Following the appointment of Major General Olufemi Oluyede as Acting Chief of Army Staff, allegations of bias towards the Yoruba community have surfaced on social media. President Bola Tinubu has been accused of ‘Yorubanisation’ for appointing Oluyede to stand in for Chief of Army Staff, General Tahoreed Lagbaja, who is currently receiving medical treatment abroad.
Critics have argued that there were other qualified generals who could have filled the role instead of another candidate from the South West region. In response, Special Adviser to the President on Public Communications and Orientation, Sunday Dare, shared a breakdown of regional appointments in the security sector under Tinubu’s administration.
According to Dare’s list, the North West region has the highest number of appointees (eight), followed by the South West (five) and the North Central (four). The North East has three appointees, while the South South and South East each have one.
Dare captioned the post by stating, “Facts do not lie. Below we see laid bare the facts about the regional outlook of President Tinubu’s appointments within 20 security agencies. The label of him favoring Yorubas in the Security setup does not fit. Nigeria we hail thee!”