By Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa
The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), the umbrella of all youths of Ijaw descent worldwide yesterday described the removal of Mr Matthew Seiyefa and choice of Yusuf Bichi as the new boss of the Department of State Security (DSS) as a show of President Muhammadu Buhari’s profound nepotism.
The influential Niger Delta youth group, said the appointment was a true reflection of the president’s ethnic bias and which it said had been on display since he was sworn in on May 29, 2015.
Secretary-General of the IYC, Mr. Alfred Kemepado, in a statement released in Yenagoa, the national headquarters of the body, wondered why the president would appoint a man who had finished his term and retired over six months ago, in place of a ‘very qualified Matthew Seiyefa’ who it insisted was already doing a fantastic job.
IYC alleged that the next set of most qualified persons who should have been appointed were all from Southern Nigeria, stressing that because of his sectional interest, the president went shopping for Bichi who had already retired.
“The IYC condemns the President for his insensitivity, outright disrespect and disregard for people of the South. With this provocative action, it has become obvious that Buhari no longer pretends about his dislike for the concept of Nigeria for All Nigerians’.
“We also charge members of the President’s cabinet from the South to protest the appointment of the new DSS helmsman by walking out of the government. By doing so, they will be demonstrating their patriotism”, the youth organisation argued.
It added: “The removal of Mr. Seiyefa, who is by far more experienced and qualified for the number one DSS job should not be forgiven and forgotten.
“IYC calls on people of the region not to consider the President as an ally when it comes to their development.
” That the President has shown disrespect and consistently assaulted our collective sensibilities even in the way he has treated members of his cabinet from our region, shows his disdain for our people.”
According to the IYC, it is now obvious that despite the groundswell of criticisms against the President’s actions flouting the principle of Federal Character in the past, this latest decision only points to the fact that he (the president) is pursuing an agenda.”
