Buhari's Appointments: Nigerians react, Questions raised!

When the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina announced the appointments of some of President Muhammadu Buhari's kitchen cabinet yesterday, not many expected what they got.
  The list include

Engr. Babachir David Lawal  from Adamawa State - Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

Alhaji Abba Kyari also from Adamawa is the Chief of Staff.

Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd.) From Gombe state- Comptroller-General, Nigerian Customs Service

Mr. Kure Martin Abeshi  who hails from Nasarawa State Comptroller-General, Nigerian Immigration Service

Senator Ita Enang  from Akwa Ibom - Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (Senate)

Suleiman A. Kawu from Kano state - SSA to National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives).

While it is still early days yet to start jumping to conclusions, there are questions been raised by most Nigerians who made comments on social network media in the last 24-48 hours...First is, what happens to Federal Character ? For it resolves the issue of  diverse representation of all zones in key positions at the Federal level of governance .Nigeria is divided into six geo-political zones.
 
While some argued that the President only appointed competent and tested Nigerians irrespective of where they are from...Some said "the 'change' been clamored for by the majority of the citizens is here and has come to stay...gone are the days when merit is sacrificed for equal representation of different zones in Nigeria"

Also some commentators asked 'what happened to President Buhari's 'change-agents' ? Men like ex Governors of Rivers state, Rotimi Amaechi, Lagos state, Babatunde Fashola and Ekiti state, Kayode Fayemi...those who played a major role during the electioneering process that helped Buhari to the post.. have they suddenly become incompetent? Are they no more trusted?

Some Nigerians  also asked the question.."Is President Buhari back to fulfill the Northern agenda?"...It is an open secret that Military Heads of state and past Presidents from the Northern part of the country always have a preference for their kinsmen to occupy key positions in their cabinet when they governed.

The Author's Conclusion: Yes it is right to put merit at the forefront when making appointments but it should also be done with care...some sections of Nigeria shouldn't feel left out in the decision-making machinery of President Buhari..he got votes from all zones in the country.
Also, we should note it that competence is not exclusive to only a part of Nigeria for records show that people from the Southern part are more learned than their Northern folks..someone even mentioned it that the number of primary schools in Lagos alone is more than total number in the whole of the North(not confirmed though).
I feel Buhari's appointees are not necessarily the most competent but those he felt he trusted.
This also shows the cracks in the party, APC whom he represents at the top. Many feel the common ground which brought their Leaders together was just to defeat the last government at the polls and not ideologies on how Nigeria would become better! Time would tell if this is true.

Olusegun Okuboyejo