Northwest, Southwest dominate security agencies heads appointments

A report by PRNigeria has revealed that persons from the Northwest and Southwest regions of the country dominated security agencies heads in the country.

According to the report, of the 21 military, paramilitary and other allied security agencies in the country, only five have persons from the North Central, Southeast and South-South as their heads.

Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, the newly appointed Chief of Naval Staff, CNS, is the only officer from the South East holding any leadership position among the military and security agencies operating in the country.

But the North Central region has Ahmed Abubakar Audi, the Commandant-General of the NSCDC; and Engr. Jaji Olola Abdulganiyu, the Controller General of the Fire Service.

Those representing the Northwest are seven.

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They include the Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, Maj. Gen. Christopher Musa; the Chief of Air Staff, CAS, Air Vice Marshall Hassan Abubakar; Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS, Haliru Nababa; the Director General of the Department of State Security Service, DSS, Yusuf Magaji Bichi; the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ahmed Rufai Abubakar; the Board Secretary of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board, CDCFIB, Ja’afaru Ahmed; and the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Ahmed Mustapha Habib.

On the other hand, the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Maj. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja; Acting Inspector General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun; Acting Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Adepoju Carol Wura-Ola; Acting Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Olufunmileyi Owasanoye, all hail from the South West.

The North East, with four of its ‘sons’ piloting the affairs of four security-allied agencies, trails the South West, which has five.

They include Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, NSA, from Adamawa State; Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, also from Adamawa State; Mr. Abdulkarim Chukkol, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, from Borno State; and Dauda Ali Biu, the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC.

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Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Undiandeye, the newly-appointed Chief of Defence Intelligence, CDI, and Mr. Solomon Arase, Chairman of the Police Service Commission, PSC, are the only South-South Indigenes leading two out of the 21 security-allied agencies.

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Dr. Araka Okolieaboh, a Strategic Trend Analyst and Energy Security Consultant said notwithstanding the composition of the recent appointments of security chiefs based on religion, tribe, and region, the strategic importance of merit should be first considered.

Okolieaboh, who is also a Research Fellow in Defence and Strategic Studies at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, said: “I am not surprised that the North-West region got the highest number which I attribute to her long-time involvement in mainstream politics and her strategic implantation plans to maintain the top have always given her leverage over other regions, also considering her size and population as well as her interest in those areas of service delivery is a good explanation why they should get that number.