The President of the Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, Mr. Yerima Shettima, has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointments, saying they are not nationalistic in outlook.
Shettima told SUNDAY PUNCH that President Buhari had not reciprocated the trust reposed in him by all Nigerians, with almost all of his appointees coming from the northern part of the country.
He said, “I am from the North and I will not keep quiet because President Buhari’s appointments are in favour of the northern region. The government we run in this country should not be about ethnicity. All appointments must reflect our geopolitical zones. We must do away with suspicion. But how can that be when the President’s appointees are all from one part of the country?
“No fight against corruption will be successful in this country if suspicion arises. Let’s not be deceived; are there not people who are honest in the South-East or South-West? Are there not good people in the South-South who can work with the President?”
According to the AYCF president, Buhari needs to show that he is the father of the nation and that must be reflected in his appointments.
Shettima stated that he was speaking against the President’s action because he felt it was the right thing to do.
He also noted that if he could speak against former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan, he would also speak against any inappropriate step taken by Buhari.
Acting that way, Shettima said, would give him the moral ground to speak against any leader of the country, especially if such a person was not from the North.
In his view, even though Buhari is perceived as being incorruptible, he cannot afford to pick the team of people who will work for him only from the North.
However, a former National Publicity Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Mr. Anthony Sani, told SUNDAY PUNCH that Nigerians should exercise patience till the President had made all his appointments.
“As we assess the President, it is important to note that many appointments have yet to be made. What is more, there are many dividing lines in the polity. And until most of the appointments have been made, it would be too early for a fair and realistic assessment of distribution of access to national resources by way of appointments,” Sani stated. Punch
