The president put to rest the long speculations on the delay in fielding key positions with the appointment of Engr. Babachir David Lawal as Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). Buhari also approved the appointment of Alhaji Abba Kyari as his Chief of Staff.
The names of the first civilian governor of old Abia State, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu and former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi had been touted as those to occupy the positions of SGF and Chief of Staff respectively.
Key Southern sociocultural groups, Afenifere and Ohanaeze Ndigbo, yesterday accused Buhari of favouring the North with the appointments. A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Mr. Femi Adesina, yesterday, said Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd.), a former military administrator of Kaduna State has been appointed as the new Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS). The new Customs boss takes over from Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi, who recently retired from the service.
Ali has worked with President Buhari and has served the administration in the last four months as the de facto chief of staff. His name has also been mentioned in the media as the possible Chief of Staff to the President. Buhari’s appointment of Ali as CG customs is the second time an outsider would head the service since its establishment. In 1993, Major General S. O. G. Ango served as Sole Administrator of the Customs.
Other appointments announced by the President include that of Mr. Kure Martin Abeshi who is to take over as the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS). Kure replaces David Paradang who was recently suspended from the service by the president over alleged illegal recruitment of personnel. Paradang was at the presidential villa on Monday with the governor of Plateau State, Hon. Simon Lalong who came to plead on his behalf while investigations into his offences continue.
According to the statement, Senator Ita S.J. Enang has been appointed as Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate) while Hon. Suleiman A. Kawu has been appointed as Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives).
Adesina, in the statement, said all the appointments are effective from August 27. Lawal, the new SGF hails from Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State. Lawal graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1979 with a Bachelor of Engineering Degree and worked with the Delta Steel Company, Aladja, Nigerian External Telecommunications Limited and Data Sciences Limited before establishing his own ICT and Telecommunications consulting firm in 1990.
The new SGF is also a member of the Nigeria Computer Society, the Nigeria Society of Engineers and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria. Kyari, the new Chief of Staff to the President, holds Bachelor and Master Degrees from the University of Cambridge and the University of Warwick in Law and Sociology. He has worked with the New Nigeria Development Company, New Africa Holdings, African International Bank, United Bank for Africa, Unilever, and Mobil in various capacities over the years.
The new Comptroller- General of Customs, Col. Ali, holds Bachelor and Master Degrees in Criminology. He was military administrator of Kaduna State from 1996 to 1998. The new Comptroller- General of Immigration, Abeshi, hails from Nasarawa State. He joined the Nigerian Immigration Service in 1989 as an Assistant Comptroller. He has Master’s Degree in Public Administration. Meanwhile, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has commended President Buhari on the appointments.
Dogara said the appointments were based on merit. The Speaker said all the individuals so appointed have distinguished themselves in their areas of endeavours over the years and that “they bring on board very rich resumes.” While congratulating them, Dogara charged the new SGF to use his office to push for the rehabilitation, reconstruction and recovery of the violenceravaged North-East region.
He said the people of North-East have not voted for Buhari in vain as they now feel more represented in the scheme of things with recent appointments of people from the region into government.
The Speaker also congratulated Enang and Sumaila over their appointments, saying both will help bridge gap between the executive and the legislature for a smooth running of government at the federal level. “I look forward to a good working relationship with them as my former colleagues,” Dogara said.
Former President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr. Dozie Ikedife, told New Telegraph that Buhari has failed to be fair in the distribution for appointments. “The appointments are contrary to my suggestion that President Buhari should be even-handed in spreading appointments. So far, the appointments by the president did not look like inclusive appointments. It looks like there is certain circle of exclusions, but it is too early to draw a conclusion,” he said.
The spokesman for Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said the group has been vindicated by the appointments. Odumakin said: “At this time, what is clear is that the appointments being made by the president are tilted towards a particular region of the country. Our sincere appeal to the president is a reconsideration of this approach to governance. “Nigeria needs a reconstructive surgery and not bulldozing as currently being done.
What should be done is to build a government of inclusiveness and not exclusiveness. But this preponderance of one region- sided appointments cannot be justified.” National Publicity Secretary of the Yoruba Unity Forum (YUF), Dr. Kunle Olajide, stated that Buhari’s appointments are tilted towards northerners.
“I don’t feel comfortable about the appointments because it still appear lopsided in favour of the North. And I think that is unacceptable to Southerners because the president must be mindful of the federal character in the constitution. I believe the appointments have to be reviewed,” Olajide told New Telegraph.
- New Telegraph
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