President Muhammadu Buhari rode to power on the wings of change and vowed not to be beholden to any individual or group but to serve the interest of all Nigerians.
Many rejoiced that a Daniel had finally ascended the throne. The reason for the enthusiasm is not far-fetched.
Despite the principle of federal character in the 1999 Constitution as amended, justice, equity and fairness are hardly the yardsticks for allocating our collective values.
But almost two months after taking the oath of office, rather than being the father of all as promised, Buhari seems poised to marginalise the South East in the distribution of political appointments.
Nothing brought this issue to the fore more than last week’s sack of security chiefs appointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan and their replacement.
It is bad enough that in a country said to stand on a tripod – Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba – Buhari had not deemed it fit to extend his hand of appointment to the South East. It is even more so with the appointment of the security chiefs.
In making a clean sweep of the security and intelligence chiefs he inherited from his predecessor, Buhari on Monday, July 13, appointed Major General Abayomi Gabriel Olonishakin as Chief of Defence Staff; Major General T.Y. Buratai (Chief of Army Staff); Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (Chief of Naval Staff); Air Vice Marshal Sadique Abubakar (Chief of Air Staff); Vice Marshal Monday Riku Morgan (Chief of Defence Intelligence); and Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd.) as National Security Adviser.
Before the appointments, Lawal Daura, who hails from the same Katsina State as Buhari, was picked as Director General of State Security Service (SSS) to replace Ita Ekpenyong, who was sacked.
On Thursday, July 16, Buhari also appointed Abdullahi Muhammadu, an Assistant Commandant General, as the new Commandant General of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), to replace Ade Abolurin, who retired on Friday, July 10 after a two-term tenure.
Muhammadu hails from Muye from Niger State.
None of these strategic appointments was given to anybody from the South East. With the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, from the South South, the implication is that there is no Igbo embedded in the security architecture of the country as presently constituted in a country where the Igbo are critical stakeholders.
This cannot by any stretch of the imagination be equated to fairness.
Some Buhari apologists who have strongly come to his defence in view of these lopsided appointments and sidelining of an entire people who are equal stakeholders in the Nigerian project claim that professionalism and merit should be the watchword in matters of security.
We totally agree that merit should have its rightful place if Nigeria is to make progress. But can it be said that there are no qualified professionals from the South East who can be appointed on merit?
When did the Igbo become laggards that in national appointments that are strictly based on professionalism and merit, the entire race will be found wanting?
If such assertion cannot be made in the face of abundant evidence to the contrary, the only logical answer to the puzzle surrounding the appointments is that Buhari is deliberately punishing the Igbo for allegedly not voting for him and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the last general election.
That will be a very dangerous impression to create.
Nigeria cannot make progress when one or some of its component parts are deliberately held down for no reason other than politics.
The omission of the Igbo from appointments so far made is not by accident. Those who argue that Ndigbo are exhibiting undue haste since there are other appointments to be made should have advised Buhari to ignore other zones as well until he is prepared to treat the whole country as his constituency.
While it may well be true that the majority of Igbo voted for Jonathan in the presidential election, some stuck out their political necks for Buhari and were also founding members of the APC.
Nigeria’s wheel of progress cannot be lubricated with the oil of vendetta which seems to be in full display with the appointments made so far.
Buhari should walk his talk.
