Don’t Threaten Nigeria’s Unity, Northern Union Warns YCE


A politically-conscious association of politicians of Northern extraction, the Northern Union (NU), has taken exception to claims by the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) of lopsided federal appointments by the administration of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, saying it is a threat to the unity of the country.

The NU refuted YCE’s claims of the existence of the said lopsided appointments claimed to be in favour of the North, and expressed sadness that the YCE "is manufacturing faults where there is none in order to create confusion and weaken the basis of Nigerian unity".

A statement by the NU signed by its executive committee chairman, Chief Patrick Adaba, said the Union’s attention was drawn to a statement by the YCE at its last meeting which accused the Yar’Adua government of favouring the North in federal appointments.

The statement said no such lopsided appointments as claimed has been made by the three-week-old government of Yar’Adua.

"The only major appointments made so far is that of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), which by a zoning arrangement by the PDP was zoned to the North East, while the Senate presidency and the speakership of the House of Representatives were zoned to the North Central and South West respectively. The position of the Special Adviser to the President on Media Affairs which was also named recently, went to Olusegun Adeniyi, of Yoruba extraction", the statement said.

It said also that the new Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Army Staff and the Chief of Staff to the President were all appointed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the twilight of his administration.

"What saddens the Northern Union more is the mischief and hypocrisy embedded in the outburst of the YCE with the sole aim of maligning the three-week old administration of Yar’Adua and whipping up sentitments against the person of the president.

While alleging an ulterior motive on the YCE statement, "this mischief and hypocritical propaganda and be preoccupied in putting forward ideas and suggestions that will assist the new government".

Rather than fanning the embers of tribalism, NU said it expects the YCE to make suggestions on how to address problems of poverty, erratic power supply and insecurity that have been the bane of the country.

"Cheap political blackmail and peddling of falsehood should as a matter of conscience be relegated to the background for now in order to avoid instability and misdirection of our innocent flock", the statement said.

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