President Bola Ahmed Tinibu has approved the appointment of Folashade Arinola Adekaiyaoja fsi+, fdc, as Deputy Director General for the Service.
The approval, the first by any president, has drawn
commendation from a large section of serving and retired DSS officers who see
the move as aimed at restoring
professionalism to the Service.
The presidential approval, it was gathered, seeks to revise
the agency’s structure for better efficiency, in line with the original
onanogram of the service.
Checks revealed that the DSS is structured to comprise three
Deputy Directors General in its hierarchy.
The appointment and ratification by the President, according
to elated operatives of the agency, was based on the recommendation of the DG
through the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
One of the sources told Vanguard that the appointment is in
line with its extant regulations and unprecedented in the history of the Secret
service.
The appointment of Adekaiyaoja, a native of Kogi State, it
was gathered, is being celebrated by a cross section of officers and operatives
who see her as eminently qualified for the position.
It was further gathered that President Tinubu had, in line
with his promise to improve on the security of life and property of Nigerians,
tasked the heads of security agencies to come up with proposals on how to
improve on their service delivery.
“It was on this note,” offered a security source, “that the President approved the DG’s
recommendation, which many serving and retired officers are confident would
boost career progression in the Service.”
President Tinubu had at the the investiture ceremony of the
National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) Executive Intelligence
Management Course 17 graduates last December, promised to support the DSS and
other security agencies with Artificial Intelligence- powered state-of-the-art
equipment to combat insecurity across the country.
Speaking through the NSA, the president stated that he was
not oblivious of the security challenges in contemporary times, and charged all
security agencies to synergize for the common good of Nigerians.
The DSS Director-General, Mr. Oluwastosin Ajayi, had on
assumption of office late August 2024, promised sweeping reforms in the
Organization, which he assured would
transform the DSS into one of the most efficient covert Security Agencies in the world.