Following widespread criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent appointments, the Nigerian Bar Association and a prominent lawyer, Festus Keyamo has described the appointments as a step towards a greater and better Nigeria.
NBA President, Mr. Augustine Alegeh, while speaking to journalists urged Nigerians to exercise patience with the president.
Alegeh said “Probably, these are key technical positions that are being filled by the most competent available persons. But you can always compensate when you are making other ministerial appointments. I think we should all be patience and should always have trust and confidence in the people we have elected.
“We must know that the President won election with many people contributing to the election. So, let us look at the appointments he has made along those lines. I have listened to the President speak and I can see his conviction in a greater and better Nigeria.
“I am not a party man, and I am not his personal friend, but from what I have seen, I have no doubt in my mind that he means the best for Nigeria, that he will not do anything to infringe the Nigerian Constitution. But let us wait for all the appointments to be in before we start talking of Federal Character.”
Keyamo accused jobless politicians of staging the so called ‘uproar.’
He said “The so-called ‘uproar’ over the perceived ‘lopsided’ appointments made so far by President Buhari is nothing but an orchestrated frustration of a few jobless politicians who depend only on government appointments as their means of livelihood and, of course, the noise of the latest opposition party in town.
“The majority of Nigerians want to see good governance, pure and simple, and care less about the ethnic origin of those appointed into positions.
“My worry is that the decade-long general division of government positions into ‘juicy’ and ‘non-juicy’, and the mentality that these few ‘juicy’ positions must be shared equally among the major ethnic groups was nothing but a contraption of the old order from which we have just liberated ourselves.
“I therefore unreservedly condemn, in the strongest of terms, the so-called ‘uproar’ about ‘juicy positions’ going only to a certain section of this country. All sections of this country should be happy and content with whatever positions that the President deems fit, at the end of the day, to give to their kinsmen.
“After all, the President still has a long way to go with appointments. He has not even filled up to five percent of available positions. Please, let the President be.”
Meanwhile Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina while featuring on a radio programme, Political Platform, on RayPower 100.5FM expressed optimism that the president will still balance his appointments.
Adesina said “Nobody can fault the fact that those appointed were based on merits.
“In terms of the spread, the President has the prerogative to appoint and he knows there is Federal Character.
“I am sure that there will be balance in the future.
“These are still early days. At the end of the day, we will have a balance.
“By the time more appointments are made, it will balance out. The President is trying to get the very best of Nigerians. The issue of key positions and no key positions should not be the issue.
“He gave a deadline of September for the appointment of ministers and he will keep to it.”