I commented in one of my freelance posts yesterday on the need for the
President to carry all the regions along by giving them a sense of
belonging especially in his appointment for now. I have received various
challenges on it even up till this morning.One young man referred to it as "pettiness" saying that there were more issues bothering the country than tribalism. I read his comment all over again for me to deduce if he actually made the comment for the sake of making a comment or may be I should recommend a short course for him in sociology.
To be fair to the young man, he is absolutely
entitled to his opinion as I am to mine. Unfortunately, some people still think the whole Nigeria is Lagos, Abuja and Port harcourt. For their information, Nigeria is not only relatively big in land mass but also large in her cultural diversity even though we have summed them up under the three tribes.
I don't think any sane person will be against change. What we are saying is that we should walk into our change by taking it gradually and systematically and this can only be achieved by carrying every region along and giving them some reasonable measures of sense of belonging and participation in the government. It doesn't have to be evenly distributed. Nobody jumps on a ladder without ending up with bruises all over.
What the young man referred as pettiness is actually bigger than the national project that we are all clamouring for today. Any mismanagement of it can lead to chaos.
Despite the ongoing killings in the Northeast by suicide bombers especially with the use of young girls in Hijab. Can the President suspend the use of veil and not experience an uproar among the same people he is trying to secure?
This is how culture,tribalism and religion sentiment can be strong.
Let me give you a shocker. What do you think was responsible for the defeat of Jonathan in the last election? Or you thought it was because he didn't give us power, good road, hospital etc? Or you thought Buhari won because of APC manifesto or buhari so called integrity? None of those things was significantly strong enough to determine victory or defeat for any of the two candidates. Tribe, culture and religion did the work. I can stand by it anywhere that those that voted for any of the candidates based on the parameters above were less than 20%. Quote me anywhere.
At this state of our national orientation and development that buhari should go ahead by selecting all his cabinet members not minding where ever they come from, if possible they can all come from Daura as long as the job is done and you expect the people from those neglected regions to come together and clap for him in the end, you are a joker. Alli baba is your second name should you dont know.
We will get to that level of reasoning where we wont mind where he or she comes from but PMB must not go on with this ratio and expect an ovation in the end. We can only get there one step after the other. This is what this change should bring to us. It is hypocritical for anyone to say Buhari needs time to conquer bokoharam but doesn't need same time to systematically and gradually work with the psyche of an average Nigeria in bringing the so called change at this time.
How can you present 42 appointees and you give only 7 to south and zero to the east and you expect the people of that region not to see it as a vendetta especially the easterners with our sociocultural sensitivity? Common! I dont know how it would be managed. Ratio 42:7 and 42:0 against the East. How can he sell this statistics and win?
That is what we are saying. Nigeria is too big for any President to say he can't find competent hands in all the three tribes . It is not possible except if has chosen not to search well. Competency can still come with some measures of balance and federal character. Buhari can do it if he really wants to do it.
Tunde Adenuga
God bless Nigeria.
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