From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
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 direct input have been sought from them, a security expert in the Presidency, has said.
The security source who on the condition or anonymity, 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.
Recall that, wife of the vice president and former First Lady of Borno state, Nana Shettima, according to reports, allegedly rejected a female Police Aide De Camp (ADC) that was assigned to her office because she is unmarried.
The source, while weighing in on the matter, explained that it is within the purview of the President’s wife and the Vice President’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 source said.
“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.”
The source added 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 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.