Our appointments not on tribal factors…new SGF defends Buhari

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NIGERIA: THE newly appointed Secretary to Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has refuted claims that he and his fellow appointees were considered on tribal factors.

Lawal, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues after being sworn in by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja, said that their places of origin were not the factors for their appointments.

Buhari had recently appointed Lawal, Alhaji Abba Kyari as his Chief of Staff, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali as the Comptroller-General, Nigerian Customs Service and Mr. Kure Martin Abeshi to preside as the new Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service.

Buhari also appointed Senator Ita S.J. Enang and Hon. Suleiman A. Kawas as his Senior Special Advisers on National Assembly Matters for Senate, and House of Representatives respectively.  Only Enang is from the south, while others are from the North.

At the event, Buhari also inaugurated the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno hi Special Adviser (Media and publicity), Mr. Femi Adesina.

“We did not have to pass examination to get appointed into these positions,” Lawal said, adding that the appointments were “not because of our tribes, or our faiths, or our political groups that we were considered worthy for these positions.”

He added: “If it is such, I am sure none of us would have been considered worthy of these appointments. We appreciate the president and we appreciate God that he has blessed us with these privileged appointments.”

Criticisms had trailed the latest appointments, with critics alluding to previous appointments, which they said were skewed towards Buhari’s northern kinsmen.

While reacting to the anger of some Nigerians on the appointments Buhari appealed to fellow countrymen and women to be patient with him.

Buhari assured Nigerians that no part of the country would be marginalized by the time he would conclude other appointments in the kitty.

The president, who spoke through his Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity), Mr. Garba Shehu, said that he had only made “few” appointments, adding: “Our brothers and sisters and fellow countrymen should bear with the new administration as it takes its measured steps towards an effective take off.”

Buhari, through the release signed by Shehu, said that the jobs given out so far were those of security personnel and his personal aides.

Section 171 (2) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution in operation allows the president to appoint certain categories of persons to fill special positions which include (a) Secretary to the Government of the Federation and specifically (e) any office on the personal staff of the President.

But Section 171 (5) advised the president: “In exercising his powers of appointment under this section, the President shall have regard to the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity.”

In defence of the appointments, the president said: “These appointments are just beginning.” “The ones down so far, apart from the security services, are mostly of people acting as unofficial advisers or staff of the President,” Buhari explained.

He added: “They are mostly men and women who have been doing things for the president and the positions are being formalized.”

“Statistically, the appointments don’t amount to five percent of what is to come,” Buhari stressed, while further maintaining: “There will come ministers, heads of government departments, federal boards and ambassadors.

“At the end of the exercise, no part of the country will be left feeling left out.”

It would be recalled that Buhari, besides previous appointments which generated outcry, last Thursday made new appointments, which many believed were tilted towards the north.

A day after the appointment, apparently in defence of the criticisms generated, Adesina while speaking on Ray Power 100.5 FM defended the appointments.

“Nobody can fault the fact that the persons appointed were appointed on merits,” the Special Adviser said.

“In terms of the spread, the President has prerogative to appoint and he knows there is federal character,” Adesina explained, adding: “I am sure that there will be balance in the future. These are still early days. At the end of the day, we will have a balance.”

Adesina, however, assured: “By the time more appointments are made, it will balance out. The President is trying to get the very best of Nigerians.

“The issue of key positions and no key positions should not be the issue. He gave a deadline of September for the appointment of ministers and he will keep to it.”