₦airaland Forum

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Investigation Sheds More Light On PMB’s Appointments
By TUNDE OGUNTOLA - 2 days ago



The perception that President Muhammadu Buhari’s political appointments have unduly favoured the northern part of the country does not appear to be supported by facts.

Documents obtained by “The Interview” which contain all the high-profile political appointments made by Buhari since he came to power in 2015 show that the appointments have been more nuanced than public perception suggests.

The documents titled: “Compilation of political appointees, heads of parastatals and agencies” and “Portfolios of ministers, special advisers, senior special assistants and special assistants to the President”, and obtained from a reliable source, were last updated in December 2018.

The documents, the first 43 pages and the second 17 pages, showed, for example, that between 2015 and 2018, while the North Central topped the number of appointments in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) with 102 appointees, the South West came second with 101 appointees giving the two zones 35 per cent or 203 of the 567 appointments made. It also showed the offices where the deployments were made and dates of assumption of office.


The South-South came third with 99 appointments, ahead of the North West, President Buhari’s zone, which came fourth with 94. The North East followed with 93, and the South East 78.

In the North Central, Kogi State topped with 22 appointees, followed by Kwara State with 21, while the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) got the least with two appointees.


It is instructive that while Kwara was second for appointments in the North Central and sixth countrywide, the outgoing Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, often took Buhari’s government to task, claiming under-representation in federal appointments.

Ogun State in the South West, topped countrywide with 31 appointees, more than the MDAs’ appointments for three North West states – Kebbi 13, Zamfara 7, and Sokoto 6 – combined. Katsina State topped the North West appointments with 24, while Kaduna and Kano States each got 16, and Jigawa State, 12.

Although the South East was bottom, Imo State had the third highest number of MDAs’ appointments countrywide with 29 appointees, while Anambra State had 20, and Abia State 14. Enugu and Ebonyi States had eight and seven respectively and each surpassing Sokoto State.

Public opinion in the last four years has been hugely dominated by a perception of serious bias in appointments in favour of the North by the Buhari government.


The percentage in executive management appointments in MDAs, however, show 51 per cent in favour of the 19 northern states, and 49 per cent in favour of the 17 southern states – a marginal difference that may be easily associated with the population differential of the two regions.

Sentiments about regional bias in political appointments are sometimes laden with religious undertones, not reflected in the classified documents. The consequential nature of the postings is, also sometimes, a hotly contested issue, with some arguing that a section of the country gets more “juicy” appointments than others.


But the appointments also show an interesting pattern. Of the 567 executive appointments made to MDAs, 220 or 39 per cent were from states where Buhari lost to former President Goodluck Jonathan, far better than public perception suggests.

The South-South, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP’s) stronghold is number three on the MDAs’ appointments table with 99 appointees, beaten only by the North Central and the South West. For example, in Delta State where Buhari lost to Jonathan by 1,162,495 votes and in Rivers State where he lost by 1,417,837 (two states where he suffered his worst losses) the MDAs’ appointments were 23 in Delta and 13 in Rivers respectively, compared with the three core northern states of Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara, with 26 appointments combined, but, total marginal winning votes of 1,454,002 over that of Jonathan.

Between 2015 and 2018, however, 124 high-profile political appointments comprising special advisers, senior special assistants, and special assistants to the president were made, of which 59 were from the northern region and 65 were from the southern region. This number excludes 36 ministers who are statutorily appointed one each from a state.

This appointment marginally tilts the balance in favour of the South, with 52.4 per cent against the North with 47.6 per cent. The relatively higher number of such high-profile appointments from the North made between 2015 and 2016 (Buhari’s early days in office), tended to give the incorrect impression that the North retained an unfair share of the appointments till date.


Kebbi, Zamfara, Nasarawa, Plateau, FCT, Bayelsa, Ebonyi have zero appointments of presidential aides and thus will not even appear in the chart. Adamawa and Kano top the list with 11 each; while Oyo follows with 10; Ogun nine; Lagos and Kaduna, 8 each; and Katsina, seven.

Ekiti and Osun tie at six; Delta and Ondo each have five; while Akwa Ibom and Edo each have four.

