Appointments: Buhari doesn’t want to be stabbed like Jonathan - Ebigwei

Dr. Sylvan Olisanye Ebigwei (MON), consultant dental surgeon, is President-Emeritus, Aka Ikenga, the Igbo socio-political organisation. In this interview, he says the Igbo’s vote for former President Goodluck Jonathan was calculated to unite the former Eastern Region. He wants MASSOB to change its name to be relevant. He also spoke on other national issues. Excerpts:

By Tony Nwankwo

The North wanted power and they now have it. What is your take on that?

President Jonathan

Nigeria is too complex for one section to usurp all that the country has without reaction. Nigeria today is not the Nigeria of yesterday. There is a level you can pursue a man, the man will stop and start pursuing you. So, whatever the North wants today, if they want Nigeria to be one, they must make sure that there is equilibrium in governance and appointments in critical areas.

Already, there is disequilibrium in what is happening today and we cannot hide the fact. And that was why the South-South met last week. The President is from the North, the Chief Judge is from the North, the Senate President is from the North, the Speaker of the House of Representatives is from the North. This cannot go on because people will react. So, if the Northerners think they can do this and get away with it, Nigerians will react.

Period of honeymoon

Right now, I can say the period we are in now is a period of honeymoon for Buhari. By the time he sets up his government, people will start looking into critical areas.

Buhari government has been described as government of probes. How far can be go?

If you want to probe, probe everybody, because Jonathan merely ruled this country for five years or thereabout. By the time he came in, Nigeria was in tatters Nothing was functioning. The roads were not there, power was not there, people were just stealing money anyhow. All these stealing did not start during the Jonathan era. Jonathan came in and met a rotten Nigeria. Where was he to start from? It was the people, who destroyed this country that surrounded him. Cleaning up Nigeria was an enormous task. Even those arrested for corruption, how many were jailed? EFCC will make a lot of noise, take suspects to court and that’s the last we hear because the judiciary itself was not helping matters. Had it been we had a strong judiciary, people would sit up. But when people steal, they say, okay, this is my own, this is for law enforcement, the other one is for the judiciary. With that mindset, people started acting with impunity because they know that criminals are not being visited with adequate punishment. That was the reason Jonathan did not succeed.

A cursory look around shows some parastatals like NEPA suddenly come to life. We know Buhari government has not awarded any contract yet. What happened?

People are wondering what is happening. It shows how evil and how rotten people have gotten in this country. Buhari government is not in place, it has not run any budget, he has not spent a dime in re-positioning PHCN, but look at us today. In my office, I have been enjoying uninterrupted power supply for nearly three weeks now, thereby saving money to feed my family. What it portrays is that during Jonathan’s administration, no matter how Jonathan tried, he was being sabotaged.

Power generation

Men of evil abound in this country. And because of this sabotage, despite all the billions of dollars poured into power generation, the power is there, gas is there, but evil people refused that the country should work. But they know what they are gaining. It shows complete sabotage. And these are the people, the present administration should fish out. If they did it to sabotage Jonathan, they can still do it to sabotage the government of Buhari.

Looking critically at Buhari’s appointments so far, people say he is side-tracking the Igbo. How do you view this?

Buhari is being afraid of what happened to Jonathan. If I am in Buhari’s shoes, I will not appoint people who will betray me. Because Nigeria today is not like Nigeria of yesterday. People are no more honest. The value system of the average Nigerian is poor. We don’t trust people. Critical appointments have not been made. The appointments he is making are of domestic issues, people who will surround him. You don’t get people who will stab you at the back and put them to follow you. No. Jonathan did that and they stabbed him. That was why he got angry and told them he had had enough. That was why he threw in the towel even before they finished counting the votes. Because he discovered that he was totally betrayed. So, Buhari knew what happened to Jonathan, he would not want it to happen to him.

MASSOB is being threatened everywhere. What is their undoing?

As President of Aka Ikenga, I told MASSOB that there is no need for a man to run a good race but outside the track. Igbo man is being marginalised, we know that. But when you want to fight for your rights, you must find a decent way to do it, so that you can have the sympathy of all.

Many of us do not believe in the disintegration of this country. I told them then that there is no other country they can fit in except in Nigeria. I told them, this agitation you are doing, find another name and put on it. You will have the sympathy of everyone in Igbo land because without pressure we cannot get what we want in this country. Change the name MASSOB. What is in a name? Find another name, continue with your agitation, so that you can have followership among Ndigbo. No Igbo man wants to get separated from this country.

You are President Emeritus of Aka Ikenga. We hear there is an agenda to unite the Igbo from all the Igbo speaking South. What impact can this have?

As President of Aka Ikenga, our mind set then for supporting Jonathan was to use his platform to extend true hands of fellowship towards the old constituents of the old Eastern Region. Aftermath of the civil war, the core Igbo became almost a pariah to their brothers and sisters of old Eastern Nigeria, as well as the Ikweres in Rivers and the Anioma people in Delta State. What we did was to show solidarity with the Ijaws so that in future the Ijaw man will know that when they had a problem, in their hour of need, the core Igbo man came to his aid. That was our mindset.

So whatever transpired, whether he ruled well or did not rule well it has worked, because you can now hear the South-South are meeting with the South East, etc. As recent as last week, there was a meeting of the whole of Southern Region of Nigeria to look into their common interest in the present dispensation.

And they came out with a communiqué, advising the President what to do and the negative aspect of his administration so far. So that solidarity is working, that unity is working, that brotherhood is working.

Are you saying the Igbo have no regret over how they voted at the last elections?

Yes, the Igbo have no regrets. Some people are saying the Igbo lost, No. To us, the Igbo didn’t lose because the mindset of supporting Jonathan is different from the mindset of quite a lot of people. Igbo didn’t lose under Jonathan, they had a fair share of governance.

Fair share of governance

The only problem was that many government appointees of Igbo extraction were selfish. They did not empower their own people. Look at the North, the express rail between Kaduna and Abuja, that will open up the whole area and bring Kaduna and adjoining states nearer to the seat of power. Roads were constructed in the North. Look at the Almajiri schools. Nobody ever thought the almajiris should go to school. These are all the handiwork of Jonathan. Look at the Abuja Airport, Kaduna Airport, not to talk of Murtala Mohammed Airport. They have all been elevated and modernized. A lot was achieved. Anyim Pius Anyim was SGF, and that was a powerful position. You can use the position to build up capacity for your own people. So, you cannot blame Jonathan if those he put in power could not use such positions to better their own people.

I passed through Asaba bridge, I see that work is going on at the second Niger Bridge. Before now, it was all rhetoric. During the Obasanjo era, it was all rhetoric, but now you can see that something is being done.

