FEATURE ARTICLE

Ubanese NwangangaSunday, November 15, 2015
[email protected]
Cape Town, South Africa

ANNOUNCE THIS ARTICLE
TO YOUR FRIENDS

PRESIDENT BUHARI AND HIS ACF SCRIPT

advertisement

t last, President Buhari's cabinet has been inaugurated. The picture of his lack of appreciation of Nigeria's diversity has become clearer. Any erstwhile doubting Thomas will have come to the inevitable conclusion that President Buhari's primary reason for seeking power was to ensure his Fulani-led Muslim north lords it over to other Nigerians, especially those from the southern part of the country.

Let us begin this discussion with a recap of the disposition of power at the centre under President Goodluck Jonathan's presidency:

  1. South South: President

  2. South East: SGF

  3. South West: PDP allocated the position of Speaker but Tambuwal ganged up with some members of the House to scuttle it.

  4. North Central: President of Senate.

  5. North East: Head of Service.

  6. North West: Vice President.

  7. Chief of Staff to the President: Southwest.

  8. National Security Adviser: North West.

  9. Principal Secretary to Mr. President: Northeast.

  10. Inspector General of Police: North West.

  11. Comptroller General of Customs: North West.

  12. Comptroller General of Immigration: North Central.

  13. Chief of Defence Staff: North East.

  14. Chief of Army Staff: South South.

  15. Chief of Air Staff: South West.

  16. Chief of Naval Staff: North Central.

  17. INEC Chairman: North West.

  18. Director General, DSS: South South.

  19. Director General, NIA: South West

  20. Minister of Petroleum Resources: South South (deservedly).

  21. Group Managing Director of NNPC: North East.

  22. Minister of FCT: North East

  23. Minister of Finance: South South.

  24. Minister of Defence: North West

Now, let us compare the situation with PMB's presidency:

  1. North West: President.

  2. North East: SGF

  3. North Central: Senate President

  4. South West: Vice President

  5. South South: Head of Service from last week.

  6. South East: Nil.

  7. Chief of Staff to Mr. President: North East

  8. National Security Adviser: North East.

  9. Principal Secretary to Mr. President: North West.

  10. Inspector General of Police: South South.

  11. Comptroller General of Immigration: North Central.

  12. Comptroller General of Customs: North West.

  13. Chief of Defence Staff: North East.

  14. Chief of Air Staff: North East.

  15. Chief of Naval Staff: South South.

  16. Chief of Defence Intelligence: North Central.

  17. Director General, NIA: South west.

  18. INEC Chairman: North West.

  19. Minister of Petroleum: North West.

  20. Group MD, NNPC: South South (two names from the north have been mentioned from which to choose his replacement since Mr. Kachikwu has been appointed Minister of State, Petroleum Resources).

  21. Minister of FCT: North East.

  22. Minister of Finance: South West.

It is important to add here that the only Igbo man in Buhari's State House, which he inherited from President Jonathan, a Permanent Secretary in the State House has been replaced with Mr. Jalal Arabi (by his name, you can guess where he comes from, as Ndiigbo do not bear such a name.). Although I have refused to mention the Media Adviser and Spokesman who come from North West and South West respectively, it is clear that no Igbo man or woman has any role to play in Buhari's kitchen cabinet.

I invite Nigerians to take an unbiased, critical look at the power configuration in Buhari's federal government and tell me why Biafra should not appeal to Ndiigbo. If we are not Nigerians, as the above picture depicts, we must belong to a country. We cannot be stateless.

It has been an unwritten tradition in the past to bring in a northerner as Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources when the substantive Minister is from the south. The recent deployment of Permanent Secretaries by the President saw the deployment of Dr. Jamila Shu'ara as the Ministry's Permanent Secretary while President Buhari is the main Minister.

