief of Naval Staff in the first term of this administration? Was it not a man from Cross River State? Who was the Inspector General of Police at that time? Was it not a man from Edo State? Solomon Arase.
“Security is something you do based on the best. The best and the brightest because all you want is for your country to be secured. The President usually said unless you have secured the country or even an organization, you cannot efficiently manage it.
“So, you get the best that can help you secure the country. People who begin to subject the headship of security agencies to where it comes from, don’t know what they are talking about.”