Appointments: Buhari doesn’t want to be stabbed like Jonathan - Ebigwei

Lopsided Appointment: Buhari using it to correct marginalisation of North – Dauda Birmah

By Agaju Madugba

A former Minister of Education, Alhaji Dauda Birmah, was at a time a presidential aspirant under the defunct ANPP.   Birmah who later joined the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) regrets that the party should be held responsible for its misfortunes having shot itself on the foot.

General Buhari

In this interview, Birmah also justifies President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent appointments alleging that the north had suffered marginalisation in federal appointments under previous administrations.

What is your assessment of the Buhari administration after the first 100 days in office?

Well, my assessment is that Buhari has come in and he has seen the rot that preceded his coming   and he is trying to see how to handle this rot, rot that has happened over a period of 15 years is not something you cure in 100 days or even in a thousand days.

Buhari has come on a change agenda and he is not expected to behave in a manner in which you will see things as business as usual.

He has to change things and he has to fulfill his promise of change to people and he is trying to understand the place and put fundamental changes in place because if you put a very heavy structure on a faulty infrastructure, the building will collapse.

So, I commend Buhari for what he is doing and I believe he is doing well and he is going to succeed.

But many Nigerians especially those from the South-west, south-South and South-East are complaining that the President’s appointments are lopsided. What is your take so far on the President’s appointments?

Well, during the 15 years preceding him, the north had been wailing and crying because the area was totally marginalized. Buhari is trying to rectify that marginalization of the north but I am not surprised that some people are complaining.

But 100 days are not enough time   to judge   and I believe when we go forward and the total picture is zeroed down, I think corrections are going to be effected and people will be satisfied that everybody has been taken into consideration.

Do you think that the government is doing enough in the fight against insurgency?

Since Buhari came   there have been attempts to tackle insurgency because direct confrontation between the armed forces and the Boko Haram have failed.   I believe that the previous government did not adequately tackle insurgency. Now the atmosphere is settling down and I believe we shall see the end of insurgency very soon.

The PDP appears to be facing leadership crisis. What do you think should be done to make it a winning party again?

I don’t want to delve into that because I have no stake in in the PDP.   The last time I joined that party and when it came to election time I was not even drafted in to be a member of the campaign committee of my village, my ward, local government, state or at the national level.

I was totally ignored and not involved and therefore I do not believe I have any stake in PDP towards its revival. The PDP has shot itself in the foot and it has to bear the consequences and whatever happens to the party I am totally indifferent.

Recentely, Prof. Ben Nwabueze said that it is illegal for any president or governor to run a government without a cabinet. What do you think?

Well, Buhari has promised that by September his cabinet will be in place and we are in September.   I believe he wanted to see the situation as it is before appointing ministers because he does not want to compound the problem by appointing the wrong people and to work with people who he does not understand. So,   I believe he is in the right direction and I believe that September is going to be fine.

Do you think it is necessary to probe the previous government?

It is absolutely necessary to probe the previous government although I do not believe that probing and things like should be the essence of government. But right now, government is moving and there is   greater sanity in governance. Do you believe now that we can have the type of electricity we have now if the government has not been doing anything?

 

Lopsided Appointment: Buhari using it to correct marginalisation of North – Dauda Birmah

Jonathan"s former aide, Omokri defends Buhari alleged lopsided appointment

Former Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on New Media, Reno Omokri  on Tuesday made a case for Buhari over the president’s alleged lopsided appointments saying appointments should be made on merit and not sectional interests.

Reno Omokri

Omokiri made the statement in his article titled As Buhari blazes the trail for merit.

Read his full article

Recently there was a big uproar about the appointments made by President Buhari. I disagreed with those who complained that the President’s appointment were lopsided.

Appointments should not be made on the basis of ethnicity, region or religion.Appointments should be made strictly on merit!

As far as I am concerned, the President can appoint all his appointees from the same state as long as they are the best Nigeria has to offer.

In 2013, Nigeria won the Africa Cup of Nations. That victory was only possible because we selected our best players.

A large proportion of the squad were from the Southeast and Southsouth including Vincent Enyeama, Austin Ejide, Chigozie Agbim, Joseph Yobo, Elderson Echiejile, Kenneth Omuero, Efe Ambrose, Azubuike Egwuekwe, Godfrey Oboabona, Mikel Obi, Reuben Gabriel, Nosa Igiebor, Obiora Nwankwo, Brown Ideye, Ogenyi Onazi, while Ejike Uzoenyi, Victor Moses, Ikechukwu Uche, Sunday Mba and Emmanuel Emenike.

Nobody complained that this squad was lopsided because we knew these were our best and if we wanted to win we had to present our best. At the end of the day they brought home the cup and that was all that mattered.

In the same vein, nobody should complain about where Buhari’s appointees come from. What we should insist on is that they are appointed on the basis of merit and that at the end of 2019 they must bring home the cup by giving Nigerians good governance that will yield tangible democracy dividends.

Nigerians are always quick to say the problem with Nigeria is corruption, but I am not so sure it is.

Corruption is a symptom of the problem but it in itself is not the problem.

Corruption is the catarrh coming out of Nigeria’s nose. If you experience catarrh you do not treat it by merely cleaning your nose. The discharge will just keep coming because you are treating the symptom not the cause.

The way to treat catarrh is by treating its root cause which is the common cold.

What is the common cold that is causing the discharge of mucous from Nigerians nose?

In my humble opinion, it is quota system and the principle of federal character.

Federal character and quota system are the root cause of corruption in Nigeria.

As long as ethnicity is the yardstick for admitting children into schools or recruiting adults into the civil service,  we will never have a merit driven system and where we do not have a merit driven system, the end result will be corruption.

President Muhammadu Buhari means well in his anti corruption battle, but if a civil servant has to report to someone who is less qualified than him and who only got his position because of quota system or federal character, his morale would be low and he will not be committed and when opportunity presents itself to be corrupt, that civil servant will seize it and he will not feel sorry or guilty.

As long as there is no level playing field in Nigeria, none of our anti corruption efforts will work. We will merely be cleaning rye discharge of mucous from our nose. There cannot be a successful anti corruption war in the midst of social injustice.

Nigerians are not by nature correct. It is the Nigerian system that is by nature corrupt.

The other day the Federal Ministry of Education released cut off marks for unity schools and the cut off Mark for one state is 138 out of 200 while the cut off mark for another state is 4 out of 200.

This is not a joke! This is a reality in modern day Nigeria in the year 2015 and I kid you not!

Right there and then Nigeria has planted the seed of corruption in the heart of the child from the 138/200 state and the seed of entitlement in the heart of the child from the 4/200 state.

Any system that is not built on merit cannot but be corrupt. It is a fact of life and those who do not like this inconvenient truth can get as angry as they like with me and people like me, but that will not change the truth.