Before I am misunderstood, let me reproduce here below the recent deployment of federal Permanent Secretaries:

1.	Dr. Shehu Ahmad   					Agric & Rural Dev

2. Arch S. Echono Communications

3. Alhaji S. Zakari Transportation

4. Mrs. A. Adesugba Info & Culture

5. Amb. D. Sheni Defence

6. Dr. S Yemi-Esan Education.

7. Mrs. F. Mede Budget & Nat Planning.

8. Alhaji M. I. Dutse Finance.

9. Amb. B. Lolo Foreign Affairs

10. Dr. A. Shamaki Health

11. Mr. A. Bisala Ind, Trade & Investment

12. Mr. B. Akpanyung Internal Affairs

13. Dr. H. Lawal Science & Tech

14. Dr. C. Illoh Labour & Productivity

15. Dr. Jamila Shu'ara Petroleum Resources

16. Mrs. B. Bello Women Affairs

17. Dr. B. Ajakaiye FCT

18. Mrs. W.B. Asifieka Niger Delta Affairs

19. Mr. I. Fuktur Solid Minerals

20. Mr. Christian Ohaa Youth & Sports.

21. Engr. A.G. Magaji Works & Housing

22. Mr. L. Edozien Power

23. Mrs. R. Jimeta Water Resources

24. Dr. B. Hassan Environment

25. Mr. T. Abidogun Justice

26. Mr. J. Arabi State House

27. Mr. M. Bukar GSO, OSGF

28. Mr. A. Mohammed Ecological Fund Office

29. Dr. Ugo Roy Council Secretariat

30. Mr. A. Nabegu SSO, OSGF

31. Amb. Bamgbose PAO, OSGF

32. Mr. A. W. Nwankwo EAO, OSGF

33. Mrs. O. Nwokedi SDO, OSGF

34. Mr. I. Ogbonnaya CMO, OHCSF

35. Mr. S.K.Y. Adelakun CSO, OHCSF

36. Mrs. N. Batagarawa SP & SO, OHCSF

There are six Permanent Secretaries of Igbo extraction representing the five Igbo speaking states and the southeast geopolitical zone. Of the six, three are deployed to the Office of the SGF and Head of Service, the highest from any geopolitical zone while one is in charge of Cabinet Secretariat. As a former civil servant, I know the relative weights of the various departments. Of particular interest is the deployment of Aminu Nabegu, from the Muslim north, no doubt, to man the Special Services Department, which oversees security matters.

That leads me straight to the issue of the management of our national security. Since the end of the civil war, the Ministry of Defense has been the exclusive preserve of the north. While the north/south dichotomy is respected in the deployment of Permanent Secretaries in strategic ministries, the Minister of Defence and his Permanent Secretary must always come from the north. With the above picture of power disposition at the centre under President Buhari, no Igbo man will be in attendance, by virtue of the position he occupies, at any meeting where the management of our national security is considered. The simple conclusion then is that we are not Nigerians enough to be represented at the meetings where the security of the country in which we constitute a significant majority is discussed. Can anything be more discriminatory? Who will protect our interests at such meetings? Any wonder then that Igbo land is treated like a conquered territory when one considers the disproportionate presence of security men from the north, be they soldiers, SSS operatives or police there? Under the last IGP, five commissioners of police in the five states of the southeast were Muslims from the north. Should this arrogance of power and muscle flexing be allowed to continue more than forty years after the civil war?

The Nigerian in me died when I discovered that President Buhari, against the dictates of the change mantra, appointed indigenes of Kano, Zamfara and Kebbi states to the Interior, Defense and Justice Ministries. We are told from the beginning of his presidency that his appointments are to be based on merit. Suddenly, the least educationally developed geopolitical zones in Nigeria have taken the lead and can now boast of more qualified Nigerians than even the Southwest! Let us not forget that children from Zamfara, Sokoto, Yobe and Borno were admitted into Unity Schools with marks as low as 2-4/200 while their counterparts from Anambra were required to score not less than 139/200! So, does it mean that our children's performance does not reflect us?

In my unpublished essay entitled, "The Return of the Mallam", I had argued that Buhari's victory was no more than a restoration of power to the Fulani-led Muslim north, which believe it is their birthright to rule the rest of us. In the face of what happened today, I stand to be correct. Yes, the Yoruba now occupy two strategic ministries and the office of the VP but considering their contributions to the making of Buhari's presidency, it is insignificant. Any person, who doubts my thesis, should compute a table of the cabinet portfolios zone by zone. Northwest zone produced the President, Ministers of Petroleum, Defence, Interior, Water Resources, Aviation and Justice. This is in addition to two ministers of state and heads of State Security Services (brought back from retirement), Customs, etc.

