It is obvious that the number one thing Muhammadu Buhari now thinks he should have done differently is his nepotistic appointments after his main spokesman, Femi Adesina, revealed on Wednesday that he regretted some of his choices as President. His flagrant disrespect for the nation’s variety and peace is the defining aspect of his reign, which saw him preside over a divided country from 2015 and 2023, therefore this should be top on his list of regrets. Buhari should regret his narrow-mindedness, which not only called into question patriotism but also contributed to his administration’s notoriety as the least impressive and impressive in Nigerian history.
Former Attorney General of the Federation Mohammed Adoke SAN described the Buhari administration as “the most incompetent government we’ve ever seen in this country; ran by the most incompetent President that this country has ever had and will never have again” in a recent interview. and managed by some political idiots. Without a doubt, the nepotistic placement of square pegs in round holes is the core of this incapacity. Merit usually suffers first when a president is determined to appoint primarily members of his family. Nigeria, as was to be predicted, paid a high price for this prehistoric attitude, not just in terms of the economy but also by falling behind in nearly every area of progress over the past eight years.
Indexes are present. With the Nigeria Air deception and robbery, Buhari’s relative Hadi Sirika, who served as Minister of Aviation, made the nation look awful!
In light of this, it is troubling that Bola Tinubu, the recently elected president, is determined to stick with the strategy that later caused Buhari to have second thoughts, even if he is too egotistic to say it in public. Even in his enormous cabinet, where the Constitution attempted to impose balance, Tinubu’s nepotism was evident. The President went on his own frolic after fulfilling the legal duty to nominate a minister from each of the 36 states, with some states having as many as three ministers! This occurred as he saved his birthplace from receiving what are considered juicy portfolios.
Even those who profited from his nepotism while Buhari was engaging in it didn’t mind the hypocrisy in now criticizing Tinubu’s skewed appointments! His nepotism is so obvious!
The blaring headline “Tinubu Under Fire Over “Lopsided” Appointments” appeared in the Daily Trust on Monday. “With President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent approval of Olayemi Cardoso’s nomination to serve as the substantive new Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), some 48 hours after appointing Zachaeus Adedeji as the acting chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, the strong perception that the President is pushing an unsightly pro-ethnic agenda became worryingly stronger,” the civil society organization that brought the story to light, said. “With just over 100 days in office, the President’s appointments have demonstrated that he appears to have special consideration for people from his South-West region,” it continued.
Even within the President’s own party, the All Progressives Congress, members of the group Progressive Change Ambassadors of Nigeria (PCAN) complained earlier this week that Tinubu was frequently appointing individuals from his South-West geopolitical zone to positions of authority within the federal government. PCAN wrote to the President, “We have observed that a significant majority of these appointments have been made from your southwest geopolitical zone and especially from your ethnic group – the Yorubas, to the exclusion of other qualified and competent individuals from other parts of the country. The statement was signed by its Executive Director, Alhaji Abdulkareem Ubaydah and Secretary, Muhammad Rabiu Awwal E. As a result, many people now feel alienated and resentful among Nigerians from different regions of the nation.
The provenance of the signees is indicated by their names. Then, it begs the question of where they were while Buhari was occupied claiming nearly every significant appointment for his zone. Thus, the adage “what comes around, goes around” is true! To top it off, the Arewa Economic Forum criticized sectionalism and accused Tinubu of acting in a “curious and unprecedented” manner. The group was so irate that they organized a press conference in Abuja, where the chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Dandakata, expressed his displeasure that the Finance Minister, Wale Edun, who also serves as the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, is from the same region of the South-west as Mr. Folashodun Shonubi, who was the acting governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria at the time. “We are afraid to state that a situation where the appointees in crucial economic sectors are not only from the southwest but also connected to the Lagos axis suggests a deliberate “Yorubanization” and “Lagoslisation” of the polity,” the Arewa group said. Imagine that Tinubu is now even being compared to Buhari in terms of nepotism! According to this school of thought, the latter is focusing solely on the Southwest, especially Lagos State, whereas the former’s appointments favored two geographical zones in the North and to some extent northern minorities. Being on the same slippery slope as Buhari, who embarrassedly remarked that voters who gave him 5% of the vote shouldn’t expect the same treatment as those who gave him 97.5%, is a massive lie from Tinubu, who pledged to be fair to all Nigerians.
Naija News strongly rejects the ancestor worship displayed by people who ought to be the nation’s patriarchs. Tinubu is Nigeria’s president, not the Southwest’s. The federal character idea is so crucial to moving the entire nation forward that it is not only enshrined in the Constitution but also has its own bureaucracy. We wrote last week about the risk that the NYSC places young Nigerians by sending them to distant places. When the nation’s model citizen doesn’t lead by honoring the nation’s diversity, how can this risky deployment promote national integration and cohesion? Tinubu asserted that the nation may achieve success “if we can make use of our diversity for prosperity” on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in India.
So, the most valuable thing that federal appointments that prioritize exclusivity over diversity steal from Nigerians is prosperity!
Additionally, it deprives the nation of having experts who can resolve Nigeria’s complex issues. The most capable and creative Nigerians are excluded when the hunt for someone to fill a certain post is restricted to a specific area. Everyone, including those from the desired region, feels the brunt as the country continues to fall under the weight of incompetence. Unfortunately, when nepotism is become the guiding principle of official policy, impunity and a lack of accountability rule supreme. This may explain the brazenness of Hadi Sirika and others in Buhari’s administration. No one should expect a privileged position or dynasty to last forever if ancient empires still fell over time. The President is urged by Naija News to go back and find the time when he appointed the current service heads. Nigeria can accomplish so much if it is inclusive!
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