Whether we like to say it or not or whether we choose to pretend it does not exist, the truth remains that so many groups in Nigeria feel alienated by quota system and federal character.

We have grand plans as a nation of being amongst the top 20 biggest economies of the world by 2020, but which of the countries amongst the current top 20 economies has a system like ours?

The answer is none.

The G 7 nations of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States along with their partner nations of China and Russia are constantly competing with each other in the areas of early childhood to high school education.

If the educational pass rates of children in America is slipping when compared to that of other nations in the G-7, it will become a major electoral issue.

The influential Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) releases a regular triennial study of global education systems and these nations keenly compete to outdo each other in these rankings.

Now, how can Nigeria expect to join their ranks and compete internationally when we do not even allow fair competition domestically?

Are we going to write a letter to the G-7 or the OECD telling them that is not fair to expect us to compete with them and ask them to lower the standards for us?

I don’t think so!

Merit is the way. No, I take that back. Merit is the ONLY way. And I thank God that we have a President with the foresight to base his appointments solely on merit.

That is a beginning, now we must ensure that merit is also applied to admission into government schools and recruitments into the public service.

 

Jonathan"s former aide, Omokri defends Buhari alleged lopsided appointment

We’re in the Dark over Ministerial Appointments, says APC leaders

Amidst mixed feelings trailing President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent perceived skewed appointments, some members of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have raised the alarm that the party leaders are in the ‘’dark’’ over the president’s ongoing process to appoint his ministers this month.

The president had promised to appoint his ministers this month and by the nation’s constitution, he is expected to appoint a minister each from the 36 states of the federation.

And the presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, gave an indication on Thursday that Buhari would keep to his promise to inaugurate members of his cabinet this month.

‘’The president has not said anything contrary to his earlier statement to appoint his ministers this month. And barring any unforeseen circumstance, he will keep to his promise,” the presidential spokesman told THISDAY.

Although the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, told THISDAY in an exclusive interview recently that the leadership of his party would henceforth insist on ‘’party’s supremacy’’ and be fully involved in subsequent appointments by the president,  some leaders of the party however said there was nothing to suggest that the party is being carried along.

‘’We read in the newspapers like every other Nigerian that President Muhammadu Buhari promised to appoint his ministers this month of September. But we, the leaders of the party are in the dark over the process; the president is not talking to us,”  a member of the NWC of the party who pleaded anonymity told THISDAY last night.

The APC chieftain warned that the president may have difficulty getting his ministers confirmed by the Senate if leaders of the party are not carried along.

‘’I am sure the president knows the huge political implications of not carrying leaders of our party along in his ongoing efforts to appoint his ministers. I can tell you confidently that the ministerial list will not pass through the Senate,” the APC source added.

A former governor in one of the northern states and now senator also told THISDAY that ‘’the president would be signing the death warrant of the APC if he choses not to carry the party along in his appointment of minsters.

However, a presidential source told THISDAY that though President Buhari once indicated his desire to solely appoint his ministers, that position has since changed.

‘’Yes, the president once turned down the governors’ nominees for the ministerial positions. But I was in a meeting recently when governors and leaders of the APC met with the president and he promised to carry them along in the process,” the presidential source stated.

The source further told THISDAY that even though the governors and other party leaders would be allowed to nominate their candidates, ‘’the nomination will  finally be cleared by the president because there are many members of the APC who worked against the party during the last general election.’’

While reacting to the different criticisms that trailed Buhari’s appointments of his personal aides recently, Oyegun said: ‘’Even though we were marginally involved in those appointments, the party will henceforth be fully involved in  subsequent appointments. That is where the supremacy of the party will come to bear.

Nigerians should exercise a little patience. There will be board appointments, ministerial positions and a lot of other positions.’’

We’re in the Dark over Ministerial Appointments, says APC leaders

Appointment: APC accuses Wike of gang-up against Amaechi

•Says he remains hero of democracy

The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has alleged a gang-up against former Governor Chibuike Amaechi by some powerful forces in the State desperate to ensure that he does not get appointed into the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari. “These retrogressive forces led by the State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, are so afraid of the shadow of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi that they are willing to go to any length to ensure that he is not accommodated in President Buhari’s cabinet. They have for months mounted a relentless campaign of calumny against the person of Amaechi, thus biting the finger that once fed them. This is not only shameful but also a clear sabotaging of the greater interests of Rivers State,” the State APC Chapter said in a statement issued on Tuesday in Port Harcourt and signed by its Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya.

Rotimi Amaechi

The party said it learnt with shock of how Chief Wike reportedly ordered a trailer-load of his favourite brandy, Louis XIII of which a bottle costs N1.7m, to celebrate the non-appointment of Amaechi as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) by President Buhari and that he has set up a committee to bribe and influence the Senate to reject Amaechi in case President Buhari nominates him as a Minister. “We wish to advise Wike, who is well known for his corruptive tendencies, to desist and stop trying to play God. We are confident that he can never constitute a stumbling block to Amaechi if President Buhari wishes to nominate him to render service to his fatherland in any capacity,” Rivers APC said.

The party equally berated those who have been sponsoring stories claiming that Amaechi was so shocked by his non-appointment as SGF that he took off for London to get himself together. “Funny enough, Amaechi was in Port Harcourt to witness the formal commissioning ceremony of a church,” Rivers APC said.

The party described the efforts to rubbish and diminish Amaechi as an exercise in futility as nobody will deny the fact that he played a pivotal role in sacking the corrupt regime of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and installing the current government at the centre, thus making him a hero of Nigeria’s modern democracy.

The statement urged Amaechi to be steadfast in his support for the administration of. President Buhari which he put his life at risk to make possible, while urging the party’s supporters and admirers of Amaechi “to exercise patience and allow President Buhari to conclude his appointments before we can pass any valid judgment.”

Appointment: APC accuses Wike of gang-up against Amaechi

APC, governors, others join row over Buhari’s choices

SGF, Oshiomhole, Okorocha, Oyegun: they’re on merit

Ohanaeze urges Igbo to be calm

The Nation – CRITICS of President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointments yesterday got a reply  – they are based on merit.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) and some governors defended the appointments which have been criticised as sectional.

President Buhari

The President’s men also denied that they were appointed based on sentiment, after three of them took the oath of office yesterday in Abuja.

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Southeast’s leading socio-cultural group, urged the Igbo to remain calm. Governors Rochas Okorocha (Imo) and Adams Oshiomhole (Edo) said the appointments came strictly on merit.

President Buhari swore in Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Mr. Babachir David Lawal, National Security Adviser (NSA) Gen. Babagana Monguno and Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Mr. Femi Adesina.

Adesina was appointed on May 31.  Monguno was appointed on July 13 and Lawal was appointed August 27.

