Buhari’s appointments has shown his contempt for Ndigbo – Ohaneze

For the second time within one month period, the pan Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohaneze Ndigbo has lambasted President Muhammadu Buhari over his

appointments into his administration which saw the South East missing in the list of 35 appointments so far.

[Photo: President Buhari and Ike Nwachukwu]

The latest attack came from the Ohaneze Youth Council [OYC] which seethed with anger over President Buhari’s latest appointment for the positions of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, as well as the Chief of Staff to the President.

Previously, it was Anambra State president of Ohaneze, Dr. Chris Eluemunor who, in an interview, attacked President Buhari, saying that the situation would still have been the same even if the entire Igbo nation voted for him.

According to Dr. Eluemunor, “General Buhari does not like Igbo people and it is happening now with all the appointments he has so far made since he came into office on May 29, 2015

“He appointed five service chiefs and there is no Igbo man, even though Igbo have qualified people to occupy the positions.

 “His party has completed the selection of principal officers in the national assembly and despite the fact that the speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara made case to apply the federal character in allocating the offices, the president jettisoned it through his intervention and left Igbo APC lawmakers out.

The latest attack came from the Ohaneze Youth Council [OYC] which seethed with anger over President Buhari’s latest appointment for the positions of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, as well as the Chief of Staff to the President.

OYC stated that recent developments had indicated that Buhari was pursuing an ethnic agenda and that he was not ready to accommodate Ndigbo in his administration.

President Buhari had, after nearly 100 days in office, announced the appointment of Engr. Babachir David Lawal from Adamawa State as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation; as well as Alhaji Abba Kyari for the position of Chief of Staff to the President.

Others appointees are Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd.)- Comptroller-General, Nigerian Customs Service; Mr. Kure Martin Abeshi – Comptroller-General, Nigerian Immigration Service; Senator Ita S.J. Enang – SSA to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate) and Hon. Suleiman A. Kawu -SSA to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of representatives).

So far, none appointment has gone to the South-East region.

In a reaction, President of the of the OYC, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, in a press statement jointly signed with the group’s National Public Relations Officer, Hon. Obinna Adibe, titled “OHANAEZE CONDEMNS BUHARI’S APPOINTMENT”, said the appointments were totally unacceptable to Ndigbo, as they violated the principle of federal character, as enshrined in the Nigerian constitution.

The Ohaneze Youth Council said the President had demonstrated his hatred for Ndigbo, even after he had said he belonged to nobody but belonged to everybody.

Below are the details of the statement:

OHANAEZE CONDEMNS BUHARI’S APPOINTMENT

The Ohaneze Youth Council, OYC, has expressed deep anger over President Muhammadu Buhari’s latest appointment for the positions of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, as well as the Chief of Staff to the President.

The group said recent developments had indications that Buhari was pursuing ethnic agenda and that he was not ready to accommodate Ndigbo in his government.

President Buhari had after several months of keeping Nigerians in suspense, announced the appointment of Engr. Babachir David Lawal from Adamawa State as the Secretary to the Government  of the Federation; as well as Alhaji Abba Kyari for the position of Chief of Staff to the President.

Others appointed included Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd.)- Comptroller-General, Nigerian Customs Service; Mr. Kure Martin Abeshi  – Comptroller-General, Nigerian Immigration Service; Senator Ita S.J. Enang – SSA to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate) and Hon. Suleiman A. Kawu -SSA to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of representatives).

None of the positions came the way of the South-East region.

In a reaction, the Ohaneze Youth Council said the President had demonstrated his hatred for Ndigbo, even after he had said he belonged to nobody but belonged to everybody.

President of the of the OYC, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, in a press statement jointly signed with the group’s National Public Relations Officer, Hon. Obinna Adibe, said the appointments were totally unacceptable to Ndigbo, maintaining that they violated the principle of federal character, which is enshrined in the Nigerian constitution.

“We stand to condemn this glaring hatred for Ndigbo by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. We recall that apart from several other appointments, Buhari’s government has also appointed Service Chiefs and in a similar manner, he sidelined the South-East zone.

“As if that was not enough, the long-awaited position of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, has come at last and this government deemed nobody from the South-East qualified enough to occupy that position, which was earlier zoned to Ndigbo.

“We are indeed shocked by this turn of events, which are totally at variance with Mr. President’s earlier stand that he was for nobody but that he was for everybody. We are at a loss where this statement fits in, considering all the actions he has taken so far, which are all against the interest of Ndigbo.

“Where is the justice; where is the equity; where is the one Nigeria? How long shall Ndigbo be pushed to the walls?

“The Ohaneze Youth Council is saying it loud and clear that these appointments are unacceptable to us and we urge Mr. President to reverse them, otherwise it would appear that there is a grand-design to annihilate the Igbos out of the political and economic system in this country.” 

Isiguzoro further stated that apart from the neglect Ndigbo had suffered in the area of appointments, it was also curious that the Buhari-led government had suspended work on the second Niger Bridge.

He stressed that “all these are pointers to the fact that we are becoming endangered species in Nigeria. The Second Niger Bridge is a project that touches on the economic life of the entire South-East and we find it curious that the Federal Government is not ready to attach any priority to it. 

“We use this medium to urge Mr. President to right these wrongs and move the country forward as one. Tribalism has never paid Nigeria and this period will not make any difference”.

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