Arewa Economic Forum cautions Tinubu against ‘Yorubanisation, Lagoslisation’ of appointments

The Arewa Economic Forum (AEF) has drawn the attention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to what it termed the Yorubanisation and Lagoslisation of his appointments.

The socio-cultural pressure group said most of the people President Tinubu has appointed as heads of strategic government agencies in the finance and ICT sectors are from the Southwest and also from the Lagos axis.

The Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Shehu Dandakata, expressed displeasure over the fact that the North, which significantly contributed to the enthronement of the Tinubu government, is being left out in the Finance and ICT sectors, which are crucial to economic development.

At a press conference in Abuja, Dandakata said it was regrettable that the Chief Executive Officers of some key government agencies and parastatals, who are northerners, are gradually being replaced with Yorubas, while there is a fear that more may be replaced.

He said: “As a patriotic, refined statesman who won a credible, national mandate on February 25, 2023, President Bola Tinubu has a duty to not only be fair to all parts of the country but also to be seen to be fair to all parts.

“The Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, and the Acting Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Folashodun Shonubi, are both from the southwest, and we admit that they are eminently qualified for their respective positions.

“The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Mr. Bosun Tijani; the Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT, Senator Afolabi Salisu; and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Adedeji Olajide Odidiomo, are all from the southwest.

“We have now found that even some agencies whose chief executive officers were removed, like Customs and NIMC, have been replaced by people from the southwest,” he said.

The Forum, however, hailed the President for retaining some outstanding northerners who are doing very well in the finance and ICT sectors, adding that the North has more capable hands who can equally help him fulfil his economic agenda.

“We must commend the President for retaining some performing CEOs of leading agencies in the Economy and Digital world from the North, like Bello Hassan of NDIC and Kashifu Inuwa of NITDA, who are making the nation proud with their outstanding performances.

“We also thank Mr. President for not yielding to pressure to remove the performing officers and call on him to also appoint similar competent, qualified, experienced, and result-oriented personalities from the North and elsewhere to head other vital agencies,” Dandakata added.

He, however, expressed the fear that some excellent northerners could be removed and replaced too, cautioning that this would not augur well for the economy or the fragile unity of the country.

“We are afraid to state that a situation whereby the appointees in crucial economic sectors are not only from the southwest but also connected to the Lagos axis suggests a deliberate Yorubanization and Lagoslization of the polity.

“In his appointments, changes, and replacements, we call on the President to be wary of actions that can send the wrong signal about his true intentions or the agenda of some of his key lieutenants.

“For example, the President last week directed the immediate past Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Aliyu Abubakar Aziz, to proceed on terminal leave, and in his place he appointed Engr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote as acting DG.

“But in the same directive, the President asked her to continue as substantive DG immediately after acting for three months. Many found this curious, as it is actually unprecedented.

“If the President could not allow the most senior director in the Commission to act for some time, he should have instructed Madam Coker-Odusote to resume her four-year tenure instead of making her enjoy an extra three months. This is capable of setting a bad precedent for public service appointments.

“It is not too late for Mr President to turn the corner and do the needful in upcoming appointments and crucial decisions. We believe firmly that this President means well for our dear nation, but he and his lieutenants need to understand optics, as perception is reality.

“In his appointments, changes, and replacements, we call on the President to be wary of actions that can send the wrong signal about his true intentions or the agenda of some of his key lieutenants.

“We expect President Tinubu to be fair, just, and equitable in his decisions, not only because Northerners overwhelmingly voted for him but because that is the right thing to do,” the chairman concluded.

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