At the brief ceremony, Lawal, who spoke on behalf of others, said: “We want to thank God for granting President the vision, wisdom, kindness and boldness to consider us worthy for positions of responsibilities.

“We got appointed into these positions, not because of our tribes or our faiths or our political groups.

“If it is such, I am sure none of us would have been considered worthy of these appointments. We appreciate the President and we appreciate God that he has blessed us with these privileged appointments.

“It is a privilege to serve Nigerians in these capacities at this point in time. Nigeria is at the threshold of achieving greatness and it is our honour and privilege to be senior members of the team that will propel the country to this greatness.”

He told the President: “We have in you and the Vice President leaders that lead by example, leaders that are focused; whose goal is to build a Nigeria where there is liberty, security, economic prosperity and the rule of law.

“We are grateful that we are part of the team to deliver this goal. Accept our assurances that by the grace of God, we will not fail you, we will not fail our country, we will not fail ourselves, our families and our friends. By the grace of God. We will strive at all times to serve our country and to serve you with excellence, hardwork and integrity.”

APC National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun assured Nigerians that President Buhari is not unmindful of the principle of federal character in the appointments of public officers.

He said the President will definitely balance appointments across all the geopolitical regions.

Speaking when he received a delegation from MBO Dynamic Support Group, led by its national coordinator, Hon. Usman Ibrahim, the APC chairman urged Nigerians who are aggrieved by the appointments to remain calm and give the President the chance to balance his appointments.

Odigie-Oyegun said there was a lot of fight back from the people who want to draw back the nation under the Buhari administration, adding: “There have been a lot of unfortunate misinformation and uproar against appointments at this stage. We have two sets of appointments that have been made.

“One set is the personal privilege of Mr. President –  as far as his personal staff are concerned. The other set has to do with a few important and strategic persons that are going to help him either in the fight against corruption or the fight against insurgency in the Northeast of our country, but this is not where to play the political balancing game.

“These are serious and the President has the right to appoint those he has confidence in because these are the areas where he has made promises to Nigerians. But we have thousands of political appointments and he has just made a few appointments while thousands are still waiting.

“The balancing must happen when the political appointments are being made but we must not at this particular point in time with the few appointments say that one must be from the North, one must be from South or from the East; not at this stage.

“So, one must make that clear. Nobody, no leader can disadvantage any part of this nation, that will not happen.”

On the anti-corruption battle, Odigie-Oyegun said: “If a particular group has ruled for 16 years, then who is guilty of corruption? And all the fight, witch-hunt are neither here no there.

“What is important is that everybody who has a skeleton in his cupboard has something to fear; if you do not have any skeleton in the cupboard you go to sleep and sleep very sound but of course if you have, you will pretend and try to divert attention.”

Ohanaeze Ndigbo yesterday urged Ndigbo in Nigeria and in the diaspora to avoid any confrontation with the government.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo Secretary-General Dr. Joe Nwaorgu, told reporters in Enugu that the best option “especially in view of the present circumstance of skewed pattern of appointments by President Buhari, which has completely excluded Ndigbo from key strategic positions in the Federal Government is to remain calm and watch events as they unfold.”

Okorocha said the President’s decision was in the nation’s best interest.

He said the President had the right to appoint anyone from any part of the country and that no one could dictate to him who to appoint.

“Most of the appointments the President has so far made are like his personal staff.  I don’t think the Southeast will ever be forgotten in this administration. We will get our due. He has the right to make appointments that will make him succeed and nobody should dictate to him who to appoint or who he should not appoint,” Okorocha said, adding:

“What I can only do is to continue to appeal to the President to consider the Southeast in his appointments.  And as far as I am concerned, the President has executed what the office empowers him to do, and it is believed that he did that in the best interest of the nation.

“In fact, if you ask me, I would say we should be more interested in the projects coming down to the Southeast, and as much as we can get.  The projects will bring about development of the Southeast. There is no cause for alarm.  It is too early in the day to begin to judge Buhari’s intention.  I think he means well.  Let us give him a chance.  Nigeria is one nation.  A nation for all of us.  We must start thinking about the nation rather than thinking about sentiment of where we come from.

“Although the Southeast had expected so much, we believe all will be well with the Buhari presidency and for the development of the Southeast.  It is wrong for some people to begin to use the issue to incite the people of the Southeast against the President.  The government is about to celebrate its 100 days and the appointments are just beginning to come and, by and large, the Southeast will get its due.

“The point is that we cannot begin to judge President Buhari with the appointments so far made.  We cannot obviously use it to judge his intention.  I think he means well for the nation and with every geo-political zone inclusive.  So let us give him a chance.”

Oshiomhole said Nigerians should praise Buhari “for having the uncommon courage to take plausible decisions in the appointments”.

He said the appointments were based on merits and not political sentiments or ethnic consideration as some tribal jingoists would want Nigerians to believe.

In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Peter Okhiria, Oshiomhole said it was time to use the best hands to confront the peculiarity of the country’s problems and not descend to the level of geopolitical balancing.

Oshiomhole noted that unusual methods should be used to solve an unusual problem and added that the level of decay required very seasoned hands and incorruptible Nigerians that would help to translate the APC agenda of change for the benefit of all Nigerians.

“We must not reduce governance to political patronage of bread and butter. The Comrade Governor wishes them well in their new jobs of helping to sanitise a system that has become so rotten and corrupt as a result of manifest incompetence and mismanagement.

“If we must make a huge difference in the lives of Nigerians, things must be done differently. We cannot continue to apply same template in the recruitment of persons and expect different results. The new appointees are Nigerians who have served the country in different capacities before now and deserved every bit of our cooperation and support to make them excel in their new jobs.”

APC, governors, others join row over Buhari’s choices

Nobody can dictate who Buhari should appoint - Okorocha

…says appointments so far are in the interest of Nigeria

Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, on Monday said all the appointments made so far by President Muhammadu Buhari decision are in the best interest of the nation.

Okorocha

He said the President has the rights to appoint anyone from any part of the country, adding that no one can dictate for him on who to appoint or not.

The governor’s statements followed condemnations that trailed last week appointments made by the President.

Okorocha said, “Most of the appointments the President has so far made are like his personal staff.  I don’t think South-East will ever be forgotten in this administration, we will get our due. He has the right to make appointments that would make him succeed and nobody should dictate for him who he should appoint or who he should not appoint.

“What I can only do is to continue to appeal to the President to consider the Southeast in his appointments.  And as far as I am concerned, the President had executed what the office empowers him to do, and it is believed that he did that in the best interest of the nation.