A reliable source who refused to be named said that “the President has been severely criticised for so-called lopsided appointments in favour of the North, but the facts hardly support this view.”


The source continued: “Unfortunately, since the public has been misled to believe that the North has this government by the jugular, even those from parts of the North that have been short-changed are forced to suffer in silence. Some states like Zamfara and Kebbi that contributed substantially to his electoral success in 2015 have been deprived, but they can’t complain.”

Suggestions have been made that the government should release similar appointments during the tenure of Jonathan (2010-2015), for comparison.

agabusta:
Yes oh, "ethnocentric Buhari must return a Northerner."

You'd see that the new song will be, "he was re-appointed because he Emefiele has become an errand boy for Buhari".

If he was not re-appointed, and a Northerner was appointed, the noise of ethnic agenda would have reached the high heavens not minding that a southerner has just completed a 5 year tenure.

And it was a northerner than was removed and replaced by godwin

SmartyPants:
These are unconnected events. It seems you are forgetting that in the same 1967 barely 6 months after the January coup, Northern officers assassinated Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi and scores of igbo officers. Those two events were connected and that should settle the eye for an eye score so to speak.

So what then does Ekwueme's ill-treatment have to do with the events of 1967?

What made the igbos in the first instance to kill our best leaders that we haven't been able to replace up to date. Why? And you are here wailing because Alex was put in prison, was he the only one that was put in prison, if Shagari that was overthrown was Igbo what would you have said, it was not about tribe.
Buhari was not even part of the coup he was brought in by the coup plotters in order to save face and have some credibility.

Awol1:
He always praise his fellow Muslims as the only upright lots. Let me continue.

But one lie I won't take is the treatment he meted out to Ekwueme the then Vice president to Shagari.

It is on record that while Shagari was put on house arrest, Ekwueme was thrown into prison like a common criminal.

And Buhari is still wondering why his hatred by the Igbos is unending.

You are complaining Alex was put in prison by buhari but you comfortably forget how igbos butchered our sardauna and tafawa balewa.

BabangidaHamza:
Wallahi Tallahi ni Dan Kano ne, amma lesbianism da shaye-shaye, da sata yayiwa Matan mu yawa

Karya ka ke mtsw

madmohamed:
I think is only me that think about it. That station should be Shut down I'm not surprise Na ABOKI they manage it what did they know

Must you be tribalistic?
Look at problems critically and foster logical solutions.

Awoo88:
Kukuma take style tell everybody to buy a generator

U wan kill me with laugh � � �

Must read for royalties and suits fans

Sun’s ‘smear’ about actor’s links to adult website prompts statement in which royal attacks reports’ ‘racial undertones’
The prince said ‘a line has been crossed’ in reporting of his relationship with the 35-year-old American actor.
The prince said ‘a line has been crossed’ in reporting of his relationship with the 35-year-old American actor.

Prince Harry has attacked the “racial undertones” of press coverage of his girlfriend Meghan Markle in an extraordinary statement in which he warns that he fears for her safety.

The prince said “a line has been crossed” in reporting of his relationship with the American actor, 35, who lives in Toronto.

“Some of this has been very public,” his spokesman said in a statement. “The smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.”

The statement confirms for the first time that the pair are in a relationship but launches a powerful and unprecedented attack at the media by the prince.

“Prince Harry is worried about Ms Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her,” it said. “It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms Markle should be subjected to such a storm.


“He knows commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and that ‘this is all part of the game’. He strongly disagrees. This is not a game – it is her life and his. He has asked for this statement to be issued in the hopes that those in the press who have been driving this story can pause and reflect before any further damage is done. He knows that it is unusual to issue a statement like this, but hopes that fair-minded people will understand why he has felt it necessary to speak publicly.”

The actor, whose father is white and mother is African American, has written about her heritage on her website, describing herself as biracial and “half black and half white”. Her father, Thomas Markle, is a lighting director who worked on the US TV show Married with Children, while her mother, Doria Ragland, is a social worker and yoga therapist. The couple reportedly divorced when she was six.

