PRESIDENT BUHARI'S NEPOTISM GONE WILD, APPOINTING ONLY NORTHERNERS?

Icheoku recalls when in 2011 then candidate Muhammadu Buhari was prancing around that he won the presidential election because he won the North but was admonished by then Niger State Governor Aliyu Babangida that the North alone does not constitute the entire Nigeria; and that the fact that he won the North does not necessarily mean that he won the election. Further, way back in 1985 when the same Muhammadu Buhari violently overthrew President Shehu Shagari's government (Major General Bako was killed at Aguda House where he went to arrest Shagari); the now President Muhammadu Buhari saturated his Supreme Military Council as well as other cabinet and principal staff positions with majority Northerners. A pattern or habit or character of a an arch tribalist, you decide.

However during the last presidential election campaign, Muhammadu Buhari gave out some flicker of hope of being a changed man, a converted democrat, especially to doubters including Icheoku, when he repeatedly assured and reassured that he is not bigoted nor fanatical. That if he wins the election, he will be president to all and every Nigerian; an assurance he has severally repeated since being inaugurated president of Nigeria on May 29, 2015. But to the chagrin of many, the feelers coming out of his Aso Rock so far seems to suggest otherwise and that an old dog cannot be taught new tricks. The prognosis is that the old man Buhari has not changed; as he has once again gone gun-ho North; totally recoiling to his tribal base as if they are the only ones that matter now and who should be primarily catered to? His appointments so far seems to indicate that he has zero trust on any other Nigerian who is not of Hausa/Fulani stork, particularly those of them from the core Northwest. That the Ota Deity, Baba Iyabo Olusegun Obasanjo has not yet fired one of his 'satanic verses' letter to PMB, horn-mad at this crass display of cronyism and nepotism befuddles Icheoku. Also that the ugly Oby Ezekwesili has not yet opened her wide mouth to condemn this development is shocking; needless to add the chill caused by the taciturnity of those 'Bring Back Their Girls' feminist crusaders who are now being appointed to positions in government and you wonder if their job is done since the staged kidnapped Chibok girls are still not home with their parents?

Less than forty eight hours ago, he summarily sacked the director general of State Security Service Ita Ekpenyong and in his place appointed a man from his own very village, Lawal Musa Daura, to run the service. We are not talking about North or Northwest or Katsina State but a man from the same Daura as the president and Icheoku asks is this cronyism, nepotism, 'umunnaism' or what? Yet none of those fair weather watch dogs by choice, the police men and women of governments in Nigeria is raising any eyebrow over this developing trend of crass nepotism. Then add other appointments he has made since he started making appointments and you wonder if he is unaware that there are other people who constitute Nigerians other than Hausa/Fulanis? The new INEC chairwoman Amina Zakari is from Jigawa State and a distant blood relative of PMB, from the same Northwest; head of Department of Petroleum Resources Mordecai Dantean Baba Ladan is from Kano State, also Northwest; Accountant General of the Federation Ahmed Idris is also from Kano State, the same Northwest; Chief Security Officer Abdulrahman Mani; State Chief of Protocol Lawal Adbullahi Kazaure also from Bauchi; his ADC Lt Col Mohammed Laval Abubakar is from Kano State, the same Northwest; acting director of general security and prospective National Security Adviser Abdulrahman Bello Dambazzau is also from Kano State, the same Northwest; Special Senior Assistant Media and Publicity Garba Shehu is from Adamawa State and then acting Chief of Staff Hamid Ali; all are Northerners! Needless to add insult to injury that the president, senate president and the speaker of the House of Representatives are all Northerners too.

Icheoku says how else can anyone spin this trajectory of behavior not to confirm that the man President Muhammadu Buhari does not trust or consider any other Nigerian worth of his inner circle? Regrettably, if this trend continues as is most likely to, because Muhammadu Buhari once personally confessed to Olusegun Obasanjo that he does not have many friends from the South who he can trust, then Nigeria is in for a rude shock and convulsive awakening. This is a man who said he will be and is president of all; yet is so far acting like his understanding or idea of Nigerians are only those his Hausa/Fulani Nigerians of the core North? But hey, Icheoku raised the alarm when it could have mattered but those Buharists in Nigeria, both North and South, turned deaf ears to the cry to beware. Therefore, may PMB continue to visit Nigerians with whatever his parochial inclination tells him is right and good for ONLY his Hausa/Fulani people of Northwestern Nigeria;  whose turn it is anyway to party like it is 1999. Like the man from Otuoke, Icheoku does not give a darn about whatever PMB decides to do with Nigerians, especially those from other tribes who voted for him anyway and against their own very interest, and as he sees and deems fit. Little wonder he has been crawling through governance so that he can craftily and quickly implement all his immediate Miyetti Allah agenda before Nigerians wake up from their stupor. Anyway, by this, Icheoku is merely laying out the facts and for the records, that's all. So goodluck Nigerians with your PMB.