by Tonye Barcanista
When President Muhammadu Buhari first northernised Nigeria’s defence sector with his appointment of Northerners into offices of the national security adviser, minister of defence, chief of army staff, and director-general of the Department for State Security Services, Nigeria’s secret police, some of us raised alarm that the president has an hidden agenda but we were tagged wailers.
After Buhari was through with the defence sector, Buhari moved his ‘shop’ to the internal security/ paramilitary sector. With the appointment of Northerners to occupy offices of the minister of justice who serves as attorney-general for the federation, the comptroller general of the Nigeria Customs Service, minister of interior who oversees the civil defence, the prisons, immigration. All the agencies have Buhari appointees – all Northerners – at the helm.
Recently, Buhari topped up his ‘game’ with the appointment of a Northerner as the new inspector general of police. Completing the cycle.
While we were wailing on that, Buhari, a Fulani man from the North completed his onslaught on the oil sector of the country. The sector financed fully by the resources taken from the Niger Delta region in the South of the country. Oil proceeds accounts for over 80% of the budget for the entire country – including the 36 states and the pseudo state called the Federal Capital Territory.
As part of his plot, he deliberately relegated Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, a Christian from the southern state of Delta, from the influential office of group managing director of the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to the post of a ‘junior’ minister of petroleum resources, while he, Buhari, assume the office of minister of petroleum.
The significance of this move is that Dr. Kachikwu will only act according the dictates of the president, while he carries the full responsibility of the ministry of petroleum resources.
On Monday, July 4, 2016 Buhari announced a new board for the NNPC. Of the nine members of the board, Buhari not only returned the position of the group managing director to the North, he also appointed six other Northerners into the board leaving the South with ONLY THREE slots.
The Northerners on the board are Dr. Maikanti Kaccalla Baru, the group managing director, Alhaji Mahmoud Dutse, permanent secretary of the ministry of finance, Buhari’s chief of staff, Abba Kyari, Dr. Tajuddeen Umar, Mallam Mohammed Lawal, and Mallam Yusuf Lawal
The three Southerners are Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, ceremonial chairperson of the board, Dr. John M. A. Thomas, and Dr. Pius O. Akinyelure.
For avoidance of doubt, the power of the chairman of NNPC board is limited to presiding over board meetings without any significant influence. Unlike the group managing director of the petroleum minister who have an enormous amount of influence in the sector.
We must also bear in mind that the permanent secretary, ministry of petroleum resources, Alhaji Jamila Shu’ara, is also from the North.
So, in summary. Nigeria’s minister of petroleum is from the North (Buhari, himself). The permanent secretary in the ministry of petroleum is from the North. The group managing director of the NNPC is from the North, and 6 of the 9 board members of the NNPC are from the North.
President Buhari by this appointment has confirmed our suspicion and vindicated us that he is out to further divide the good people of the South against the hardworking people of the North.
The action of Mr. President is highly condemnable and does not represent that of a statesman that desires Nigeria unity.
I pray Nigerians survive this onslaught on our unity and collective aspiration by President Buhari.
May God bless us all and bless Nigeria.
Tonye Barcanista is a public relations professional. He is also an activist, politician, and socio-political analyst. He is a patriotic Nigerian and fan of FC Barcelona. He tweets from @TonyeBarcanista.
The opinions expressed in this article are only those of the author.