“In fact, if you ask me, I would say we should be more interested in the projects coming down to the Southeast and as much as we can get.  The projects will bring about development to the Southeast. There is no cause for alarm.  It is too early in the day to begin to judge Buhari’s intention.  I think he means well.  Let us give him a chance.  Nigeria is one nation, a nation for all of us.  We must start thinking about the nation rather than thinking about sentiment of where we come from.

“Although the Southeast had expected so much, we believe all will be well with the Buhari presidency and for the development of the Southeast.  It is wrong for some people to begin to use the issue to incite the people of the Southeast against the President.  The government is about to celebrate its 100 days and the appointments are just beginning to come, and by and large, the Southeast will get its due.

“The point is that we cannot begin to judge President Buhari with the appointments so far made.  We cannot obviously use it to judge his intention.  I think he means well for the nation and with every geo-political zone inclusive.  So let us give him a chance.”

Nobody can dictate who Buhari should appoint - Okorocha

Buhari’s appointments violate federal character - Ijaw youth

The umbrella body of Ijaw youths, the Ijaw Youth Council, has said the appointments so far made by President Muhammadu Buhari contravene the provisions of the country’s federal character principle.

General Buhari

The council, in a statement on Sunday by its spokesman, Mr. Eric Omare, said Buhari’s lopsided appointments did not respect the principle as stipulated in Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution.

Omare said, “Though we are not surprised because we have always known that President Buhari’s understanding of Nigeria is from Lokoja to Sokoto. Buhari has never regarded the southern part of Nigeria as a part of the larger entity called Nigeria.

“However, the IYC is pained that the leaders of Buhari’s All Progressives Congress from the South-South and South-East zones lack the gut to insist that the constitutional provision on federal character should be obeyed.

“It is, indeed, strange that the same people are now comfortable even with the most flagrant violation of the Nigerian constitution by President Buhari and lack the courage to challenge Buhari’s lawlessness.

“Ironically, some of them take delight in maligning former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration on a daily basis instead of focusing on how to give the South-South and South-East zones attention in Buhari’s administration.”

He said the IYC completely disagreed with the argument that Nigerians should concentrate on competence rather than federal character in making appointments.

Omare said while the council agreed that competence is important, it added that there was no section of Nigeria that did not have competent hands to manage any position given to them.

He stated that the northern part of Nigeria could not claim to have more competent people than the southern part.

Omare called on South-South and South-East leaders in Buhari’s party to demand that what was due to the two zones should be given to them.

He said the contribution of the two zones to the emergence of Buhari was completely irrelevant when appointments were being made.

Buhari’s appointments violate federal character - Ijaw youth

Federal Appointment: Buhari to appoint more South-East to pacify aggrieved zones

SUNDAY PUNCH – There were indications on Saturday that President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress had begun moves to compensate the South-East for not getting any appointments so far in the current administration.

Buhari

SUNDAY PUNCH reliably gathered that some states in the geopolitical zone might get more than one ministerial slot.

The Presidency and the APC sources, who spoke to SUNDAY PUNCH on condition of anonymity, also justified the appointments made by Buhari on Thursday.

A top member of the party said the President was not unmindful of criticisms that greeted the alleged lopsided appointments.

He said, “The President has assured us that all zones that have not been represented in the appointments he has made so far will be compensated.

“For example, some states in the South-East may get more than one ministerial slots. The President is going to make board and ambassadorial appointments. All zones, including the South-East, will be represented in this government.”

Prominent Nigerians and socio-political groups, have criticised the appointments made by Buhari so far.

Out of 31 appointments made so far, 24 of the appointees are from the North and seven are from the South. The South-East has no representation in the Buhari-led government.

SUNDAY PUNCH however gathered that the emergence of the new Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pastor David Lawal, and the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, was the result of the politics among power blocks in the APC.

It was learnt that the two appointees belonged to the Congress for Progressive defunct Change, which Buhari led, before it merged with other parties to form the APC

A Presidency source told one of our correspondents that Lawal and Kyari were picked because of their closeness and loyalty to the President.

The source said, “Although the President is a loyal member of the party, the levels of trust he has in the members differ. There are various blocks in the APC.

“You don’t give appointments such as chief of staff and the SGF to your rival or his loyalists; you give them to those you can vouch for. Those posts are ears and eyes of the President and they are not subjected to the party’s ratification.”

It was also gathered that the latest appointments confirmed the existence of various power blocks in the APC.

It will be recalled that the CPC, led by Buhari, merged with the Action Congress of Nigeria, the All Nigerians Peoples Party and a faction of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, led by the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, to form the APC.

They were later joined by five governors, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also defected from the PDP to the APC.

Meanwhile, the Presidency, on Saturday, assured Nigerians that by the end of the series of appointments being made by Buhari, no part of Nigeria would feel alienated.

The Special Assistant to the President on Media Affairs, Mr. Garba Shehu, said this in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents.

When asked if the South- East and other parts of the country, who are complaining of being marginalised by Buhari would be compensated, Shehu said appointments so far made by the President were just a few out of so many that would be made by the President.

He said, “There will be ministers, heads of government departments, federal boards and ambassadors. At the end of the exercise, no part of the country will be left feeling left out.”

Federal Appointment: Buhari to appoint more South-East to pacify aggrieved zones

Buhari"s appointment: "Nigerians wanted change, now we have got it" - Fani-Kayode

Erstwhile Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has reacted to the appointments made so far by President Muhammadu Buhari, as well as the occupants of key positions in the country.

Fani-Kayode who has since changed his name to Olufemi Olu-Kayode, stated that as majority of those occupying key positions in the country were from the northern part, Nigerians deserved the change they wanted.

Listing about 27 top positions on his Facebook page, he said: “Nigerians wanted ‘change’ and now we have got it. No-one should complain because this is what our people wanted. Those of us that warned the country that this would happen were insulted and lampooned. Now we have to live with the consequences of our choice. For the next four years. Welcome to the new Nigeria. Welcome to ‘change’.”

Olu-Kayode who was also the Director, Media & Publicity of the Jonathan/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organisation, in the last Presidential election, gave his list as thus;

1. President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria – north,

2.Senate President- north.

3. Speaker of the House of Representatives- north.

4. Chief Justice of the Federation- north.

5. President of the Court of Appeal- north.

6. Chief Justice of the Federal High Court- north.

7. Secretary to the Federal Government- north.

8. Chief of Staff to the President- north.

9. Chief of Army Staff- north.

10. Chief of Air Staff- north.

11. Comptroller General of Customs- north.

12. Director-General of State Security Services (SSS)- north.

13. National Security Advisor- north.

14. Director General NIMASA- north.

15. Chairperson of the Independant Electoral Commission (INEC)- north.

16. Comptroller-General Immigration- north.

17. Accountant-General of the Federation – north.

18. Commander of Civil Defence Corps- north.

19. Chief Security Officer to the President- north.

20. ADC to the President- north.

21. Principal Secretary to the President- north.

22. Senior Special Assistant to the President on media- north.

23. Chairman of the EFCC- north.

24. MD Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA)- north.

25. Head of Service – north.

26. DG National Communication Commission (NCC)- north.

27. Chairman NDLEA- north.

 

Buhari"s appointment: "Nigerians wanted change, now we have got it" - Fani-Kayode

Jobless politicians cricitize Buhari"s appointment - Keyamo

Lawyer and human rights activist, Festus Keyamo, has described those criticising President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointments as “few jobless politicians.”

