Unassailable facts show that President Jonathan has given the centre stage in the affairs of his administration to the people of northern Nigeria. Whether it is in the areas of political appointments to its seasoned sons and daughters or to massive infrastructural development, the northerners are reaping great benefits for its support to his administration this first term and so they are expected to vote for him again in few days when Nigerians go to the polls.
In the order of national protocol, the north takes from second to sixth positions, from Vice President, Arc. Namadi Sambo, to the Senate President, Sen. David Mark, the Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the Chief Justice of the Federation, Hon. Justice Mohammed Mahumud, the President of the Court of Appeal, Hon. Justice Zainab Adamu Bulkachuwa.
The national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) Alhaji Adamu Muazu is also a northerner. The leadership of the National Assembly is a northern affair. The President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Chairman of National Assembly Service Commission and even the Clerk of the National Assembly are all northerners. And as is obvious, the echelon of the judiciary is in the hands of northerners. The Chief Registrars of the apex courts of the land are from the North, and so are the chairman of Judicial Service Commission, and the Executive Secretary of National Judicial Council.
The security apparatus is no different. From the National Security Adviser, Col Dasuki Sambo, Minister of Defence, Gen. Aliyu Gusau, and the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, Chief of Naval staff, Rear Admiral Ibrahim, the Acting Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, D-G Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), D-G Directorate of Military Intelligence (MIA), D-G Defence Industries Corporation (NDIC) Kaduna, the national coordinator on Counter Terrorism to the CSO to the president are all from the north. Ministers of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), of Internal Affairs, Hon. Abba Moro, of Foreign Affairs Amb. Aminu Wali, of Youth Affairs, Mr. Boni Haruna, of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Sen. Bala Mohammed, of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekaru, of Transport, Sen. Idris Mohammed, of Environment, Mrs. Lawrencia Labran, of Solid Minerals, Arc. Mohammed Sada.
These are some of the bright brains from northern Nigeria that are making great contributions in the government of President Goodluck Jonathan. So also is the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the chairman of Nigeria Railway Corporation, Alh. Bamanga Tukur.
Also, the most visible and influential Special Adviser to the President (Political), Prof. Alkali is a northerner. Chairman of PENCOM, Head of Service of the Federation, including about 2/3 of the federal permanent secretaries, the Auditor-General of the Federation, chairman of NAPEP and chairmen of a host of other statutory commissions, boards, agencies, parastatals, and schools are all from the north.
There is a harvest of executive secretaries and directors-general of strategic agencies of government, all of whom are of northern origin, that one is tempted to think that the scale for appointment to these lucrative positions is tilted in favour of the north. Some of these positions are the Group Executive Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority, (FCDA), Executive Secretary, Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Comptroller General of Customs, Comptroller of Immigration Services and the Registrar-General of Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), including several others.