Garba Shehu, media aide to President Muhammadu Buhari has responded to calls from some quarters that the new police chief should be appointed from the South East region of the country.
Garba stated that the appointment of a substantive Inspector General of Police is not determined by ethnicity.
This statement was made by presidential media aide when he featured in an interview with Channels TV today February 1.
Recall that the current Inspector General of Police, Adamu Mohammed retires from the office today February 1.
Garba said;
“The language that is being used is that there should be an Igbo service chief and this is a country with more than 250 ethnic groups.
If you are going to appoint a service chief from every ethnic group in this country, you are going to have more than 250 Inspector General of Police, 250 Chief of Army Staff, 250 Chief of Naval Staff. Things are not going to work like that.
If we say that we are going to use ethnicity or religion as the basis, then, we have lost it. This is about law and order and not about ethnic identity.
Look at what happened with the service chiefs appointed now – two from the South, two from the North. If you are talking about religion, two Muslims, two Christians.”
When asked about the decision of the president regarding the new IGP, Garba Shehu said;
“I haven’t spoken with the President but if I read his mind correctly, the President would rather have an Inspector General of Police who would make you and I safer, who would protect lives and property than one who is more pronounced by his tribal marks.”
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