In a statement issued on Friday, Keyamo stated that those politicians depended only on government appointments as their means of livelihood.

He said, “The so-called ‘uproar’ over the perceived ‘lopsided’ appointments made so far by President Buhari is nothing but an orchestrated frustration of a few jobless politicians who depend only on government appointments as their means of livelihood and, of course, the noise of the latest opposition party in town.

“The majority of Nigerians want to see good governance, pure and simple, and care less about the ethnic origin of those appointed into positions.

“My worry is that the decade-long general division of government positions into ‘juicy’ and ‘non-juicy’, and the mentality that these few ‘juicy’ positions must be shared equally among the major ethnic groups was nothing but a contraption of the old order from which we have just liberated ourselves.”

Keyamo added that all government appointments posed an equal challenge to those appointed as a call to higher service of the country, saying that all public positions come with an equal responsibility to be honest, forthright and dedicated.

According to him, describing some positions as “juicy” and others as “non-juicy” is another way of identifying positions that have enough money from which to steal from those that are “dry.”

Therefore, any agitation from a section of the country to get “juicy” positions, the rights activist said, was only an agitation for their kinsmen to be appointed to steal enough from which they would benefit.

He said, “I therefore unreservedly condemn, in the strongest of terms, the so-called ‘uproar’ about ‘juicy positions’ going only to a certain section of this country. All sections of this country should be happy and content with whatever positions that the President deems fit, at the end of the day, to give to their kinsmen.

“After all, the President still has a long way to go with appointments. He has not even filled up to five percent of available positions. Please, let the President be.”

Jobless politicians cricitize Buhari"s appointment - Keyamo

Buhari’s lopsided appointments split the north, his supporters

Northern socio-political groups were on Friday divided over President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointments, which have largely been criticised in the south as it has thus far favoured individuals from the northern part of the country.

Buhari Appointment

Buhari had on Thursday approved the appointments of six persons including Babachir David Lawal from Adamawa State as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Mr. Abba Kyari from Borno State as his Chief of Staff.

The list takes the appointments made by the President so far to 30, with only seven of them coming from the southern part of the country and the rest from the North.

Socio-cultural groups and people from the southern region of the country have been united in their outrage over the appointments, but northerners have been split over the issue.

For instance, while the Chairman of the Northern Elders Council, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, was critical of the President’s appointments, the convener of the Coalition of Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen, Junaid Mohammed, said he was not in favour of zoning in the giving of political appointments.

Yakassai, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents on Friday, said the President’s appointments so far showed that he was favouring his section of the country, where he got the most number of votes.

Yakassai said, “If you look at the voting pattern, zone by zone, you will see that Buhari is compensating the zones that favoured him. It depends on the angle from which you look at it. If you are a patriotic Nigerian, you will see it from the patriotic angle, if you’re a parochial Nigerian, you will see it as right.

“We (NEC) are for Nigeria because if you read the oath of office that Buhari subscribed to as President, he said he would do justice to all manners of people without fear or favour. You just judge for yourself whether he has adhered to the content of that oath of office.”

The former Special Assistant to former President Shehu Shagari also dismissed insinuations that Buhari was more concerned about appointing competent persons into offices than making appointments based on sentiments.

He said, “In Nigeria today, we have competent people all over the country, no doubt about it. It is a matter of choice; you can get them from all over the country. We have people with university education and working experience all over the country. So, we are not in dire need of competent people because they are everywhere.”

Mohammed, however, said giving key political appointments to some certain sections of the country could endanger the unity of the country.

The second Republic lawmaker also said that northerners had previously been marginalised in the country by public office holders of Igbo origin, while denying the existence of a northern agenda being allegedly pursued by Buhari.

He said, “I’m not and I’ve never been a believer in zoning or rotation in giving key political appointments. I also believe that it is not in the national interest to zero in certain key appointments to certain sections of the country because it allows for further division of the country.

“Thirdly, I believe that if there had existed a so-called northern agenda, I would know about it because I’m smart. I don’t believe that any Nigerian whether Buhari, Olusegun Obasanjo (former President) or anybody could hoodwink 170 million people. And if that agenda existed, certainly, Nigerians would know and knowing Nigerians for who they are, they would kick against it.

“So the talk of a northern agenda or a Buhari’s agenda which is pro-north is utter nonsense. If there is a perceived lopsidedness in any appointments, the political situation must be looked at closely to ensure that justice is done.

“But in this, you also don’t look at immediate appointments; you look at previous appointments made over the last 16 years where a particular section of the country was deliberately marginalised.

“There was a policy of disenfranchising the north, marginalising the north and especially among Ibo political appointees, there has been a deliberate attempt to go out of their way to offend, disgrace and undermine northern political interest. When some of us were talking about this, I don’t remember a single Igbo voice supporting us, and most people in the south did not say anything.”

Mohammed, who said he did not know Buhari’s motive for making the appointments, however, added that he knew the President as someone who would place meritocracy above sentiments.

He said, “I don’t know what Buhari’s intentions are but one thing I know from his track record of over 45 years is that Buhari has never been caught making appointments on the basis of primordial sentiments.

“Those who were in the army would testify and those with who he worked as governor and in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the committees he headed as a serving officer. Nobody can come out to say Buhari showed primordial, religious or any other sentiments other than merit sentiments which are the most important on his mind.”

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the pan-Northern socio-political group, Arewa Consultative Forum, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomasie, called for patience over the appointments so far made by Buhari.

Coomasie described the condemnation that has trailed the appointments as uncalled for as “other appointments have yet to come.”

He also debunked insinuations that the President was executing a northern agenda, saying, “it is too early to judge the president. Let us wait and see other appointments.

“We still have other appointments like ministers, parastatals and boards that have yet to come. Let us wait before judging him. It is too early to do so.”

But on the contrary, the President of the group’s youth wing, Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, Yerima Shettima, who spoke to a newspaper (not Saturday PUNCH), described the situation as worrisome.

He said, “It is unfortunate the way the situation is, because one becomes worried. We must be seen to be nationalistic than being sectionalised.

