The Presidency has said the appointment of the next Inspector-General of Police will not be based on ethnic considerations.
The current Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, is expected to leave office today, Monday, as he attains the retirement age and there have been speculations on the tribe of the person to replace the IGP.
Speaking at Channel Television’s Sunrise Daily show, the presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said, on Monday, it would be impracticable for top security appointment to be made based on ethnic or regional factors.
He noted that if such factors were to be considered, there would be over 250 service chiefs.
Shehu also said the security agencies have ways of producing their leaders.
He said, “If you are going to appoint the service chiefs from every ethnic group in this country, you are going to have more than 250 Inspectors-General of Police, 250 Chiefs of Army Staff, 250 Chiefs of Naval Staff.
“It’s not going to work like that. And they have their own systems of producing leadership.
“If we say we are going to use ethnicity or region as the basis, then we have lost it. This is about law and order, it is not about ethnic identity. This country finished with tribalism in the 1960s, why are we back to it now?
“But if you have two, three positions – look at what happened with the service chiefs just appointed: two from the South, two from the North. If you are talking about religion, two Muslims, two Christians. So what do you want again?”
The spokesman added that the appointment will be based on who can best help to protect lives and property across the country.
“The President will rather have an Inspector-General of Police who will make you and me safer, protect lives and property than one who is more pronounced by his tribal marks,” he said.
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