It is understood that the front page “smear” referred to in Prince Harry’s statement was the Sun’s piece about Markle appearing on Pornhub, an adult website. It was headlined “Harry girl’s on Pornhub” even though what was posted was clips of her appearing in the network TV show, Suits, and not pornography.

One comment piece in last weekend’s Mail on Sunday, by Rachel Johnson, said: “Genetically, she is blessed. If there is issue from her alleged union with Prince Harry, the Windsors will thicken their watery, thin blue blood and Spencer pale skin and ginger hair with some rich and exotic DNA.”

On Wednesday, the Sun ran a headline above an interview with Markle’s sister, saying: “Don’t fall for my little sis Harry, she’d be the next princess pushy”.

News UK, publisher of the Sun and Sun on Sunday, declined to comment. Senior staff indicated they were trawling through the domestic and international coverage to understand the detail of Prince Harry’s concerns over trolling and harassment of her family.

The prince’s statement also attacked what it called “substantial bribes offered by papers” to Markle’s former boyfriend. This is understood to refer to a large payment offered by one British paper.
When Harry met Meghan – and dragged the royals into the 21st century
Read more

Kensington Palace listed a string of complaints it had about the conduct of newspapers, citing:

“Nightly legal battles”, understood to be by Markle’s lawyers, to keep allegedly defamatory stories out of papers.
Her mother “having to struggle past photographers” in order to get to her front door in Los Angeles.
The attempts of “reporters and photographers to gain illegal entry to her home” and the calls to police that followed.
The “substantial bribes” offered by papers to her ex-boyfriend.
The “bombardment of nearly every friend, co-worker, and loved one in her life”.

A palace source said Markle had had people trying to get into her house in Toronto. In one incident, a photographer is said to have chased an assistant through her garage door and barged through behind her and the person had to be removed physically from her house and the police were called.

The statement said: “Since he was young, Prince Harry has been very aware of the warmth that has been extended to him by members of the public. He feels lucky to have so many people supporting him and knows what a fortunate and privileged life he leads. He is also aware that there is significant curiosity about his private life.

“He has never been comfortable with this, but he has tried to develop a thick skin about the level of media interest that comes with it. He has rarely taken formal action on the very regular publication of fictional stories that are written about him and he has worked hard to develop a professional relationship with the media, focused on his work and the issues he cares about.

“But the past week has seen a line crossed.”

The palace is concerned that some of the press coverage has given licence to social media users, on platforms such as Twitter and in newspaper website comment sections, to troll Markle, with racist slurs a particular worry. Royal officials have never before seen the coverage of a royal relationship balloon so fast in traditional and social media and Prince Harry felt he had to speak out, a source indicated.

A source at one tabloid newspaper said it had not been engaged in nightly battles with palace lawyers, as the prince’s statement suggests.

“Any journalist worth their salt will leave no stone unturned,” said Katie Nicholl, royal correspondent of the Mail on Sunday, in an interview on LBC radio. “If he really wants this to go away there is one or two things he could do. You give the press what they want. You make a statement, or you give an interview or you issue a picture. There has not been one picture of them together. Fleet Street will not rest until they have got their picture of them together and they have got some words either from Prince Harry or Meghan about the relationship.”

A senior Sun source defended the Pornhub front-page story, saying it made clear that the “steamy scenes” it referred to appearing on the adult site were from the US drama series Suits.

The source said the paper was taken aback by Harry’s statement and said his reference to legal battles, bribes or racial undertones was not a reference to the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid, but more likely to do with paparazzi in the US.

On Saturday, the Sun told readers Markle’s background had more in common with the modern British family than those in the “fusty royal corridors” and was more relevant to the modern woman than the Duchess of Cambridge.

“Meghan, with her divorce, her ethnic background and fake-it-til-you-make-it work ethic is much more the 21st-century woman”, something “the future of the royal family may depend on”.

The source said Prince Harry’s communications team failed to offer any guidance when reports emerged of their relationship in the Sunday Express last month.

“They had three days to stop this story,” the source said. “Any decent press office would have put out a statement saying they are in a relationship, saying they have a right to privacy etc and that would have been that. But they didn’t.”

