Alleged lopsided appointments: ‘North watching, not in a hurry’ – Shettima

Alleged lopsided appointments: ‘North watching, not in a hurry’ – Shettima

 The National President of Arewa Youths Consultative Forum,
AYCF, Yerima Shettima has said it is too early to accuse President Bola Tinubu
of engaging in lopsided appointments.

 

Shettima, who spoke amid concerns being
raised, especially from the North, said the region was keenly watching the
developments.

 

Like ex-president Muhammadu Buhari, Tinubu’s appointments
are generating mixed feelings.

 

The Arewa Economic Forum, AEF, is already accusing the
President of filling key positions in his administration with people from the
Southwest.

 

AEF Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Dandakata, said the North,
which remarkably contributed to the emergence of Tinubu as president, was being
edged out of key appointments, especially in the finance and ICT sectors, which
remained crucial for economic development.

 

Dandakata accused Tinubu of a deliberate attempt at
“Yorubanisation and Lagoslisation” of the polity.

 

He, therefore, urged Tinubu to be fair, just and equitable
in his decisions “not only because the northerners overwhelmingly voted for him
but because that is the right thing to do.”

 

The AEF chairman also alleged that chief executives of some
key public institutions, who were northerners, were gradually being replaced
with Lagosians, and expressed worry that the trend might continue moving
forward.

 

Nigerians raised the same allegation during the immediate
past administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

 

In June 2020, some Southern leaders dragged former President
Muhammadu Buhari before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court over
alleged marginalisation in appointments made by his administration since 2015.

 

According to them, the Buhari-led administration, especially
the composition of the security and quasi-security architecture, does not
reflect the Federal Character of Nigeria, but rather there is a predominance of
persons from a few states and sectional groups dominating the opportunities and
threatening national unity and integration.

 

Amid the then widespread condemnation, Buhari in 2015, in an
interview with BBC Hausa, explained the reason behind his appointment, saying
he nominates people he could trust and who had worked with him for years.

 

It was a different ball game during the government of
ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, whose appointments were believed to have
represented all regions of the country.

 

On his part, former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s
appointments were also seen not to be lopsided in nature.

 

Upon assumption of office in 1999, he appointed Chief Ufot
Ekaete as the SGF and Major General Abdullahi Muhammed, (retd) as Chief of
Staff; Gen. Aliyu Mohammed as the National Security Adviser, while Mr. Kayode
Are was appointed the Director General of the Department of State Services,
DSS.

 

Commenting on the criticisms trailing the appointments made
so far by Tinubu, the AYCF president, Shettima, said: “It’s too early to
conclude that appointments are lopsided or there is nepotism.

 

“He took over the government just three months ago, so
naturally, every government has its own style, but what’s important before
Nigerians is who are we picking? Are they competent? Can they give us what we
want as a nation?

 

“Since we have tried nepotism over time and it didn’t work,
can we try competency? I’m sure Tinubu has not made all the appointments, so
let us not put the cart before the horse; let’s give him the benefit of the
doubt and see how far he would go and after a while, we will respond
accordingly.

 

“I’m not part of those who believe that they would just
imagine things and assume that all is not well.

 

“As for the North not being favoured, we are watching at the
moment, but we are not in a hurry to conclude that he is not doing anything
good because I believe he has good intentions; until he proves otherwise then
we will look for an alternative.

 

“But for now, let’s not be in a hurry because it’s still
early. We didn’t get it exactly how we wanted it, and we didn’t expect it to be
this way.

 

“We are not in a hurry; we Northerners don’t believe in
propaganda or talking anyhow.

 

“We will give him the benefit of the doubt until he gives us
reason to react, and then he will see us in full colour. Even if we can’t get our
way now, there are elections ahead of us so we will decide before then.”

Source: Alleged lopsided appointments: ‘North watching, not in a hurry’ – Shettima

 - NigerianEye
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