Some northern Nigerian youths have urged President Bola Tinubu not to make what they call skewed appointments, as his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, did.
Under the auspices of the Northern Youth Leaders Forum (NYLF), the youths acknowledged that northerners have no right to complain about Tinubu’s perceived ‘lopsided’ appointments, but they also expressed their belief that the country should not continue in the same manner.
Some northern leaders have accused President Tinubu of favoring the south in his appointee selection. For example, Ahmad Gumi, an Islamic cleric, claimed that Tinubu had appointed more Southern Christians to key positions while ignoring northerners who, he claimed, had helped him gain power.
The National President of the NYLF, Elliot Afiyo, told the press in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, on Sunday that Tinubu is widening the gap of alleged lopsided appointments inherited from Buhari.
Afiyo revealed that Buhari created an appointment gap of 80% for the north and 20% for the south from 2015 to 2023.
He urged Tinubu, however, not to follow Buhari’s lead in selecting his appointees, “because the country must not continue in error.”
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Previous Nigerian leaders, he claims, have engaged in biased appointments since independence, favoring their zones at the expense of others.
When former President Olusegun Obasanjo returned to power in 1999, he tried to close the gap, according to the youth leader.
“However, Buhari came in and increased the gap to 20/80. Even the northerners that they claimed Buhari appointed were not necessarily northerners. We can now see that President Tinubu’s appointments are favoring the South West.
“I would argue that northerners have no right to complain about lopsided appointments or placements.” We have no right to complain.
“However, as advanced citizens, I question whether we can continue in this manner.” Where are we heading as a country? As a result, we must strike a balance,” he explained.
