Appointment of service chiefs not based on federal character – Presidency

The Presidency on Monday night said the appointment of service chiefs is not subject to federal character principle and ethnic balancing.

Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, stated this while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.

Adesina insisted that security should not be subjected to politics but competence, adding that his principal, President Muhammadu Buhari, has the prerogative to appoint those he feels are competent and can do the job of securing Nigeria against terrorist attacks.

“Don’t subject security to ethnic balancing, don’t subject security to federal character,” Adesina said.

“In fact, the constitution that prescribes federal character even gives the President some prerogatives that he can appoint on his own.”

He added: “Security is something you do based on the best. The best and the brightest, because all you want is for your country to be secured. The President usually said, ‘unless you’ve secured the country or even an organisation, you cannot efficiently manage it’.”