By Willy Eya That President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has taken off after what seemed a lull in political activities is not in doubt. And for those who had argued that the administration of the Daura-born Army General was too slow, he gave them enough to chew at the weekend after he released a list of his latest appointments. Many are in agreement that it was literally a bombshell. 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 so far to 31, with only seven of them coming from the entire Southern part of the country. The rest are from northern Nigeria. Before Thursday’s appointments, Buhari had also named only one Southerner among the initial nine appointments he made since he assumed office. Perhaps, in the latest appointments, what surprised many was how he ignored the South East again by appointing the SGF from the North, a zone that had already produced many principal officers including the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives. With the development, Buhari seemed to have stirred the hornet’s nest as reactions to the lopsided nature of the appointments have been pouring down like rain across the nation. However, while people from the South are in agreement that Buhari erred, the North is seemingly divided on the action of the President. In his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), the mood among members was not different as many were not comfortable with the skewed nature of the appointments and did not mince words in expressing their reservations. Apart from the imbalance in the distribution of portfolios, one appointment that has continued to generate controversy is that of the 77 year old Col. Hammeed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) who is now the Comptroller General of Nigerian Customs Service (NCS). Daily Sun gathered that there are already rumblings in the para-military organization with many officers and rank and file of the Customs kicking that bringing a retired army officer to head the organization was tantamount to a vote of no confidence in the institution. But amid the cacophony of voices, many still wonder what is Buhari’s motivation in adopting the unfolding leadership model. Former Governor of Anambra State, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife summed it thus: “ I do not understand what is happening and the motivation for what is happening”. Robert Green writing on the Counterbalance Strategy in his book, “The 33 Strategies of War” reasons thus: “In the heat of the battle, the mind tends to lose its balance. Too many things confront you at the same time - unexpected setbacks, doubts and criticisms from your own allies. There is danger of responding emotionally, with fear, depression, or frustration”. As the arguments go back and forth, critical observers are wont to ponder the implication of President Buhari’s body language as he manages the nation’s political tide. Perhaps, in the circumstance, it is appropriate to situate Buhari’s actions in the context of the nation’s cultural diversity and history. In the words of Reinhold Neibhur, a great thinker, “Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible. But man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary”. So, from Buhari’s latest appointments, some of the issues in perspective are: National Unity The Federal Character principle enshrined in Nigeria’s constitution since 1979 seeks to ensure that appointments to public service institutions fairly reflect the linguistic, ethnic, religious, and geographic diversity of the country. The intendment of that aspect of the constitution is to engender a sense of belonging among the citizenry to achieve national unity. Many believe that so far, Buhari has obviously ignored that provision in the nation’s statue books. In the appointment so far, the South East region which is over 20 million people is yet to get any. Since the inception of democracy in 1999, successive administrations have observed the federal character principle. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and late Umaru Yar’Adua ensured fair balance in the distribution of public offices in the country. In the case of the immediate past president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, he even favoured the North more than other sections of the country. Not a few are confused over the rationale behind the President’s actions. In the list of appointments so far, it is preposterous to imagine President Buhari not considering any Igbo man fit enough to occupy any position. Aka Ikenga, the think-thank of Ohanaeze, the apex cultural organization of Ndigbo, in a statement by its president, Goddy Uwazurike captured the situation thus: The appointments are truly frightening. Are we still practicing democracy as enshrined in the constitution? Does Section 14 still operate or has it been expunged? Federal character is central to the progress of this country. Aka Ikenga urges Mr President to ensure that this irreparable exclusion of Ndigbo is reversed”. Former Deputy National President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Chief Abia Onyike said : “Buhari has ignored the fact that that Nigeria is a multi-ethnic nation state. He is deliberately pursuing a Northernisation policy of alienating Nigeria’s two other powerful regions –the East and West by making the appointments he made. Since assuming office, he has shown that he lacks the qualities of a nationalist and patriot. The lopsided appointments portrayed him more as a Northern operative and a Caliphate fanatic. And now, Buhari’s anti-corruption war cannot stand because it is founded on a dubious political pedestal. I made the observation not long ago that Buhari was waging a secret war against the Igbos”. In the same vein, Chairman of the Northern Elders Council, Alhaji Tanko Yakassi was critical of Buhari’s appointments insisting that so far, the distribution has showed that he was favouring his section of the country, where he got most of the votes in the last general elections. His words: “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 are 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 man Buhari Many are already tempted to believe that even though Buhari has an unblemished record in terms of integrity, it is becoming increasingly obvious that he lacks the temperament of a leader. And in the thinking of a growing population of Nigerians including his die-hard supporters, the nation has relapsed again into her endless search for a true leader in the mould of late President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. Recall that despite spending 27 years in jail, the legend came out from prison and not only forgave the white minority who jailed him but welcomed them with open arms and ensured that nobody was discriminated upon for whatever reasons. For critical observers, it is incontestable that Buhari is religiously following the voting pattern in the last general elections. He revealed what to expect from his administration in his last visit to America where he said that those who gave him five per cent votes should not expect equal treatment like those who gave him 95 per cent support. Many are in agreement that it was the most unintelligent statement for any leader to make. This school of thought believes that for the ideal leaders, President Buhari ought to have known that the Oath of Office that he swore to at inauguration of his administration was not for only those who voted for him but Nigeria. There are also those who argue that what Buhari’s appointment has shown is that he does not see the nation beyond the North. The thinking in many quarters is that he lacks a network of friends and associates in different parts of the country except the North. For majority of observers from the South East, Buhari’s actions so far has confirmed the notion among many people of the region that the President does not hide his hatred for Ndigbo. In the build up to the election, Buhari was quoted to have said that Ndigbo hated him because of his role in the Nigerian civil war. So, as it appears, he does not want his administration to do anything with the Igbo man. But many insist that Buhari should heed the advice of Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of Britain. According to him: “One ought not to turn one’s back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half. Never run away from anything. Never !” Future of APC For rational thinkers, the obvious lopsidedness in appointments would likely have far-reaching implications on Buhari’s party, the APC. The calculation is that except the retired Army General moves fast to redress the imbalance, the APC would lose its status as a national party in the subsequent elections. The PDP has always maintained that it is the only national party in the country. So, the argument is that if this trend continues, it would be difficult for the party to sell its candidates outside the Northern part of the country. Col Ali’s appointment Even though it was not the first time somebody considered an “outsider” was appointed to head the Customs, the latest came as a shock considering that Nigeria is practicing democracy. Many are worried over the implication of the development to the morale of the officers of the para-military organization. Some argue that no matter how diligent and thorough the septuagenarian Army officer would be, he would be groping in the dark if the regular Customs men refuse to cooperate with him. And that, many think is likely. But in all of this, not a few agree that Buhari is a man of his own convictions. It is believed in many quarters that the whole world cannot easily influence the beliefs of the taciturn leader known for his integrity. There is a near consensus that Buhari is clear on the agenda of his administration. In the words of William Shakespeare, “Though this be madness, yet there is method in it”.

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/disquiet-over-buharis-appointments/

na dem know

E too long. Summary please