“Until the philosophy which hold one race superior
And another
Inferior
Is finally
And permanently
Discredited
And abandoned
Everywhere is war”
That until there is no longer
First class and second class citizens of any nation
That until the basic human rights
Are equally guaranteed to all,
Without regard to race
This is a war.
War in the east,
War in the west,
War up north,
War down south
War – war
Rumours of war.”
Extracts from the timeless song titled “War” by the late Reggae Legend, Bob Marley.
Lately, President Muhammadu Buhari has been accused and criticised of nepotism, cronyism, sectionalism and regionalism by some analysts and observers for what they consider his recent skewed and lopsided government appointments in favour of a section of the country, without due regard to federal character as enunciated in the Nigerian constitution. The critics cited recent appointments in the military, police, customs, immigrations, customs as well as the board appointments at the NNPC and NPA, among others, as cases in point.
While I appreciate that- as desirable as it is- maintaining a delicate balance between federal character and competence may somehow be difficult to maintain in a complex country like Nigeria, it is unacceptable and dangerous for the government to create the impression and posture that certain government appointments and positions are the exclusive preserve of a particular section of the country! Which is why when people try to justify skewed appointments that do not constitutionally reflect true federal character by saying it does not matter as far as those appointed are qualified, capable and competent, I usually say to them that qualified, capable and competent people who can equally be appointed abound in all parts and geopolitical zones of the country to reflect the federal character, without short changing any part of the country.
While many Nigerians believe that Buhari, as a leader, is doubtlessly trustworthy and has good, patriotic and nationalistic intentions, they are sceptical that he is surrounded by unpatriotic aides and officials who are in office mainly for their myopic, self-serving agenda and self-aggrandisement, thereby making it difficult for PMB to deliver on his promises to the people. Consequently, some analysts are of the opinion that for Buhari to deliver on his promises, it is time for him to restructure and reconstitute his cabinet/government with untainted, selfless and patriotic men and women of like minds. This is more so as some people are beginning to wonder, if actually some of these lopsided appointments were really approved and directly made by PMB and not by his ubiquitous kitchen cabinet comprising his chief of staff, the SSG, El Rufai and a few others who are believed to approve such appointments and take decisions on his behalf. To those in this school of thought, it is puzzling that in spite of public outcries and complaints about the seeming lop-sidedness in recent government appointments by the PMB government this untoward trend has continued unabated! It would appear that some cabal in Buhari’s kitchen cabinet (some call them the “Daura mafia”) are into some mischief and hell bent in foisting and forging their selfish and self-serving agenda(some have called it the “Northern Agenda”) at all costs and, in the process, wittingly or unwittingly, may end up discrediting the PMB government .
In conclusion, PMB should be well advised that he is playing into the hands of his adversaries and enemies of progress by his seeming divisive and lopsided policies in government and public service appointments, while also maintaining deafening silence in cases of growing religious intolerance and violence leading to the murder of innocent Nigerians by criminal elements under the guise of religion or herdsmen! He should come out forcefully to condemn such heinous, callous and cowardly acts and also do something urgent to halt this growing untoward development which portends clear and present danger to the unity and stability of the nation. A word is enough for the wise! God bless Nigeria
KayodeOluwa
