Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
Following the intense criticisms that greeted the appointments made by President Muhammadu Buhari in his first term, the Arewa Youth Assembly (AYA), in collaboration with civil society organisations, has called on the president to ensure even spread in his appointments across all the regions in the country, barely two weeks to his inauguration for a second term.
The AYA at a rally held Thursday in Abuja, called on the president to look beyond party affiliations and appoint people who are competent and would also represent the various regions and groups in the country.
The spokesman of the group, Mohammed Danlami, said the group was aware of the accusations thrown at the president over his appointments, adding that majority of the accusers do not mean well for the country.
He warned Buhari against those who would want to misdirect him by advising that appointments should be based on the number of votes he got from each state and region.
Danlami stated: “We are all conversant with the sporadic accusations and tirades thrown at President Muhammadu Buhari over appointments made during this first tenure. It should be noted that the purveyors of these accusations did not mean well for Nigeria as a whole neither did they seek to protect the interest of the regions they claimed to be agitating for.
“What the nation requires is mature nationalistic leadership that will accommodate all Nigerians and provide an all-inclusive fair treatment for all the divergent groups in the country on the basis of equality and fairness to everybody.
“As we approach the evenings of this tenure and are set for the commencement of the second tenure, we cannot but lend our voices to call on President Buhari to ensure that enemies of our collective forward voyage as a nation are not given any excuse to embark on their adversarial stock in trade,” he explained.
“It is on this note that we herein use this medium to call on Mr. President to ensure even distribution of appointments in the next government that will be formed post May 29. Appointments in the security services, ministerial positions, headship of agencies and all such related appointments which require the intervention of the President,” he said.
“No region will be happy if they are consigned to the backwaters of our national leadership affairs. Inclusive governance on the other hand will unite the whole nation and thus no region will fold her arms and watch while crisis engulfs another region as we will see ourselves as one indivisible entity,” he added.
