President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Folashade Arinola Adekaiyaoja as the deputy director general of the Department of State Services (DSS).
This historic approval marks the first such appointment by any president and has drawn widespread commendations from serving and retired DSS officers, who believe it will restore professionalism to the agency.
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Sources revealed that the decision aligns with the original organogram of the Service, aiming to restructure the DSS for enhanced efficiency. Traditionally, the DSS hierarchy includes three deputy directors-general.
Elated operatives disclosed that the president’s approval followed a recommendation by the DSS director general, Mr. Oluwatosin Ajayi, through the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. “This appointment is unprecedented in the history of the Service and adheres strictly to its regulations,” one operative stated.
Adekaiyaoja, a native of Kogi State, has been celebrated as highly qualified for the position. Many within the Service view her appointment as a positive step towards bolstering the agency’s operational standards.
President Tinubu’s commitment to national security was evident in his directive to heads of security agencies to present proposals for improving service delivery. Speaking at the investiture ceremony of the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) Executive Intelligence Management Course 17 graduates in December 2024, Tinubu pledged to equip security agencies, including the DSS, with artificial intelligence-powered tools to combat insecurity.
Mr. Oluwatosin Ajayi, who assumed office as the DSS director general in August 2024, had promised transformative reforms to position the DSS as one of the world’s most efficient covert security agencies. This latest appointment appears to be a step toward realizing that vision.
