President Muhammadu Buhari (center)congratulate the new Secretary to the Government of the Federation , Mr. David Lawal (right) while Vice President Yemi Osinbajo looks on during the swearing –in Ceremony at the Banquet Hall of the Presidenbtial Villa , Abuja.
- Appointments not based on ethnic consideration, but merit, say Lawal, Oshiomhole
- President will not sideline any section, Oyegun assures
President Muhammadu Buhari monday swore in the new Secretary to Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir Lawal, who was appointed last Thursday.
The president also inaugurated the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, and the president’s special adviser on media and publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina.
The event took place at the council chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Mr. Buhari has come under fire for appointing mostly people from Nigeria’s northern region, to top positions.
Criticisms grew last week after the appointment of Mr. Lawal and five others, with only one of the nominees from the south.
The appointments followed a pattern that has seen at least 75 per cent of top government officials, from the north.
The presidency has denied any sectional agenda, and has assured that no part of the country will be marginalised in subsequent appointments.
Mr. Buhari did not comment on the controversy on Monday after swearing in the new officials. He did not give any remarks.
But speaking on behalf of his colleagues, the SGF, Mr. Lawal, said they were not appointed because of their places of origin.
“We did not have to pass examination to get appointed into these positions,” he said. “(It was) not because of our tribes, or our faiths, or our political groups that we were considered worthy for these positions.
“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,” Mr. Lawal said.
Still determined to douse the tension that followed the perceived marginalization of a section of the country in the recent appointments, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has assured Nigerians that President Muhammadu Buhari will balance the federal appointments across all the geopolitical regions.
Oyegun defended the president over the recent appointments saying that such appointments made so far are his personal staff.
The APC national chairman urged the aggrieved persons to calm down and wait for the next round of appointments to be made.
Speaking on yesterday in Abuja at the national secretariat of the APC when he received in audience a group known as the Muhammadu Buhari Osinbajo Dynamic Support Group, led by its national coordinator, Hon. Usman Ibrahim.
Oyegun believed that there is a lot of fight back from the people who want to draw back the nation under the Buhari administration.
Speaking on the concern generated by the appointments, Oyegun said: "There have been a lot of unfortunate misinformation and uproar against appointments at this stage. We have two sets of appointments that have taken place. One set are the personal privilege of Mr. President, as far as his personal staff are concerned. The other set has to do with a few important and strategic persons that are going to help him either in the fight against corruption or the fight against insurgency in the North-east of our country, but this is not where to play the political balancing game. These are serious and the president has the right to appoint those he has confidence in because these are the areas where he has made promises to Nigerians.
"But we have thousands of political appointments and he has just made a few appointments while thousands are still waiting. The balancing must happen when the political appointment are being made. But we must not at this particular point in time with the few appointments say that one must be from the North, one must be from the South or from the east not at this very early stage.
"So, one must make that clear at this stage. Nobody, no leader can disadvantage any part of this nation. That will not happen”, Oyegun assured.
On the anti-corruption feat of President Buhari’s government, he said: "If a particular group has ruled for 16 years, then who is guilty of corruption?
"And all the fight, witch hunting are neither here nor there. What is important is that those who have skeletons in their cupboards are the ones who have something to fear. If you do not have any skeleton in the cupboard you go to sleep and sleep very sound but of course if you have you will pretend and try to divert attention," he said.
Also in defence of the president’s appointments, the Edo State Governor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, has said the recent appointments of his Chief of Staff, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Comptroller General of Customs and Presidential Liaison Officers to the National Assembly.
Oshiomhole were based on merit and not political sentiments or ethnic considerations.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Peter Okhiria, the governor said Nigerian nation had come to a point where the best hands to confront the peculiarity of the problems should be used.
He stated that Nigerians should not descend to the level of geopolitical balancing, adding that there was need to employ unusual methods to solve an unusual problem.
According to the governor, “The level of decay in the country at present requires very seasoned hands and incorruptible Nigerians that would help to translate the All Progressive Change (APC) agenda of change for the benefit of all Nigerians.
“We must not reduce governance to political patronage of bread and butter. The Comrade Governor congratulates the Chief of Staff, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Comptroller General of Customs, all of whom he had had very close relationship with and whose credentials stand tall among their compeers.
“If we must make a huge difference in the lives of Nigerians, things must be done differently. We cannot continue to apply same template in the recruitment of persons and expect different results.
“The new appointees are Nigerians who have served the country in different capacities before now and deserved every bit of our cooperation and support to make them excel in their new jobs.”
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