Much ado about Buhari’s appointments

They wonder how, ‘we were all witnesses to the piecemeal appointments made by Buhari’; and how, ‘we all saw that each time he made those appointments, they were lopsidedly in favor of the North’. So now they ask ‘how come when a final toll is taken, the numbers don’t add up? And the answer is simple: ‘because whereas you had paid kin attention to all lists of appointments that favored the North, you had deliberately ignored those that favored the South. And thanks to your ‘over-dribble’, now we know that there were not just as many such lists that favored the North, there were in fact even more that favored the South!

Each time there was a list in favour of the North, there had always been a spontaneous uproar of alarm and condemnation. Opposition political parties, especially the PDP, and often even a notoriously cry-wolf Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, had always had a field day repeating the usual propaganda of an ethno-religiously or geo-politically biased government bent on assuaging a phantom hegemonic temperament. And because the Southern media too had often –advertently or inadvertently- helped to tend to these divisive nerves, soon the perception came to stick in the mind of an unsuspecting public, of a government not just eminently nepotistic, but in fact incorrigibly so.

But we saw also, that whenever the reverse had happened and a list was released that was just as pro-South as a previous one had been pro-North, virtually all the moral champions of geo-political and ethno-religious balance in federal appointments, had suddenly lost their ‘corrective voices’. Their heads buried in the sand like the ostrich, they pretended on each occasion not to see any evil, not to hear any evil. How would they have had the toll add up in the end?

In retrospect whenever such reverse situations happened, a few Northerners, as always, had only blushingly but un-affectedly teased them with subtle gags like: ‘So now you no get mouth complain because e favor you?!’ Or many would say ‘Thank God we go hear word now because na una e favor this time!’ it has always been typical of these cry-wolfers to just keep mum!

Northerners, just like they never bicker about their corrupt ones being brought to book, are also never ready to split hairs about who has an edge in the sharing or spread of political appointments. Because they believe that as many times as there are appointment lists in favor of the North, so will there be lists too at other times, in favor of the South. A little more here, today; and a little more there, tomorrow.

And now that we know that Buhari’s appointments thus far have favored the South more than the North, should heaven fall –like they had been importuning it should? Or are Southerners not Nigerians, just like Northerners are? Why should we split hairs just because there are a couple of more Southerners than there are Northerners on the list of federal appointment lists? There were more lopsided appointments in favor of the South even when Jonathan was there. Heaven did not fall! Nor did Northerners make it such a divisive issue as some Southerners are, today.

I said when I wrote ‘Still On Buhari’s Appointments:

“Many had cited Jonathan’s ethno-centric appointments as justification for a retaliatory measure even by a Buhari that is not known to be malevolent. But it’ll not be right to ‘trade a Rolland for an Oliver’! In fact my grouse with Jonathan’s appointments was not so much for the geo-ethnic bias (in making them) as it was the gross non-performance of  his appointees and the brazen theft of our common patrimony which they had made the very purpose of governance. Baring that, it should not have mattered to me that they (Jonathan’s appointees) all came from a section of the country”.

It was my candid opinion that merit and maybe a reasonable degree of equity, rather than geo-political or ethno-religious balance should determine how appointments are made. Which is not to ignore the fact that there are certain political offices whose appointments are regulated by the Constitution, or by Statute

Postscript

And now that they have been busted, they are resorting to their trade mark of shifting the goal post again! They say it is not just about ‘quantum’. That it is about ‘quality’. Now they talk about ‘juicy’ and ‘non juicy’ appointments. And you wonder ‘if it is truly about service, what has the search for ‘juicy’ offices got to do with it?

It had to take this same unyielding quest by hate-mongers for the things that divide us, to bring to the surface such unpalatable truth that now unsettles none but them. The Hausas will say ‘qilu ya jawo bau!’ –meaning ‘a careless flicker has set off a conflagration!’ But I prefer the more profoundly metaphorical ‘allura ta haqo garma’ (that the needle has unearthed an axe).

And this has always been the case with them. Crying wolf always and having to eat the humble pie in the end.

Re- Revisiting ‘CAN’s descent to the medieval’

+2347035340446 “I have read, re-read and will read and read again and again, your masterpiece ‘Revisiting CAN’s Descent To The Medieval’. It is food for thought. I am a Christian and all you said is true. Forget this our CAN. A bundle of confusion and contradictions. But for religion, Nigeria would have been great. I will continue to patronize your column”. -+2347035340446

Online:- “What people do not know is that in its rules of transactions and business dealings, Islam allows the business ‘game of chance’ to be dictated by the laws of market forces –a morally conscious free economy. I like the comparison made between religious schools and religious banks. The reason CAN shouts Islamization is when they cannot copy or replicate the ideology without looking out rightly like copycats”. –Umar Hamza.

Online:- “Brilliantly packaged as usual. All the antagonistic voices behind the financial or economic idea are to be disregarded. They are mischievously ignorant’-Musa Suleiman.

Online:- “This is indeed an assorted breakfast buffet… God bless you Sir…. We need to read materials like this with open mind” –Abdul Ganiyu Tairu.