A source at the Daily Mail said they were bewildered by Harry’s reference to harassment, bribes and crossing a line. They said they did not know what his communications staff were referring to

most likely the president passed through the same but not withstanding is not justifiable under any guise.

soberdrunk:
Damn!!! So nah this type of 'Northern' crowd go full me and Zahra wedding, i really need to stop spending money on "booze" and 'runs girls' and start saving money for "tuwo", "kunu", "fura da nono" and "burukutu".........

REMOVE THE BURUKUTU

when GEJ was producing children out of wedlock that was fine? but this legitimate marriage is not? what kind of hypocracy is this. Please allow them to make their decision.

Empiree:
All they need is cut the ties with the West and the rest is solved. The problem is not Saudi Shuyuk but the Royals. Very important to distinguish btw the two. But unfortunately, it is hard thing to do. The royal family has a very strong alliance with the West (British) bcus they created them to begin with. Hence, there will always be "unbreakable" alliance btw the two. It is the same powerful force which created the state of Israel. So there is a common alliance btw British, US, Saudi and Israel. Saudi Shyuk however do not always agree with them.

What do you mean by British created Saudi Arabia, go and check your history please. S A has nothing in common with the way Israel was created.

WINNERMENTALITY:
.... U tramp... Come to south east around Oji river and see that South East were given nothing to rebuild their land.. I can see Boko haram was a conspiracy from the North to draw sympathy around Nigeria and the world... Everything is becoming clear to me... Boko haram did not do 1/4 of what Nigeria army did in South East and till today.. The 3r by Gowon has not been implemented.... I smell conspiracy... God pass them....

My Pray is for God to elevate Boko haram to Al-queada and Isis.. Whatever Bigger than Boko haram... Let them Bomb the whole North .. Demons

really this is what you pray for to befall us? thank you

Sibrah:
Stop feigning stúpidíty. Did Nigerians destroy NE? You talk like the BH has changed mentality about Western system. SE deserves a develnpment commission 10,000,000 times more than the NE.

are you saying NE is 10000000 times more infrastructurally developed than SE

TonyeBarcanista:
The reason Kwankwaso added "Plateau state" was simply to give legitimacy to his Kano state. It is all about the Northern elite ploy to get more from the Nigeria State.

They are good politically because they only empower puppets and dummies from our region(South) into positions that will strictly adhere to their bidding.

This NEDC must not be allowed to see the light of day.

it wasn't kwankwaso the suggest the inclusion of plateau state, it was sen marafa from zamfara state, please have your facts before talking.

kolaish:
WEEKENDS IN ARAB NATIONS IS EITHER THURSDAY & FRIDAY OR FRIDAY & SATURDAY. HOWEVER, AS A CHRISTIAN, I DON'T MIND THE FG GIVING MUSLIMS FRIDAY AS A WORK FREE DAY PROVIDED THEY DO NOT TAMPER WITH SUNDAY AS A WORK FREE DAY AS WELL.

u r indeed a rare gem to reckon with

improvement in photography technology is to be blame ....haha

charity begins at LASU

RedTarantula:
Nigerians made Obasanjo president even though the yorubas then didn't want him and they voted massively against him.

Nigeria should select an Igbo man and make him president.

It was done for the Yorubas and it can be done for the Igbos.

who should do it?

MadCow1:
Future President of the United States of America..



Sai John Kerry..

haha u can't be funnier

searchiing4love:
Kano has 44 local governments? The north is truly cheating us in Nigeria but we better endure it than allow biafra

how?

Richie0974:
Minister of Environment visiting a power plant? To do what exactly?

if you can't relate this two things please keep quiet

owobokiri:
Neo colonialists and their over dressed puppets strategising on how best to ruin Nigeria for another 50 years. . . BTW, what will make a grown adult seat on the floor for a fellow man? This is supposed to be part of the so called African cultural practices that i am supposed to defend and be proud of? Egwu di

but you don't find all those statue-like guards in the West as uncivilised. When will you be proud of your instinct for once

