The Presidency has refuted allegations suggesting that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is favoring the South-West region in security sector appointments. This response follows the recent appointment of Major General Olufemi Oluyede as Acting Chief of Army Staff, which drew criticism from social media users who accused the President of “Yorubanisation,” implying preferential treatment towards the Yoruba ethnic group.

Major General Oluyede takes on this role temporarily while General Taoreed Lagbaja undergoes medical treatment abroad. Critics have pointed out that there are equally qualified officers from other regions who could have filled the position.

In response to these criticisms, Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser to the President on Public Communications and Orientation, released a detailed breakdown of security appointments made under the Tinubu administration. According to Dare, the North-West has the highest number of security appointments, with eight, followed by the South-West with five, and the North-Central with four. The North-East has three appointments, while both the South-South and South-East regions have one each.

Dare emphasized that “facts do not lie” and presented the data to clarify the regional distribution of appointments across 20 security agencies. He asserted that the notion of Tinubu favoring Yoruba individuals in security roles is unfounded, stating, “The label of him favouring Yorubas in the security setup does not fit. Nigeria, we hail thee!”