Online:- “A brilliant piece! Full of history and religious education. Well done my brother”. –Muhammad Kudu

Re- Wailers vs Hailers

meritigwede@gmail.com:- With due respect sir, I like the fact that you strategically expressed your thoughts on WAILERS VS HAILERS. From your column, it is obvious that you are a Buharist and that is right in your own way. We have different thoughts but weren’t you too harsh on the wailers? I wanted to send a lengthy mail but I will try my best to make it concise and present it in questions. I am neither a wailer nor a hailer but don’t you think the wailers have been so victorious as they have been ruling this great country since 1999? Where were the hailers? Don’t you say that they were assessing because even after assessing we can’t still see what they have done in these few years in office.
There is no doubt that there are similarities between the trajectory of the country’s progress and PDP’s progress.

Also, since you have painted the hailers to be so flawless what do you have to say on what Ferdinard Orbih, SAN said, “While the Goodluck administration was able to reduce incidents of disobedience of court orders to the barest minimum, the President Buhari administration has elevated disobedience of court orders to official state policy”. The President Buhari’s administration knowing fully well that the Judiciary is the perfect arm to tackle corruption meanwhile, it has made the arm even more corrupt then i wondered ‘I thought he wanted to sweep out corruption for good’ –Merit Igwede

Online:- “An unfortunate period in our history as a nation. Unfortunate because the most vocal of all at present were urchins that gobbled on the crumbs that fell from the table of masters of perfidy. For them the crime is to dare speak up against what was wrong. Therefore, everything is not right with Buhari’s government even if nothing corruptible is traced to him or the First Lady beyond the specter of malicious rumor” –Thomas Brown Usmam Wamba

Online:- “Thanks for enriching awareness on the righteousness and patriotism of ‘Hailers’, and the Cradle of evil which ‘Wailers’ symbolize at this critically challenging time of crises, with our identity as one indivisibly cohesive political sovereignty!” –Muhammad Sulaiman

Online:- “Another excellent piece. Always a delight to read your incisive and captivating takes. May Allah bless you more and endow us with as much gift when we grow up too”. –Muhammadu Mubarak

Online:- “I wish it is possible to publish your piece in all the papers and all platforms. So that all the ‘Wailers’ and ‘Hailers’ can see, read, digest this excellent piece and appreciate the Mohammed Adamu… Well done my brother”.Muhammad Kudu.

Online:- “This analysis reminds me of Newswatch ‘Preface to Cover’ of those pioneering years of newsmagazine journalism. Brilliant”. –Nsidifiok Nsukaba

Online:- “The Wailers will still wail on this work of in-depth intellectual mind.” –Adelusi Aderemi

Online:- “Excellent analysis and very factual”. –Yahaya Bello

Re-‘Babachir, ‘Cabal’ as anti-theory’

+2347016946072:- “A President who rode to power on the strength of his reputation of integrity, receives a report on alleged corrupt activities of an officer of his administration as high as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF and takes over two months to act, only after a bigger scandal just occurred and you see nothing wrong in it, attributing it to his being meticulous. Three members of the President’s kitchen cabinet connived to reinstate a fugitive alleged to have stolen billions without his knowledge and you say he is both in power and in control. You all think Nigerians are fools. That is the most painful part of this madness you see nothing wrong with. He should have continued his ‘meticulousness’…. by setting up another panel and merely suspend Maina rather than sacking him”. –+2347016946072

+08023743220:-“Mallam, dear Mallam! You remain the most fertile and erudite writer cum columnist I ever come across in my professional life. The job you did in your column today is simply un-put-down-able and I am going to tell the story behind it someday. The write up remains masterfully crafted and can only come from the Mallam I am privileged to have known! More ink to your pen.” –Lisa Olu Akerele

Online:- “The issue of the so called ‘cabal’ in Buhari’s government as the peddlers of that assertion try to portray, has for long time been a myth or imagination of the peddlers rather than real to me. In any case your recipe this Thursday has fully unbundled them. kudos to you bros”. -Nasiru Rabiu

Online:- “The way you succinctly dealt with the issue of Buhari and his critics; may most likely irk your accusers than earn the accolades of your admirers. Surely, you’ll be cloaked with the garb of religion, if not ethnicity; and probably be accused of some pecuniary gain than be viewed analytically and dispassionately –Thomas Brown Usmam Wamba

+2348054648202:- “Mohammed, thanks for making my day beautiful and bright. What a thriller. I love the write up. It is equivalent to music by the masters. Cheers”.–Engr Femi Aribatise

QUOTE: Each time there was a list in favour of the North, there had always been a spontaneous uproar of alarm and condemnation. Opposition political parties, especially the PDP, and often even a notoriously cry-wolf Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, had always had a field day repeating the usual propaganda of an ethno-religiously or geo-politically biased government bent on assuaging a phantom hegemonic temperament. And because the Southern media too had often –advertently or inadvertently- helped to tend to these divisive nerves, soon the perception came to stick in the mind of an unsuspecting public, of a government not just eminently nepotistic, but in fact incorrigibly so.