The South-West geopolitical zone, reportedly has the highest number of people appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as Ministers and Aides, an official document has revealed.
Colonel Dangiwa Umar, a former Governor of Kaduna State, on Sunday, had alleged that appointments by President Buhari were skewed in favour of the North.
However, a credible source faulted the allegation, saying that, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, OSGF, recently released the list of Ministers and Aides appointed by the President.
The document revealed that people from the South-West constitute 33.7 percent of those engaged by the President as Ministers and Aides.
This is followed by people from the North-West, with 19.5 percent; North-East, 15.3 percent; South-South, 12.6 percent; North Central, 11.1 percent; and South-East, 7.9 percent.
The document further showed that the President appointed 64 people from the South-West, 37 from the North-West, 29 from the North-East, 24 from the South-South, 21 from the North Central, and 15 from the South-East.
In summary, 54.2 percent of the appointees (103) are from the Southern part of the country, while the Northern part produced 45.8 percent (87).
The distribution among the 36 States of the Federation and Federal Capital Territory, FCT, showed that Ogun State is the highest with 17 people excluding Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, while Adamawa is the second with 14; Kano has 12, while Edo, Ondo, Osun and Katsina States have 8 each.
Those with one appointment include Ebonyi, Imo, Bayelsa, Cross River, Plateau, and Zamfara States.
Colonel Dangiwa (Retd), who was a Kaduna State Administrator during the Military era, accused President Buhari of lopsided appointments, warning that, chaos has overtaken appointments into government Offices, based on a visible lopsided approach of the government in favour of certain sections, thereby pushing the country into crisis.
“All those who wish you and the country well, must mince no words in warning you that Nigeria has become dangerously polarised, and risks sliding into crisis, on account of your administration’s lopsided appointments, which continues to give undue preference to some sections of the country over others”, he said in a letter on Sunday, addressed to the President.
He referred to the pending matter of the appointment of the Chief Judge of the Court Appeal, in which Justice Monica Dongban Mensem, a Northern Christian, is serving out her second three-month term as Acting Chief Judge, without firm prospects of confirmation as the substantive Head, as a disturbing situation.
“She appears eminently qualified for appointment as the substantive Chief Judge of the Court of Appeal, as she is also said to be highly recommended by the National Judicial Council.
“If she is not, and is bypassed in favour of the next in line, who happens to be another Northern Muslim, that would be truly odd”, he warned.
He further urged the President to pause and reflect on the consequences of failure, be just and fair in managing the country’s affairs, saying: “Mr. President is either unwilling or incapable of acting on your pledge to belong to everyone, and to no one.
“I hope you would see your way into pausing and reflecting on the very grave consequences of such failure, not just to your legacy, but to the future of our great country.”
Col. Dangiwa served as a Military Governor of old Kaduna State between 1985 and 1988, under the regime of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.