TVC E. The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Ufot Ekaette, and the Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters, Ita Enang,
has described insinuations that President Muhammadu Buhari, favoured a particular section of the country in the appointments so far made by him as untrue.
Rather, the appointees argued that Buhari, followed strictly, the principles of the Federal Character as entrenched in the constitution, while making his appointments.
They spoke at a reception organised by the Akwa – Cross Association in the Public Service in Abuja. Enang noted that the federal government deserves the support of the Cross River and Akwa Ibom people and the entire people of the South – South because he has been very kind to them and generous in terms of appointments from the two states.
Buhari, according to Enang, gave the two states, the head of the Civil Service of the Federation, who is in charge of all the civil servants in the entire country. He said, “Buhari has given us the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe, a very high ranking officer in the federal security council. He has given us the Minister of Budget, Udoma Udo Udoma and then, my humble self, as the Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Legislative matters.
He has also given us the minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Ufot Ekaette. “In the entire South South region, he gave us Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, in charge of about three ministries merged together. He also gave us the minister of petroleum.
“When I see people trying to incite others against the president over matters of appointment, I conclude that they are being unfair, and that is why we gather here today to appraise the appointments and to appreciate the president.”
Enang noted that the president, despite his tight schedule, went to Cross River State to inaugurate the construction of the international super highway from Cross River to Cameroon and other countries in West and Central Africa.
He said Buhari, had also provided N6 billion to dualise the road from Calabar to Itu, en route Ikot Ekpene, to Aba in Abia State adding that, the contracts for the Calabar – Lagos rail project which will take off from Calabar en route Aba, had been signed. “We have not been violent in the Niger Delta militant struggle but we are saying we would not be taken for granted, we are making our demands known.
On the issue of alleged lopsidedness in the ambassadorial list just submitted to the Senate, the issue is being addressed. “It was already raised on the floor of the senate and it has been communicated to the appropriate authorities and appropriate actions are being taken to make sure all sections of the country are being carried along.
The president is following strictly, the standard federal character processes.” said Enang. The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Ufot Ekaette, in his contribution, argued that appointments were not being made on the basis of North and South in Nigeria but rather, based on the number of states in the country. “The North has 19 states and federal character has provisions for states and not regions.
Therefore, until we carry out that analysis, there would be no authentication to claims that the North are being favoured in terms of appointments than the south,” he said. He said Nigeria is not configured on the basis of North and South but on the basis of states as entrenched in the constitution.
On the crisis in the Niger Delta, the minister ruled out the insinuations that the Niger Delta Avengers, were up in arms partly because of the alleged lopsidedness in the appointments into key federal positions by the current administration. He said the responsibility as specified by the mandate of his ministry was to advise government on security issues.
“We are continually engaging the youths in various ways and participating in other activities to assuage the situation. We are persistent in persuasion, advising government and following up on the programmes that should be of productive engagement to the youths,” he said.
The Chairman of, Akwa-Cross Association in the Public Service in Nigeria. Prince Edem Bassey, said the essence of the gathering was to honour their own people recently appointed by Buhari. He also said that the gathering was to push further, the need to drive forward, the cardinal focus of the Head of Service, which is to produce, efficient, effective, productive, incorruptible and citizen centered civil servants.
However, President Muhammadu Buhari has accused by Nigerians to be sectional by appointing mostly Northerners in the country.
Recently, Southern groups in Nigeria has berated President Muhammadu Buhari over the appointment of mainly northerners to man the security apparatus of the nation. According to the groups, the appointments by the president does not reflect federal character and the diversified nature of Nigeria.
