President Bola Tinubu has appointed Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed as the new Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and Adeola Ajayi as the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS).
The special adviser to the president on media and publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, announced the appointments in a statement released on Monday, August 26, in Abuja.
In the statement, Mr. Ngelale provided background information on the newly appointed Directors-General, highlighting Ambassador Mohammed's academic qualifications and notable career achievements.
The statement read: “Ambassador Mohammed has had an illustrious career in the foreign service since joining the NIA in 1995. He had served in various roles, culminating in his promotion to the rank of Director and his subsequent appointment as the head of the Nigerian mission to Libya.
“The 1990 graduate of Bayero University, Kano, had served in North Korea, Pakistan, Sudan, and at the State House, Abuja.”
“The new DSS Director-General, Mr. Adeola Ajayi, rose through the ranks to attain his current post of Assistant Director-General of the Service. He had, at various times, served as State Director in Bauchi, Enugu, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Kogi."
Ngelale noted that the appointments were made following the resignation of the previous heads of the two agencies.
Ambassador Mohammed succeeds Ahmed Abubakar, who stepped down as the Director-General of the NIA on Saturday night.
Mr. Abubakar, who expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to serve under two presidents, cited family and personal reasons for his resignation.
He was initially appointed as NIA Director-General by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018, with his tenure extended in December 2021.
Yusuf Bichi, who also resigned, was appointed DSS Director-General by Buhari in 2018.
The statement highlighted President Tinubu's expectations for the new security chiefs, urging them to collaborate effectively and address the nation's security challenges with urgency.
It said: “President Tinubu expects that the new security chiefs will work assiduously to reposition the two intelligence agencies for better results and charges them to bring their experience to bear in tackling the security challenges bedevilling the country through enhanced collaboration with sister agencies and in surgical alignment with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).”
“The President has also thanked the outgoing Directors-General for their service to the nation and wished them success in their future endeavours.”
