The Presidency has once again rejected claims that President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointments are lopsided and favour northerners.
“It is, indeed, false for anyone to say that President Buhari’s appointments are lopsided. From all records, majority of the President’s appointees across different portfolios are not from the North,” a statement on Saturday by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, read in part.
The statement was issued in reaction to a report published by Business Day on October 29, in which 81 of 100 of the President’s appointees were identified as northerners.
According to Mr Adesina, the report contained inaccuracies which are either as a result of ignorance or a mischievous attempt to mislead the public and portray the Buhari administration in bad light.
“To claim, suggest or attempt to insinuate that the President’s appointments are tilted in favour of a section of the country is simply untrue and certainly uncharitable,” he said.
The inaccuracies in the report, he said, included the misidentification of the heads of some agencies and the exclusion from the article of “at least 50 names of the President’s appointees” who are not from the North.
Still on the said errors in the article, Mr Adesina said, “For instance, the publication didn’t mention Sharon Ikeazor, Director-General, PTAD, who is from Anambra, South East; Folorunsho Coker, DG, NTDC; who is from Lagos, South West; Ituah Ighodalo, of the National Council of Privatisation, who is from the South-South; Eze Duru Ihioma, Chairman, NPC, who is from Imo, South East, among many others.”
He added, “The article also wrongly named Tunde Irukera as Executive Secretary of CPP,-whatever that is- instead of Consumer Protection Council (CPC). Rather conveniently, the publication ignored mentioning that Mr Emeka Nwankpa is chairman of CPC. Not only that, the writer claimed that the Director-General of the Budget Office is Aliyu Gusau, whereas Mr. Ben Akabueze is the actual DG, Budget Office.”
Adesina who said “a simple enquiry from official sources in the Presidency” would have prevented the situation, insisted that the President would continue to serve all Nigerians.
“President Muhammadu Buhari remains committed to serving all Nigerians, no matter the tribe, ethnicity or region, and he is also determined to ensure that Nigeria remains strong and united. He has, and will continue to keep faith with one Nigeria and has shown this with the administration’s diverse projects in different parts of the country’s geopolitical zones,” he said.