“I am beginning to feel uncomfortable because the complaint is that the appointments are seen to be lopsided. I also do not think that is the intention of the government.”

In the south, however, Buhari’s appointments have been described as lopsided and sectionalised.

A leader of the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, described Buhari’s appointments as worrisome, saying he was particularly worried that the latest appointments had not reflected the yearning of Nigerians.

Adebanjo said, “I am getting worried now; the whole thing is getting me worried. I want to see the clearer picture of what the President is planning to do. The step the President has taken in his latest appointments is worrisome.

“I want to see how the President will form his cabinet in September. What he has just done concerning the appointments of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and others are a source of concern to me.”

Also, the National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said Buhari’s appointments would give him the identity of a sectional leader.

He said the President “may unwittingly be acting out the 97 per cent versus five per cent Freudian slip in Washington by concentrating most of his strategic appointments in his corner of the country.

“That may cast him in the mould of a sectional leader who is not seeing the whole country as his constituency. The “we” versus “them” which this pattern suggests can only further polarise a badly divided country which the map of the last election presented. What is required at the moment is leadership that is able to rise above the frays and bring all sections on board.”

Igbo socio- cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Youth Council, also lambasted the President, describing him as “an unrepentant tribalist and anti-Igbo.”

In a statement signed by the group’s National President, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, and Public Relations Officer, Obinna Adibe, Ohanaeze accused Buhari of deliberately excluding the South-East from all the political appointments he had made so far.

The statement read in part: “We stand to condemn this glaring hatred for Ndigbo by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. We recall that apart from several other appointments, Buhari’s government has also appointed Service Chiefs and in a similar manner, he sidelined the South-East zone.

“As if that was not enough, the long-awaited position of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation has come at last and this government deemed nobody from the South-East qualified enough to occupy that position, which was earlier zoned to Ndigbo.

“Where is the justice; where is the equity; where is the one Nigeria? How long will Ndigbo be pushed to the walls?

“Tribalism has never paid Nigeria and this period will not make any difference”.

In his reaction, National Chairman of the Labour Party, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalami, described the appointments as “unacceptable.”

He said, “The President didn’t take certain things into consideration. The appointments are not accepted to LP. If this is the All Progressives Congress’ concept of change, it is very unfortunate. The APC knows what to do. If at the end of the day, the party decides to toy with the likes of Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu (APC chieftain from the South-East), despite the commitment and sacrifice he has made for the party, it shows their chameleonic dynamics.”

A Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Fred Agbaje, however, noted that lopsided appointments have become, “a common phenomenon” in the current administration, describing them as a “clear violation of the principle of federal character and the need to promote national unity and hegemony as enshrined in the preamble of the Constitution.”

A legal practitioner and Executive Director of Egalitarian Mission Africa, Mr. Kayode Ajulo, who also reacted to Buhari’s recent appointments, accused him of “treating the nation like an occupied territory.”

Ajulo in a statement obtained by Saturday PUNCH, described the development as “scary and ominous”, adding that it gives an “insight into the manner of things to be expected from this administration.”

The appointments were also greeted by angry reactions on social media, where many Nigerians were openly critical of the President.

For instance, many of the comments on the website of The PUNCH newspaper also condemned President Buhari’s appointments.

A reader identified on the website as Rotimi Lawanson, said, “He has handed the entire security structure, justice system and core appointments to the North and that is extremely dangerous.”

Another reader identified as Glogab said, “Common sense demands that he should consider the feelings of other regions of the country. He is the President of Nigeria and not (that of) Northern region. He should be experienced enough to learn from history.”

A former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, who also posted on his Facebook page, listed all the appointments so far made by the President, adding that, “Nigerians wanted ‘change’ and now we have got it. No one should complain because this is what our people wanted. Those of us who warned the country that this would happen were insulted and lampooned. Now, we have to live with the consequences of our choice for the next four years. Welcome to the new Nigeria. Welcome to ‘Change’.”

Also, Ross Alaba-George described the appointments as an assassination of federal character, saying, “Buhari just showed Nigeria how resource control should be done. When you have power, take it; if you have resources take it…Federal Character Assassination.”

A commentator on Nairaland, identified simply as Erunz, queried if Northerners were more competent than people from other regions of the country, adding that, “No one should complain because when we wailed, they told us Buhari’s appointment is based on competence. So, the northerners are more competent. No one should cry, especially my people from the South-West.”

Also, Sincere9gerian said, “It is only people who have sold their souls to the devil that will overlook Buhari’s tribal bigotry and dictatorial tendencies. His actions are simply indefensible. At this point, the few Southerners that have been appointed so far should resign immediately.”

Meanwhile, Buhari, Chief of Staff and Federal Character have respectively been trending on Twitter since the announcement was made.

On Twitter, Ajebomarket.com chided the appointment of Kyari as the Chief of Staff to the President, saying, “Abba Kyari is the new Chief of Staff to Buhari. He’s just 77 years old, but forget his age. He’s more competent than others since he’s Hausa.”

Tamapeta tweeted, “It’s very undemocratic to do away with Federal Character in a bid to cover up these appointments. Federal Character is very important.”

Interestingly, some prominent Buhari’s supporters have also joined his critics to condemn his appointments.

A columnist, Farooq Kperogi, in a post on his Facebook page, questioned the advices the President has been receiving lately.

He said, “Who is advising President Buhari? The undisguised ‘Arewacentricity’ of his appointments is frankly assuming disturbing dimensions. He is carrying on as if other parts of the country don’t matter. Many non-northerners, who have as much stake in the country and in Buhari’s success as anybody else, are justifiably disillusioned.

“A president who ran for election on the mantra of “change” can’t continue the tradition of invidiously clannish appointments and expect to continue to enjoy national goodwill.”

Another of Buhari’s supporters, who is also a columnist, Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, agreed with Kperogi on her Facebook page, saying that people should stop accusing them of criticising because they were not appointed.

She said, “Sorry, I will be Buhari’s harshest critic when he steps out of line or assumes a narrow focus. We will prevent him from falling into the stereotypes that prevented him from winning prior to 2015.”

Buhari’s lopsided appointments split the north, his supporters

Buhari’s appointments: War of the ‘southern leader’

BARELY two days after the accusative Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly, a.k.a. southern leaders or SNPA, pointed out what they described as President Muhammadu Buhari’s inequitable pro-North appointments, the president blithely went ahead to announce a few more positions along his idiosyncratically default, pro-North mode. The new appointments have caused a huge uproar, an uproar that had been seething below the surface for weeks.  After he was sworn in on May 29, the president’s critics reminded the nation, his first set of appointments largely benefited the North. Some three or four tokenistic positions, they added, were grudgingly conceded to the South out of the 15 or so appointments made so far. And in a scathing but informative July interview, Col Tony Nyiam (retd) had also wondered whether those who accused President Buhari of being caged were not accurately reflecting the nation’s sad reality.

