Is Buhari Truly A Sectional Leader?

Is Buhari Truly A Sectional Leader? 

Following the March 28th, 2015 general election that produced the incumbent President of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, there have been series of claims in some quarters that President Muhammadu Buhari is a leader that believes in only a section of Nigeria.

This was one of the main issues of Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) campaign of calumny against his person then, that he is a religious bigot that only believes in Northern cum Muslim agenda.

The other issues of not having secondary school ordinary level (O'level) certificate and age cannot be forgotten so soon.

Executive Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose who has always being an unrepented critic of Muhammadu Buhari even before the election has slammed President Muhammadu Buhari again.

Ayo Fayose released another time bomb last week when he described President Muhammadu Buhari as a 'Sectional Leader'. This was a sponteneous reaction to the appointment of the new chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Yakubu from Sokoto State.

According to his spokesperson, Mr. Lere Olayinka, the Special Adviser on News and Social Media, analysed the previous administrations as to the appointments of INEC Chairmen.

In his analysis, he even rated Late General Sani Abacha better than the incumbent President, President Muhammadu Buhari and that the position of INEC boss should have been given to someone from the Southern part of Nigeria.

He equally added that Nigeria has entered 'one chance bus' under the present administration. From the realist point of view, the claim by Mr Ayo Fayose can be said to be true to an extent because going through the people that President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed so far, Northerners are over 75%.

The struggle for the 'change' can be said to have started from the South, Lagos State was a major template for the All Progressives Congress' (APC) campaigns then.

Some of the appointments made so far are:
1. Aide de Camp to president: Lt. Col Abubakar Lawal, (Kano state, North-West and husband to President Buhari’s foster daughter).
2. Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the president: Femi Adesina, (Osun state, South-West).
3. Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity: Garba Shehu, (Kano state, North-West).
4. State Chief of Protocol/Special Assistant (Presidential Matters): Lawal Abdullahi Kazaure, (Jigawa state, North-West).
5. Accountant General of the Federation: Ahmed Idris (Kano state, North-West).
6. National Security Adviser: Babagana Monguno (Borno state, North-East).
7. Chief of Defence Staff, Abayomi Olonishakin, (Ekiti state, South-West).
8. Chief of Army Staff: Tukur Buratai, [Borno State, North-East].
9. Chief of Naval Staff: Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, (Cross Rivers, South-South).
10. Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar, (Bauchi state, North-East).
11. Chief of Defence Intelligence: Monday Riku Morgan (Benue state, North-Central).
12. Director General, State Security Services, SSS: Lawal Daura, (Katsina state, North-West).
13. Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Mahmud Yakubu (Sokoto  state, North-West).
14. Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA: Habibu Abdulahi (Kano state, North-West). 15. Special Adviser, Niger Delta Amnesty Office: Paul Boroh, (Bayelsa state, South-South).
16. Acting Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration, Safety and Security Agency, NIMASA: Baba Haruna Jauro (Yobe state,
North-East).
17. Executive Vice Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Communications Commission: Umaru Dambatta (Kano state, North-West).
18. Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS: Babatunde Fowler, (Lagos state, South-West).
19. Director General, Budget Office of the Federation: Aliyu Gusau, (Zamfara state, North-West).
20. Group Managing Director, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Emmanuel Kachikwu, (Delta state, South-South).
21. Secretary to Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal, (Adamawa, North East). 22. Chief of Staff to the President: Abba Kyari, (Borno, North-East).
23. Comptroller-General, Nigerian Customs Service: Hameed Ibrahim Ali, (Kaduna state, North-Central).
24. Comptroller-General, Nigerian Immigration Service: Kure Martin Abeshi, (Nasarawa state, North-Central).
25. Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (Senate): Ita Enang, (Akwa Ibom state, South-South).
26. Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives): Suleiman Kawu, (Kano state, North-West).
27. Director, Department Of Petroleum Resources, DPR, Modecai Baba Ladan. (Kano, North West).
28. Managing Director, Asset Management Company of Nigeria, AMCON, Ahmed Lawan Kuru.
29. Commissioner for Insurance and Chief Executive of the National Insurance Commission, Mohammed Kari (North-West).
30. Executive Director AMCON: Kola Ayeye.
31. Executive Director, AMCON: Eberechukwu Uneze.
32. Executive Director, AMCON: Aminu Ismail. 33. Group Executive Director, NNPC, Maikanti Baru.
34. Group Executive Director, NNPC, Isiaka Abdulrazaq.
35. Group Executive Director, NNPC: Dennis Nnamdi Ajulu

The place of Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu in the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari cannot be over-emphasized but what is heard of him now in President Muhammadu Buhari’s government presently?

At times I am amazed when I read comments of some Northern leaders castigating, rubbishing and insulting the person of Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

If the South-West decided not to vote for All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last election, President Muhammadu Buhari will not be in Aso Rock today.

I do not write this article to praise or blow Bola Tinubu's trumpet, he doesn't know if I'm existing or not but honour should be given to whom honour is due.

The drama that were acted in the two hallow chambers cannot be forgotten so soon, the drama that brought the present leadership of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, where where Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara emerged as the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively.

Before the critisized election, mock election should I refer to it as primary election was arranged and conducted by the leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC)  which produced Senator Lawan and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as Senate President nominee and House of Representatives Speaker respectively.

But both Senate President Bukola Saraki and Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara flaunted the decision of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC.
But till date, President Muhammadu Buhari has not come out to condemn the act of insolence by this two leaders.

Though I understand the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari  said if before the inauguration of the 8th parliament, that he was ready to work with who ever that emergies.

Moreover, his President Muhammadu Buhari’s inaugural speech of 'I belong to everybody and that I belong to nobody' can't be forgotten in a hurry.

Presently, the North controls both the executive and the legislative arm(Upper chamber and lower chamber) and the majority of those working directly with the president, you may reference the list above.

But President Muhammadu Buhari has responded to the loopsideness in his cabinet, in his words, 'I appointed those that I can't trust'. This implies that, he appointed them based on the fact that they can be trusted but we must face reality Nigeria has a population of over 150 millions and with three major ethnic groups, all the sections of Nigeria should be treated equally, there should be principle of egalitarianism in place.

Moreover, selecting a team of less than 2,000 from the population of over 150 millions should not pose as a threat nor daunting task. Every part of Nigeria is richly blessed with both human and natural resources.

I don't subscribe to the fact that the Southerns (South-East, South-West and South-South)  are all corrupt and that they don't have the locus standing to hold noble posts in this present administration.
Larger percentage of Nigerians irrespective of region worked for this present government's emergence.

Conclusion 

Let me conclude by saying that the development of Nigeria is what is most paramont to me, if all the cabinet members of President Muhammadu Buhari and head of government and parastatals hails from Daura, Kastina State, the hometown of President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigeria is better for it, no qualms.

But the principle of federal character should be respected as well, so as to prevent Nigeria from plunging into another round of avoidable civil war. Nigeria belongs to all. 

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