President Muhammadu Buhari gave a clear picture of what to expect from his administration when he declared, ‘I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody’. Nigerians and indeed the world believe he is a man of his words. For a man who did not come back to power on a platter of gold, there is every reason to take him by his words. Buhari has shown that he is not one to be forced unto a path he does not want to pursue. When the All Progressives Congress [APC] governor’s forum paid him a courtesy visit prior to inauguration, he flatly rejected their ministerial list. Reports had it that he told them to mind their states since he did not have a say in the appointment of their commissioners. Many Nigerians received that news with glee. The president has also become his own man in the appointment of his aides and we give him credit. His Media Adviser, Femi Adesina, many may not know , did not get the job because he is Yoruba or to appease the South- West big wigs of the APC. The relationship between the President and his new spokesman predates APC and the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan years. When Professor Tam David West, one of the closest persons to President Buhari, launched his book on the retired general in 2009, at the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs[NIIA] , Adesina was the Master of Ceremony.
Among dignitaries that graced the occasion were Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar, Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu and Gen. Zamani Lekwot. Nigerians look forward to more such appointments based on personal recognition , merit and efficiency. It is also likely that the need to do a thorough screening has kept Aso Villa waiting for more appointments of personal aides and other top officers to run the new government. However, there is one disturbing appointment. Ordinarily, the president has all the freedom in the world to choose his Aide-de- Camp. He could also decide to ask for advise from the military since the ADC must be an officer of the Armed Forces. Having left the army unceremoniously in 1985, Buhari does not know any officer below the rank of general in the military today. The President could have asked for input from a few close aides who have military background.
It is important to point out that since the return of democracy in 1999, no President picked his ADC from his geo- political zone, in his first tenure. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a Christian from the South-West, went for Lt. Col Solomon Giwa-Amu [now late], from Edo state, in the South- South zone. Alhaji Umaru Musa Yaradua picked Lt.Col Mustapha Dennis Onoyiveta from Delta state. When Yar’adua died and Dr. Jonathan became acting president, he retained his police ADC, Chief Superintendent of Police [CSP], Moses Jituboh, the same officer who stood behind him as Vice President. In the Second Republic, Vice President Alex Ekwueme, like President Shehu Shagari ,had a military ADC, the only difference was that the president’s was an army officer while the Vice President’s was a naval officer. That arrangement changed from 1999 when Vice President Abubakar Atiku got a police ADC. The moment Dr. Jonathan became substantive president in 2010, his police ADC had to step down for a military officer. That was how Lt. Col Ojogbane Adegbe stepped in. However, Jonathan decided to keep the giant police officer in his team as Special Assistant, Personal Security.
Adegbe is Igala, from the North-Central Political zone. Buhari’s ADC, who emerged on May 29, is Lt. Col Mohammed Lawal Abubakar, from Kano state, same geo –political zone as Mr. President. There are reports that many Northerners, especially retired military generals, who believe in the President’s pan- Nigerian outlook are not comfortable with the development. Their fears are hinged on the fact that a particular retired service chief from the region, who is also eyeing a key position in the new administration, recommended Lt.Col Abubakar.
The same general, was accused of favouring cadets from his state Kano while at the Nigeria Defence Academy [NDA], at the time Buhari’s ADC gained admission as member of the 44 Regular course. As Army chief, there were allegations that he also recruited more soldiers from a particular part of the country. This is not good for the new government especially for a President who does not have room for tribe or tongue. We believe that it is too early for such parochial tendencies to manifest in a government that promises change. President Buhari must not allow overzealous aides to scuttle his ambition of moving the country away from the problems of the past. The President is still taking his time in other appointments. We allow him the freedom to choose his team.
This power belongs to him. And as a man who has friends all over Nigeria, it is expected that Nigeria remains his constituency. Tilting appointments towards the North or East or even the West, will send the wrong signal. While he respects the rights of trusted aides to offer ideas, the overall interest of the nation comes first. President Buhari has promised not to witchhunt anyone. He sees the road to victory as part of the march to greatness. Nigerians salute his statesmanship. Those who do not want to see the change in Mr. President could as well be blown off by the wind of change.
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