By Joe Onwukeme,
Ever since president Buhari was inaugurated as the president of the emerging Nigeria, some indecorous critics have taken it upon themselves to be fighting imaginary wars, making a mountain out of a molehill.
There’s hardly a day that would pass by that friends won’t at every turn ask me: “where’s our change”?
On every appointment, a very close friend of mine would send the names of the appointees on my facebook wall to notify and remind me no South east person has been appointed by the president.
To many of my southern friends, the appointments so far is an indication president Buhari is pursuing a northen agenda so that a particular region would continue to dominate Nigeria.
I don’t want to comment on the few appointments so far, considering the fact that the president has over a thousand appointments to make in no distant time but interesting facts abound about this northern domination which I have seen but don’t know if others have seen it or pretended not to notice.
I noticed there is a BBC Hausa station but no BBC yoruba or Igbo. Was this caused by Buhari to continue northern domination?
What about Africa Magic Hausa? It’s even on GOTV but Africa Magic Igbo is not on GOTV, just DSTV and on a higher bouquet plan. So Africa Magic Igbo is not given equal opportunities with Africa Magic Hausa. Who’s to be blamed? Buhari!
Boko Haram has been attacking only the north and they have not come to the South. Another evidence of the north wanting to have everything under Buhari. Lets blame Buhari.
Again, Shekau has been silent but when he speaks in his videos, what language does he speak? Hausa without Igbo or Yoruba translations. Hausa domination of other languages, is that not so?
What of the recent arrest and detention of some former northern governors by EFCC and the 12 hours siege at the Abuja residence of the immediate past National Security adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) last week Thursday, by men of the Department of State Security Service (DSS). Was those acts part of the northern domination of Nigeria?
Now that relevant authorities are going after politicians of northern extraction, who were fingered in corruption cases, some malicious partisan whistle blowers really seem to be comfortable with it but when same authorities will begin their manhunt of corrupt politicians from their regions, they will still cry out that president Buhari is on a vindictive mission.
It is only those who are yet to recover from agony of defeat and some ethnic bigots that would insist president Buhari is pursuing a northern agenda through his appointments. Mr. President in his inaugural speech assured Nigerians he would be president of Nigeria and not president of a particular region and so far his few appointments has been purely on merit and competence. This is a clear depature from what was obtained in the past and even the blind could see that president Buhari is keeping to his inaugural promise of belonging to nobody but everybody.
Lest we forget: Before Buhari was voted,” he’s a fanatic”, “he will Islamize Nigeria”, “Buhari is boko haram” etc. He is now the president and am yet to see anything close to what those myopic religious and tribalistically motivated folks were ranting. Please, to those that are still ruled by parochial sentiments: just keep your tribe and religion to yourself. Nigeria has grown beyond that and we want a better Nigeria.
The truth is, common sense is not really common here in our polity. Or how can one explain the resort to checking where Buhari’s appointees are from not their abilities? With the monstrous problems facing us, we are really carrying elephants on our heads and scratching the grounds for crickets with our feets.
May God save us from us!
Joe Onwukeme *Enugu
unjoeratedjoe@gmail.com