Wife of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu has officially assumed office in Abuja as Nigeria’s First Lady.
Accompanied by her security aides, Mrs Tinubu was received yesterday by the permanent secretary of state house Mr. Tijjani Umar, as well as other senior officials from the first lady’s office.
Upon her arrival at the first lady’s wing of the presidential villa, Senator Tinubu embarked on a comprehensive tour of various units housed within the wing.
Beginning from the administrative to ICT, catering, media, and protocol units, the first lady familiarised herself with the operations and personnel in each area.
Meanwhile, a security expert in the presidency has opined that the choice of an Aide De Camp (ADC) to be attached to the office of the first lady or her vice respectively, should be made after input have been sought from her directly.
The security source who would not want his name mentioned, said the choice of an aide to be attached to such a high-profile person should be made after the opinion of the occupant has been collated.
The wife of the vice president, Hajia Nana Shettima, was in the news recently for allegedly rejecting a female Police ADC that was assigned to her office because she is unmarried.
Weighing in on the matter, however, the source who is versed in security duties for VIPs, explained that it is within the purview of the governor’s wife to choose who becomes her aide.
“She should therefore, be accorded the honour to make a choice from three suitably qualified officers that would be shortlisted for her selection, the expert said when sought to make professional input on the matter.
“This is especially as she had indicated her preference to work with her former ADC when she served as the wife of the Borno State governor for eight years.”
“She should be given the chance of choosing one ADC from the three suitably qualified officers that would be shortlisted for her selection.”
The source further noted that “assigning security details or aides to VIPs follows specific procedures that vary across security agencies.
It is a process that involves selecting at least three competent personnel and scrutinizing their service records. The most suitable candidate is then presented to the VIP for approval, and upon acceptance, the personnel is officially assigned to the individual.”
Continuing, he asserted that “aside professional competence and other criteria, other issues relating to selecting a personal aide includes but not limited to – background checks for suitability to the office by the VIP as the case maybe. He listed other criteria to include personal assessment and acceptance of the aide by the VIP, any other reason the VIP may find desirous of an aide he or she may expect of an aide.
“Most importantly, the long and short details regarding criteria for selecting a personal aide are usually personal. The idea of imposing people on vip’s via whatever guise should not be encouraged. The decision of the wife of the vice president ought to be respected as we pray and look forward to better service from the government.”
He said, the former Borno State First Lady is not new to the corridors of power and has previously worked with an ADC when she served as the governor’s wife for eight years in Borno.
It is therefore, not surprising that the same ADC and security detail who worked with her in Borno as the governor’s wife was present at her inauguration, the expert added.
The security expert who craved anonymity said “the Shettima family is known for maintaining long-term relationships with their staff and workers, like retaining the security details that served the Vice President when he was Governor. Given this track record, it’s unlikely that his wife would act differently, and she has always prioritized following due process in her official dealings, including assigning security personnel to work with her as ADC.
“It is essential to maintain standard procedures in all cases to avoid any lapses in security,” he said.
