The First Lady of Nigeria, Aisha Buhari claims most of the people working with her husband, the president, are ‘strangers’ who “who didn’t do anything” to bring the present government on board. Aisha’s statement doesn’t only seem divisive, it also tells how the Nigerian government cherishes nepotism and lacks apathy for technocracy in government.
Aisha Buhari had an interview with BBC Hausa whichwas partially aired on Tuesday morning. In the interview, the president’s wife said 45 out of every 50 people appointed by President Buhari to occupy various positions in the government were people he didn’t know. She said this has been at the expense of those who “laboured for the party”, and it is tearing the All Progressives Congress (APC) apart.
She said, “This worries us a lot now. Because they believe they are the ones who suffered but are nowhere today. Those who didn’t do anything, who don’t even have voters’ cards, are the ones in position doing everything.” Aisha Buhari went on to say, “He [Buhari] can see. Among all the people he selected, if he is asked among 50 people, he doesn’t know 45. I don’t know them despite staying with him for 25 years.”
The statement by the first lady doesn’t portray a quest for an efficient government and unified Nigeria. Why is Aisha pressing for the appointment of those Muhammadu Buhari ‘knows’? This is as good as making a case for nepotism ahead of consideration of the ability of appointees to deliver, and adherence to the principle of federal character.
Compensating political loyalists with strategic positions is not in the interest of the country
Most of Buhari’s ministerial appointments say more of a case where politicians who helped the government to power were rewarded, ahead of the consideration of their expertness in the sectors given to them to oversee and also what they have to offer.
For instance, Nigeria has a communication minister who is without any background knowledge in that sector. Adebayo Shittu trained as a lawyer and has had most of his career as a politician. Shittu stepped down from the Oyo state governorship race in 2011 to pave way for the current governor.
Nigeria’s Minister of Youth Development and Sports also wasn’t appointed based on any experience of the sports sector. Solomon Dalung, who was heavily blamed for the country’s embarrassing flop at the Rio Olympics lacks any background knowledge of the country’s sport sector.
Many appointed political office holders in Nigeria got their position because they were people known to the president or they were recommended to the president by influential party leaders based on their roles during the 2015 presidential election.
Checking the performances of many ministers and other appointed political office holders in Nigeria today, they have not only failed to come up with solutions to many problems facing the Nigerian system, but some of them in their capacities even contributed to the fresh challenges facing the country. It is very difficult to separate their abysmal performance from their lack of the knowledge of the sectors they head.
Nepotism in political appointments divides Nigerians across ethnic lines
More disturbing is the fact that, strategic appointments that have been made by President Buhari have defied the principle of federal character. Most appointments were skewed in favour of the north, where the president comes from.
The greatest challenge that the Buhari government is faced with is arguably that of ethnic polarization. Even before Buhari became president, his candidature was characterized by divergent opinions on what his government may look like in terms of accommodating all of the country’s ethnic groups. The results of the 2015 presidential election show that most votes on which Buhari was elected came from northern Nigeria and partly from the South West.
One would think the president would be smart enough to look for good ways to bring all aggrieved and disagreeing interests to form a better government. Unfortunately, the reverse seems to be the case.
The resurgence of militancy in the Niger Delta has been fueled greatly by beliefs of marginalization and ethnic sensitivity by the government. The militants have sometimes said the anti-corruption drive of the President is targeted towards southerners, even though some northerners have been accused and arrested for corruption.
Clamours by many Nigerians for President Buhari to allow for a referendum of self determination have not been this much in recent years. The agitation for secession by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has also intensified within the last year. This obviously reveals much of Buhari’s weakness in his ability to unite Nigerians.
In spite of all these concerns, the wife of the president is still advocating for appointments based on the who-knows-who Nigerian scheme. It is time for the Nigerian leaders to kill the idea of compensating politicians with appointments to crucial positions that drive the country. It is one reason why many of those appointed in this frame have failed to deliver and contribute meaningfully in their various capacities.
