With the noise building up
about the sectarian nature
of the appointments
Buhari has made so far,
cancellations of projects like the second
Niger Bridge and crack down on groups
like MASSOB, one can either take the
position that it is Buhari's political
capital and his choice, how he spends it
or that as president, he has equal
responsibility to all parts of Nigeria.
What is obvious is that Buhari is setting
a dangerous precedence in sectarian
presidency. By appointing only people
from the north to sensitive positions, he
displays an unashamed lack of trust in
people not from his ethnic group or his
primary constituency or Military. This is
the same mistake many leaders of
multiethnic nations have made over the
years, thinking that by surrounding
themselves with only people from their
ethnic group they would succeed .
Instead of preserving the hold of the
leaders's ethnic group on power, it
usually galvanises others to oppose him.
Instead of fostering unity, it becomes a
knife to the things that bind people
together. It has failed in every place it
has been tried, in Uganda, Libya under
Gadaffi, Iraq under Saddam Hussien,
Zaire under Mobutu Seseseku, currently
in Syria under Assad to mention but a
few.
Time and time again, the evidence tells
us that ethnicity and religion are the
worst constructs on which a country
should segregate, but ill informed
myopic, ethnic minded and religiously
deluded bigots see them as the only
constructs to judge people.
Ethnocentrism is not only short
mindedness. It is an ill wind, which
cannot bring about any good. It may
guarantee the president's hold on power
for a time, but it usually erodes trust and
makes peaceful coexistence more
difficult.
I hope that the northern saints and
experts Buhari has appointed and will
appoint in the future, will become the
Buhari disciples, who will take Buharism
all over Nigeria and to the utmost part of
the world.
Buhari has emerged the president of
Nigeria, I hope he succeeds. Normally, I
would not have cared where the his
appointees are from, as long as they will
perform and be honest. However, the
appointment of only northerners to
sensitive positions sends a very
disturbing and uncomfortable message.
It says that Buhari is deeply sectarian in
attitude and disposition and that honest
Nigerians can only be found in Northern
and amongst Moslems. Buhari's attitude
to the terrorism of armed and brutal
Fulani herdsmen who are killing and
burning villages of non Fulanis,
compared with his brutal suppression of
the peaceful struggle of MASSOB for self
determination, clearly exposes his
sectarian agenda and discriminatory
attitude to governance and why many
informed Nigerians opposed his
candidacy.
Granted that ministers coming from ones
area often do not make any difference, it
is still right in a multi ethnic nation to
ensure an even spread of appointments.
The last minister of Labour came from
Aba and not a single thing changed in
Aba in the 6 years he served under
Jonathan.
I am sure that Aba would have benefited
from any minister, irrespective of his
ethnicity or religion, who ensured that
Aba gets its fair share of development.
There is no benefit or advantage to be
derived from appointing people from
other ethnic groups, who will further
their selfish interests, when there are
'northern saints' who will bring the
needed change to Nigeria one may
argue.
Nevertheless, the right and fair thing
should be to find honest Nigerians from
all ethnic groups and religion and not to
adopt an ethnic and religious narrow
mindedness and supremacist attitude in
filling sensitive positions in a multi
ethnic and secular democracy like
Nigeria. Unless of course, the President
has a sectarian agenda to ensure the
domination of his ethnic group.
Nigerians voted for change and what
Buhari May argue that he is delivering
change.
If he is, he may do well to become
sensitive with his appointments. The
danger is that lopsided appointments
may not help the sense of belonging of
the excluded groups, would increase
their sense of isolation and make the
disintegration of Nigeria more likely by
enhancing the aim of ethnic nationalists.
It is tempting to say that as long as the
people appointed by Buhari are
qualified, not corrupt, and bring an end
to the institutionalised corruption in
Nigeria, one cares less, but that would be
a naive position to take in a fractious
country like Nigeria.
The next step for those of who want a
fair Nigeria or peaceful separation, is
not to start buying AK 47s or fanning
ethnic hatred and prejudice like Fulanis
herdsmen and Boko Haram, but to form
nationalistic political parties and begin
to educate our people. Otherwise, the
people will follow the likes of Radio
Biafra, MEND MASSOB and, the new
countries, when they are achieved will
be another South Sudan.
Buhari's supporters seem to be running
out of excuses for the actions of the
president so far. His first move was to
visit Niger, without any cabinet member
and discussed with the president in
Hausa. Therefore, there may be no
official record of what was discussed. He
has made a trip to the US without a team
in place and therefore there was no
opportunity for bilateral talk between
Nigeria and the US at ministerial level.
He continues to behave as a head of state
instead of as an accountable
democratically elected president and
head of the executive arm of a
government in a multi party democracy.
He has set in place plan to probe the
corrupt civilian administration of Yar
ardua and Jonathan, while sparing the
fathers, mothers brothers and sisters of
of corruption in Nigeria, Babanguda,
Obasanjo Abdulsalam and Abacha
administrations because they are his
military colleagues.
He has quietly completed the
northernisation and islamisation of
Nigeria by putting either northerners
( Hausa speakers) or Muslims in sensitive
positions. The potential for this action to
undermine ministers when they are
finally appointed can not be
underestimated. By appointing them
before his ministers he clearly shows he
values and regard them more than
ministers and they loyalty would be to
him and not to Nigeria. This is also a
kind of corruption and abuse of
democratic accountability. Buhari's
sectarian attitude will only worsen the
trust deficit in Nigerian polity and widen
the gap between the North and South,
making the disintegration of Nigeria
more likely.
Buhari seems to have an unfinished
business, which he has set his mind to
complete.
He seems to only trusts northerners. He
has not appointed non northerner ton
sensitive positions so far.
He has assembled a security team made
up of Moslems or northerners. He is
setting a dangerous precedence in
sectarian presidency
Buhari should do more to unite Nigeria
and give every region a sense of
belonging. The apparent lopsided nature
of the appointments he has made so far
and the high handed way the armed
forces are dealing with MASSOB
members which are clearly unjustified
and unnecessary, raises serious
questions about his attitude to the rest of
Nigeria.
Contrast this with the increasing
appeasing ways the he is responding to
Boko Haram, the atrocities of Fulani
herdsmen and the exclusion of the Vice
President from sensitive security
meetings, presence of only northerners
and Muslims in his security committee,
one wonders if Buhari really sees himself
as president of the whole of Nigeria.
The inequality in the way the east and
north has been treated so far by Buhar
and the obvious discriminatory manner
MASSOB members are targeted will only
increase the number of people who will
lose faith in Nigeria and find sectarian
nationalism attractive. No people can
build a strong and united nation on
inequality, discrimination and
sectarianism.
by E O Eke.

Since the dullarddinho has become sectarian, I think that all ethnic groups should form political parties that'd have both civil and military wings...and these parties should enter into alliances with other ethnic parties it deems as having similar interests.
Nigeria has passed the stage of redemption, so its now necessary that the different ethnic nations secure the future of their children