Tinubu Presidency’s Appointment Under Fire: South-East, South-South Get Only One Slot Each

An investigative report reveals that Tinubu’s “kitchen cabinet,” led by Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, is primarily composed of South-West individuals.

Abuja, Nigeria — The presidency has confirmed that President Bola Tinubu’s recent security appointments reveal an uneven regional representation, with a noticeable imbalance against the South-East and South-South regions.

The Federal Character Act, which mandates fair representation across Nigeria’s regions, appears to have been sidelined, critics argue.

Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Public Communications and Orientation, presented a list on Saturday detailing Tinubu’s appointments for heads of 22 key security and government agencies. According to Dare, this distribution reflects a commitment to equitable representation. However, the numbers reveal that the North-West leads with eight appointments, followed by the South-West with five, North-Central with four, and North-East with three. In contrast, both the South-East and South-South regions received only one appointment each.

Section 14 (3) of the Federal Character Act stipulates that federal appointments should reflect Nigeria’s diversity, preventing the dominance of any particular ethnic or regional group. Yet the distribution raises concerns that the Federal Character principle has not been fully observed.

The lack of representation for the South-East and South-South has sparked criticism among Nigerians, with some accusing Tinubu of “Yorubanisation”—an alleged bias favoring the Yoruba ethnic group from the South-West. These concerns intensified following the appointment of Major General Olufemi Oluyede as Acting Chief of Army Staff, replacing General Taoreed Lagbaja, who is currently undergoing medical treatment abroad.

An investigative report reveals that Tinubu’s “kitchen cabinet,” led by Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, is primarily composed of South-West individuals. Additionally, several key security agency appointments reflect a similar regional trend.

According to reports, notable South-West appointments include:

• Inspector General of Police: Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun
• Chief of Army Staff: Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, recently replaced by Major General Olufemi Oluyede
• Director General of the Department of State Services: Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi
• Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission: Olanipekun Olukoyede
• Comptroller-General of Nigerian Customs: Bashir Adewale Adeniyi

Additional appointments include Kemi Nandap as Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Brigadier General Adebisi Onasanya as Commander of the Guards Brigade (Presidential Villa), Rasheed Lawal as Chief Security Officer to the President, and Nurudeen Yusuf, a Yoruba man from Kwara State, as Aide-De-Camp.