General Buhari

At any rate, Thursday’s fresh presidency appointments will doubtless give amperage and trenchancy to the criticisms of the southern leaders who had suggested in their Tuesday Akure, Ondo State, meeting that the president was not really mindful of the insularity of his appointments. There had been some suggestions that the public needed to wait until the president had concluded his appointments in order to be able to accurately gauge their temper and colour. After Thursday’s announcement of fresh appointments, it is doubtful whether apart from the expected ministerial postings in September there are any other presidency appointments sensitive enough to arrest the attention of the public or preclude an accurate conclusion.

Perhaps President Buhari will feel the need to offer logical reasons for what his critics say is the skewness of his presidency appointments. And perhaps those reasons will be persuasive enough. But if the reasons do not cut ice with the people, if indeed the critics see the appointments made so far as indicative of the president’s mindset and of his general lack of exposure and closed circle of trusted friends, he faces the danger of allowing a critical mass of southern animosity to form against his presidency and against his government’s political and bureaucratic exclusionism. In particular, the southern leaders in the SNPA will feel reassured in their conclusions about the Buhari presidency, and engender a new vroom and venom to their pained voice, if the public and commentators respond well to their pungent view of the Buhari presidency.

Politics is all about perception. President Buhari must be encouraged to deftly manage how his government is perceived. It is doubtful whether at the moment, and given the temper and colour of his appointments, his presidency is managing that perception with the sensitivity the situation and the distress of the country demands. He of course has the freedom to make appointments to suit his purpose; and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), can do little to shape those appointments. But in Nigeria’s syncretic and still coalescing democracy, it is expected that the ruling party must form part of the defence bulwark for the president and the government. Whether the APC can play that onerous role when the chips are down is, however, a different matter, going by how the president has seemingly shut out the party from his critical appointments.

Shortly after the APC won the presidential election, Oba Rilwan Akiolu of Lagos was quoted as privately urging those who knew how to pray to intercede on behalf of APC leaders who, it seemed to him, were about to be shortchanged in terms of the spoils of electoral war concluded in April. Some weeks later, former APC interim leader and one-time Osun State governor, Bisi Akande, stridently warned that some parochial northerners were ganging up against the Yoruba in the party. It is not clear just what level of disquiet exists in the APC, particularly its southern wing. But it won’t take many more appointments, especially if mismanaged, to unravel the careful edifice built to snatch power from the conservative Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

After the elections, groups that reasoned and politicked like the SNPA were fading in national significance and relevance. The SNPA had met in January in Enugu at a well-attended forum to endorse former president Goodluck Jonathan. Critics had suggested they were presumptuous to label themselves southern leaders, not to talk of the additional mishap of choosing Dr Jonathan as the South’s standard-bearer. The spectacular shellacking they and their candidate received was strong enough to consign them to the dunghill of Nigerian politics. Unfortunately, President Buhari’s leadership orientation and methods are exhuming them and imbuing the pressure group with a new life and purpose. The resurgence may gather steam in the weeks ahead, going by the southern leaders’ clever casus belli. Apart from suggesting President Buhari’s appointments so far have not been fairly spread, a point seized upon by the Southeast to label the president insular, they are also suggesting that his anti-graft war has become selective.

As brilliant as the need to fight graft is, and as great as it sounds to talk of looking for brilliant people to serve in his government, President Buhari must not forget that in a democracy, politics is the common denominator, the unassailable leitmotif. He must be cognisant of the numerous, if sometimes powerful, tendencies in the society, not only in terms of opinions and beliefs, but also in terms of appointments, positions and ethnic dynamics. As popular and timely as the first 1966 coup was, for instance, it quickly became embroiled in the quagmire of tribal and regional politics because of wrong perceptions. Part of the job of politics is recognising, managing and placating society’s competing tendencies. President Buhari will have no choice but to find ways to manage this difficult political chore that obtrudes on his leisurely pace and programmes.

For now, the southern leaders, the Southwest section of which is an aggrieved faction of the Yoruba socio-cultural and political organisation, the Afenifere, are more or less a part of the Peoples Democratic Party defeated in the last presidential poll. President Buhari should run his government at an elevated, transcendental level, and make appointments and enact policies that will persuade the public to view the SNPA as an appendage of the loathed and defeated PDP. If by chance that loathsome view is altered beneficially for the southern leaders and they gradually become rehabilitated and are recast as the South’s popular and leading opinion moulders, then the South’s progressive forces will become weakened, thereby vitiating the hold of the APC on the South’s geopolitical zones.

This dreaded mutation is not far-fetched. Even if APC leaders refuse to acknowledge it, the Southeast and a section of both the South-South and Southwest are beginning to fear that an unhealthy skewness might have slipped into the Buhari government’s appointments. That skewness, which may in time be transferred to policies, has probably led to appointments that give the wrong impression of deliberate orchestration of northern political irredentism and bureaucratic reclamation. This is probably unintended. If that impression is in fact unfounded, then those who have the ears of the president, either in the wider public or in the ruling party, must give him the benefit of their wisdom. They must remind him that a few months ago, Dr Jonathan found himself in that distressing position of trying to undo the damage his thoughtless appointments of many years had caused him. Perhaps the damage during the Jonathan presidency was also unintended. But, alas, it was too late by the time he sought to remedy the situation.

If the progressives are to lead the country for a much longer time than their enemies hope, they will have to do much better in policies and appointments. So far, their puny and conflicting efforts are depressingly uncoordinated and disconcerting. They will also have to learn to listen to those who even appear, like Bishop Matthew Kukah, to be in love with the enemy and the former president. They will have to learn to prosecute their good causes, not with the reckless bravado of fanatical politicians, but with the calm and magisterial detachment of wise elders and statesmen. They will have to look at the bigger picture with the paradoxical humility of those awed by the importance of their future goals and the attraction of the distant utopia of their dreams.

President Buhari will have to change tack and, in a  brilliant and sublime manner, do much more than he has done so far in policies, appointments and methods. He needs an expanded and expansive vision of himself and the country he leads to enable him engage the electorate and revamp and remould Nigeria. For, whether he likes it or not, his methods are as relevant and invaluable as his goals. If democracy is to endure, and if Nigeria is to achieve the greatness that has eluded it for decades, then President Buhari will have to dig deeper and fetch a magical rabbit from somewhere. It will indeed be sad if the southern leaders who foolishly endorsed Dr Jonathan in Enugu in January, and gathered again in Akure early this week to complain of selective anti-graft war and parochial appointments, are rearmed by a presidential lack of caution to regain their force and voices in the nation’s body politic.

Buhari’s appointments: War of the ‘southern leader’