Vice-president Kashim Shettima has decorated the new Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, with his new rank barely 24 hours after he was announced at the State House, Abuja.
The brief ceremony took place about 1pm at the State House.
In attendance were National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodinma; the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume and the immediate past IGP, Usman Alkali.
The new Police Chief, who spoke to State House Correspondents shortly afterwards, said he felt “like a tiger ready to devour Nigeria’s internal enemies” as he prepared to assume office at 11:00am on Wednesday.
Kayode Egbetokun, the incoming IGP, asked about the kind of burden the new responsibility had on him, he said, ” Now I have just been decorated and I am looking forward to taking over tomorrow morning by 11 am. I really can’t describe how I feel presently, but if I have to tell you anything, I will tell you that right now i feel like Tiger inside of me ready to chase away all the criminals in Nigeria. And some other time, I feel like a lion in me ready to devour all the internal enemies of Nigeria. That’s my feeling right now.”
President Bola Tinubu had approved the immediate retirement of the Chief of Defence Staff, all the nation’s Service Chiefs, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali, as well as the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali.
Tinubu had also appointed
Nuhu Ribadu as National Security Adviser; Maj. Gen. C.G Musa, Chief of Defence Staff; Maj. Gen. T. A Lagbaja, Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admirral E. A Ogalla, Chief of Naval Staff; AVM H.B Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff, DIG Kayode Egbetokun, Acting Inspector-General of Police and Maj. Gen. EPA Undiandeye as Chief of Defence Intelligence.
Also speaking to newsmen on the significant point of passing the task to his successor, the immediate past IG, Baba Alkali said “it’s very significant as you have mentioned.
“It’s a stage; you come; you work, and you go. I’m happy I am handing over to somebody I know who will carry the mantle of leadership from where I have stopped.”
Asked how much he knows his successor, the outgoing IGP said, “we grew up in the job, we grew up together, I was his boss at a time or even when I was IG. He worked under me twice, we’ve been working together, and I know how he can go ahead to champion the course of the police from where I stopped.”
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