The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has expressed displeasure and concern over the persistent pattern of unfair, unequal, and heavily skewed federal appointments made by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu since assuming office in October 2023.
This is contained in a statement by the group’s spokesperson, professor Abubakar Jika Jiddere.
According to the statement,the appointments have overwhelmingly favored the South West region, to the detriment of the other five geopolitical zones of the country.
The statement lamented that the practice did not only undermines the spirit of national unity but also blatantly violates the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as amended), which in Chapter 2, Section 14(3), clearly states:
“The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and to promote national unity, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.”
The Constitution further requires adherence to the federal character principle in the allocation of political appointments, bureaucratic positions, and the distribution of socio-economic resources across the country.
NEF particularly condemned the recent composition of the National Census Committee, which is not only grossly lopsided in favor of the South West but also appears to be systematically designed to exclude other key regions. This exclusionary approach is a clear affront to democratic values such as fairness, inclusiveness, justice, and balanced representation.
It added that the conduct of a national census is a critical and sensitive matter, one that must enjoy the confidence and participation of all geopolitical zones,stating that any attempt to marginalize or suppress the interests of other regions risks undermining the legitimacy, accuracy, and national acceptance of the census outcome.
Consequently, NEF demands the following:The immediate reconstitution of the National Census Committee to ensure equal representation of all six geopolitical zones in line with the federal character principle.
