Buhari breached federal character with lopsided appointments, says don

Professor Peter Arinze has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari over his lopsided appointments, which he said do not respect the principle of federal character.
Arinze, a senior lecturer in the Department of Business Management, University of Jos, who spoke to The Guardian in Jos, took a swipe at the president for jettisoning a system recognised by the constitution of the country.

To buttress his assertion, the don argued that the president’s appointments were skewed in favour of a particular ethnic nationality, adding that no ethnic group should be regarded as superior to another.

“We should have a president of all Nigerians. The president should not be for a section of Nigeria regardless of where he got the majority votes. He must be the president of all Nigerians, whether they are Muslims, Christians or minorities. His attitude, actions and promotions should not be one-sided. He should follow federal character as contained in the constitution.

“When the president does not follow federal character in appointments and promotions, many people would be isolated and would not accept the president as theirs. The result would be pitting of region against region or against central government in the competition for the lion’s share of the nation’s economic pie,” he said.

Arinze implored Buhari to focus his actions on what he would like to be remembered for when he is no more, just like South Africa’s Nelson Mandela who was the president of all South Africans.“He (Mandela) has gone, but his birthday was declared a public holiday in South Africa. Many people from Britain and United States of America come to deliver his birthday lectures. Mandela had the opportunity to be president of South Africa for life, but he served for one term. He declined a second tenure when pressure was mounted on him.“Despite that he was imprisoned by the apartheid government, he never revenged those who sent him to prison. He is a legend,” he pointed out.