There is nothing new about the lopsided DSS recruitment, the only new thing about it is that it favors the North and is happening under the 'self-righteous' Buhari presidency who many Nigerians expect to do away with all forms of prebendalism in government.
Those who seek to make it look like a northern/
Muslim conspiracy are either being mischievous or are riding a wave of free-floating bigotry.
Let us waive all pretensions, recruitment in every Nigerian agency is always conducted to favor the region/religion of the officials conducting it.
The recent secret FIRS recruitment was lopsided in favor of the Southwest where the FIRS DG comes from.
The recent CBN secret recruitment favors the South-south where the CBN governor hails from.
The last recruitment by the Nigerian Prison Service favors the north where the prison comptroller comes from.
Recently, Kemi Adeosun inaugurated an all-southerners management of the long-awaited Development Bank of Nigeria.
It is shameful that all these are allowed to stand in clear violation of the principle of federal character. It is even more shameful that they are happening under a Buhari presidency.
Sadly, reaction against the two has created more division than the real action. The ones that favor the south are condemned for what they are, as shameful tribute to prebendalism and nepotism, while the ones that favor the north are given the coloration of a regional and sectarian conspiracy.
That's why Nigeria will not make any progress. CAN and its army of Christian/southern irredentists will protest at the DSS and Prison recruitments and look the other way at the CBN and FIRS recruitment that favors them.
Muslim groups like MURIC and their legions of Muslim/northern irredentists will protest against the FIRS and CBN recruitment and ignore the other recruitments in their favor.
Because, in Nigeria, justice and fairness is Muslim or Christian, Northerner or Southerner. We want justice but the kind that favors our ethnic and sectarian kith and kin. Injustice is fine and tolerable as long as others are the victims.
But we cannot eat our cake and have it. We can either have a Nigeria where there are equal opportunities or a Nigeria where every group seeks to dominate the others in its own ethnic, sectarian or geographic corner at every little opportunity.
*Ahmed Musa Hussaini wrote*