Many Nigerians were not surprised after an artificial tsunami was once again created by its notorious Government which assumed power by mass rigging its populace vote when on 20th February; 2014, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ) announced the suspension of the multiple award winning Central bank Governor of Nigeria, Mallam Sunusi Lamido Sunusi (SLS) which was made known to Nigerians in a statement signed by Reuben Abati – Special Adviser to the then President (Media and Publicity).
Mallam Sunusi Lamido Sunusi, the then, Central Bank Governor of Nigeria, has excellently achieved turning the fortune of Nigeria’s economy which was at the blink of collapse to a position of strength by keeping inflation at steady 7% against the volatile 15% when he assumed office. He also accelerated the implementation of cashless policy and midwifed Nigeria’s pioneer Islamic Bank in addition to rescuing 6 Nigeria’s major banks by bailing them out with $400billion and dismissing their Chief Executives accompanied with trial.
All these achievements and many more were thrown to the dogs when the letter he wrote to the President accusing the Nigeria’s NNPC of not remitting $49.8 billion (about 3 times the nation’s annual budget) to the federations account was leaked to the public. The President, out of tyranny and in defense of his notion that stealing is not corruption, suspended the CBN Governor till the end of his tenure.
In protest to this kind of action and many more characterized by the GEJ’s administration, Nigerians threw the administration out of power through ballot boxes in the historic 2015 general elections that brought in the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) in a bid to usher a new dawn of objective governance but, out of great breach of Nigerian’s trust on the fateful Monday, 1st August;2016 on the recommendation of the Journalist Minister of Education of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, PMB approved the sacking of the Servicom conferred Field Marshall and Chief Executive of the National Examinations Council of Nigeria (NECO) in person of Professor Abdulrashid Garba Fcasson, Mnae and other 16 Parastatals and Agencies under Ministry of Education as was contained in a statement issued by the Deputy Director of Press and Public Relations In the Ministry Ben Bem Goony.
Why would someone whose ideology, actions, foresight, discipline and incorruptible character that can best be described by the NECO’s mission and vision which revolves around the pillars of his life’s long principle; standard and credibility is hindered from resuscitating the nation’s educational backbone and sailing it to the promise land without even a courtesy of explanation to Nigerians? Someone could imagine how our Journalist Minister of Education is polluting the PMB’s Administration with PDP’s template of selective mind-set and parochial concept of trading positions of sensitive national interests by rewarding political investors and corruption patrons with the positions.

Prof Abdulrashid Garba, Fcasson, mnae. whom refused to spend his 1st 100 days in office on honeymoon but on ‘honey service’ to the nation where he was able to conduct a credible examinations of the 2015 June/July SSCE and the prompt release of its result on time thereby saving candidates the problem of awaiting results on his 100th day in office, this is nothing but the testimony of a credible appointment.
“leadership is based on inspiration, not domination on corporation, not intimidation” William Arthur Wood’s words kept manifesting themselves in all ramifications as Prof. Abdulrashid Garba kept beating all odds by making monumental strides of success like restructuring Neco which quadrupled the councils’ operational efficiency, upgrading the anti-corruption and transparency unit to a division under the special duties department he engineered.
No amounts of words can suffice to explain the tones of miracles of achievement he kept unfolding, from staff welfare and development, to valuing reorientation by coiling the genius slogan he gave to NECO “ do the right thing for NECO’s Integrity, do the right thing for Credible Examinations” and opening a dispensary for staffs amid resuscitating zonal offices.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” as Nelson Mandela said, so should not be reduced to a political instrument and be added to the plethora of problems facing our ever beloved Nigeria. Mr. Minister, it is never late in life to right any wrong done in the past as Nelson Mandela said “the informed you are, the less arrogant and aggressive you are”. I will also like to use this medium to call on our revered President Muhammadu Buhari to put a stop to the ever growing erosion of our value system under his stewardship as President John Quiney Adams said “if your actions inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
Abdussalam A Maitama,
adoabdussalam@gmail.com,
08068262617.

I haven't seen a tangible reason for the break u

searay:
So they are about sending inexperienced officers

in order to get experience now...

einst3in:
A) Abacha B) GEJ C).

abacha no de do cake now, d guy na d looting he prefer is either OBJ or GEJ

ANBAKO:
May God bless their marriage with plenty "children"

haha how?

welcome home the world cute baby

ANAMBRA11:
Ugly brides ugly grooms

u must be kidding