On Buhari’s new appointments
One good thing about the recent appointments by President Buhari is that the wailers are now crying Northernisation agenda, not Islamisation. The only thing the men lack is not integrity, not the requisite, not the competency. But that they aren’t from the South.
It’s true that Buhari is predictably unpredictable. After all the rumors about Rotimi Amaechi, Mama Oby, Ogbonoya Onu, Raji Fashola, Hameed Ali as SGF or Chief of Staff, PMB went for Engr. Babachir David Lawal as the Secretary to the Govt. of the Federation. Those crying that this man is a northerner won’t tell you that he’s also a Northern Pastor. Exactly the kind of people we need to trust. Engr. Babachir is from Adamawa state.
Abba Kyari is the new Chief of staff, his CV is even more impressive. He holds two degrees in law from Cambridge and another one in Sociology. Described as a sociologist, lawyer, banker, editor and also a former commissioner, former director Unilever, he was once a member Presidential Advisory Council 2000-05, and Director, ExxonMobil. He’s from Borno, just like Monguno, Buratai and others. He won’t throw dollars to his Borno state people but he’ll do his job. Effectively.
Buhari’s chief of staff before he became President, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd). is as tough as Buhari. A retired Colonel and former military administrator, Kaduna State. He missed out on the EFCC and the chief of staff job, just as re-speculated again. With two degrees in criminology, a due process man with no nonsense stance, as new Customs boss he’ll tackle the issue of custom duties, illegal importation and waivers, smuggling, land piracy, and other border-related crimes. Not to talk of FIRS and NNPC which all are under competent hands. This shows that President Buhari isn’t joking with our revenue generating institutions. I don’t know if a retired army has ever done it before. But it’ll be nice to see Mr. Netanyahu in a custom uniform. For sure he’ll clear the mess in the Nigerian custom service. Not only that the borders will be safe, but the revenue also will be. He is also from Bauchi in the North East, just like the other two men above.
Mr. Martin Kure Abashi, another Northerner. After his former boss was suspended last week, Mr. David Paradang he took over as Ag. Comptroller, as he was the most senior officer, he must have learnt a lot from Mr. Parradang’s suspension, adding that even his (Paradang) state governor couldn’t save him. Unlike Ali Hamid, Martin Kure is an insider, he joined the immigration service over 25 years ago. He holds a masters in public administration, hails from Nasarawa state.
Hon. Kawu A. Sulaiman, former member of the House of Reps representing his Sumaila/Takai zone, Kano, was a two-time deputy minority leader of the house. Some have complained that we are now having two advisers on national assembly matters, not really the change they wanted. I know he’s the kind of man PMB can trust.
Sen. Ita S.J Enang is the new SSA on NA (Senate). A lawyer turned lawmaker, Enang who like Hon. Kawu is a former member House of Reps from 1999, later elected to the upper chamber in 2011 to represent Akwa Ibom North-East. The surprise isn’t that he’s the only southerner in the list but that’s he’s a PDP member. Even when there are former Senators like Sen. Chris Ngige in that zone but President Buhari belongs to everybody... and belongs to nobody.
who has four wives and fifty children. What an irony?