From inception, headship of FCT has been the preserve of the Fulani-led Muslim north. Before today's (Wednesday) swearing-in of the cabinet, rumour had it that Solomon Dalong from Plateau State was going to head FCT. At the end of the day, Buhari gave it to a Muslim from Adamawa State. Similarly, since inception, EFCC has been manned by northerners. Any wonder that Ibrahim replaced Ibrahim there recently? No, it must not be allowed to fall into 'wrong hands' because it is a weapon of intimidation and corrupt enrichment. Otherwise, how on earth did Ribadu get money to mount a presidential bid after he was sacked from the EFCC?

I am not against anti corruption. I want the monster to die in Nigeria. But from all indications, Buhari used it to sweep into power for his Fulani-led Muslim north. It was a camouflage for regaining control of oil and security apparatus for the Muslim north. With what happened since Buhari began to appoint his kitchen cabinet and culminating in what was unveiled today, is any person still in doubt?

President Buhari does not hide his anger against Ndiigbo. Yes, we did not vote for him in the last presidential election. However, let us recall here that the northwest, which produced the Vice President in 2011, did not vote for President Jonathan. Yet, after the election, President Jonathan moved on and appointed from the same zone, the Minister of Defence and the National Security Adviser. Besides, he retained the IGP, the Comptroller General of Customs as well as the High Commissioner to UK. So, why is Buhari being petty? Did he expect everybody to vote for him before they could belong because he is the god of Nigeria?

Corruption is not only stealing government money. Buhari's treatment of Ndiigbo amounts to corruption and unnecessary insensitivity. To exclude a sizeable population of Nigeria from the security constructs of the country does not and will not augur well for us. Dr. Junaid Mohammed has advised Ndiigbo to secede. I do not blame him. If President Jonathan had not presided over the affairs of Nigeria timidly, we would not have been returned to Egypt since June 2015.

Non-Igbo Nigerians are keeping quiet over the humiliation of Ndiigbo by President Buhari. Well meaning northerners cannot speak out because Buhari is acting the script written for him by the Arewa Consultative Forum. Unfortunately, non Hausa/Fulani Christians of the north think they are okay today. To me however, they are shortsighted. The long running battles between the Fulani and the indigenous tribes in Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, etc show the mind of the Fulani-led Muslim north. They know what they want and no amount of kowtowing to them will stop them from achieving it. When the goat finishes eating the crops on the periphery, it does not go away; it moves on to the centre. With Fulani herdsmen as the only non-security men in Nigeria to carry AK47 riffles about without fear, the rest non-Muslim northerners and southerners will almost become slaves in Nigeria by the time President Buhari leaves office.

The Yoruba are not perturbed by President Buhari's annoying treatment of Ndiigbo. It is sad and very disappointing. Obasanjo has visited Buhari at the Villa, possibly for the final solution to the agitation for Biafra by Igbo youths. I repeat it here: the goat on the rampage will not stop at the periphery of the farm. Before Buhari came to office, he led an angry group of Fulani leaders to Ibadan to protest the treatment of Fulani headsmen in Yoruba land. Not long ago, the same Fulani herdsmen kidnapped a prominent Yoruba leader, Chief Olu Falae. Any insight?

The agitation for Biafra in the east is a direct consequence of President Buhari's insensitive discrimination against Ndiigbo. President Jonathan did not marginalize any part of Nigeria, including those who did not vote for him. President Buhari's arrogance of power is disgusting. Buhari has not changed a bit from the Buhari the dictator. He does not care a hoot about Nigeria's diversity. The soldier in him is very much active. It is not the soldier per se, after all, was IBB not soldier? I have the impression that he is deliberately provoking Ndiigbo, so as to do to Igbo land what Abacha did to Ogoni land.

Although I strongly believe that Nigeria under President Buhari does not want Ndiigbo, I wish to use this medium to plead with my kinsmen to take it easy, for God, at his own time will make everything beautiful. Yes, let tempers cool down. The recent visit of Obasanjo to the Aso Rock Villa, as I pointed above is pregnant with meaning. Let us be watchful. Therefore, let us return to God. We are not the first people in history to be trodden upon in fleeting circumstances. The down fall of a people is not the end of their lives. Yes, not even with British government wickedly against them.

Whereas Dr. Ngige should have won sackcloth to the swearing in ceremony, imagine how he dressed? An Igbo leader in his own right does not understand the mood of his people. We wish him well.

I am always yours without rancour.

advertisement

IMAGES IN THE NEWS