Connect with us

Politics

Civil Society Groups make case for ministerial slot to be ceded to Southern Borno

Published

on

Share this story

The All Progressives Congress (APC) needs to reassure Christians and minority ethnic groups that Nigeria is a secular state, where merit and unity rather than religion and tribe will be the basis for national development, Civil Society Groups for Good Governance (CSGGG) have said.
The President of the group Comrade Ogakwu Dominic Ogakwu said such parameters are needed for facilitating national integration, peaceful coexistence and harmonious relationships that will engender a prosperous Nigeria for all.
This is coming against the backdrop of the cacophony that greeted the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC president-elect and vice-president-elect and the need to cede the ministerial slot fir Borno State to Borno South that has consistently been abandoned in the scheme of things at the State and Federal level.
He said as Nigeria braces up for yet another democratic administration at the nation’s center and the All Progressives Congress (APC) should do the needful with respect to appointments of federal ministers, so that ethno-religious balancing and inclusion is seen to be done for critical socioeconomic development.
Speaking of the ministerial configuration he urged the President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice-President-elect Kashim Shettima, to be seen to deliberately institutionalize equity, fairness and justice, so as to wean itself from the current baggage of nepotism that characterizes federal appointments in the outgoing APC government.

“It is against this backdrop of call for balancing and inclusivity, that concerned Nigerians under the aegis of coalition of civil societies, hereby throw their weight behind the appointment of a Southern Borno person as a federal minister in the incoming administration of senators Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima.”
He said their position is because, for decades the southern senatorial district of Borno has suffered political inequality, injustice and exclusion in terms of state and national affairs.
“It is on record that southern Borno has suffered and continues to suffer national and State marginalization till date. “The more politically advantaged Central and Northern Borno cabal, have such a stranglehold on the political equation in the state, that they continue to hijack all political offices in the state – especially the plum job of the state governorship, which has eluded the people of Southern Borno for decades despite their aspirations and contributions.
“A cursory look at the line-up of former state governors reveals a worrisome trend of exclusion and instituted conspiracy 1979 – 1983, Mohammed Goni (North)
1983 – 1984 Ashiek Jama (Central), 1991 – 1993 Maina Ma’aji (Lawan (north) 1999 – 2003 Mala Kachala (Central)
2003 – 2011 Ali Modu Sheriff (Central) 2011 – 2019 ashim Shettima (Central)
2019 till date Babagan Zulum (North)

According to him, only two senatorial districts – Central and Northern Borno – have produced governors in the state. “Does this list reflect equity, fairness and justice in a state having three senatorial districts with Southern Borno being the most populous, educated and religiously tolerant, with evidence of peaceful coexistence between the Christians and Muslims?
“Your guess is as good as mine!
As if history has not punished the people of Southern Borno enough, the current government in the state has almost relegated southern Borno to the periphery, with lopsided appointments which are skewed in favor of Central and Northern Borno as indicated in the current political appointments in Borno state

GOVERNOR – KANURI
SPEAKER OF ASSEMBLY – KANURI
CHIEF JUDGE – KANURI
GRAND KHADI – KANURI
CHIEF OF STAFF – SHUWA
SSG – SHUWA
BOSU VC – KANURI
BOGIS – KANURI
BOSEPA – KANURI
BOSIRS – KANURI
HMB – KANURI
BOCOLIS – KANURI
CSC – KANURI
LGSC – KANURI
BOSIEC – KANURI
BORMA – KANURI
SUBEB – KANURI
BRTV – KANURI
PILGRIMS BOARD – KANURI
SHEMA – KANURI
BORNO EXPRESS – KANURI
EDUCATION TRUST FUND – KANURI
AGENCY FOR MASS LITERACY – KANURI
COLLEGE OF NURSING – KANURI
COLLEGE OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY – KANURI
ACCOUNTANT-GENERAL – KANURI
AUDITOR-GENERAL – KANURI
RAMAT – KANURI
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AGENCY – KANURI
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE – KANURI
APC CHAIRMAN – KANURI

“All the above-mentioned appointive and elective offices in Borno state are manned by persons of Kanuri and Shuwa extraction – all from central and northern Borno.
“However, ours is not an ethnic agitation nor a religious protest, but a ‘moralsuation.’ We are only appealing to the humanity which binds all of us and calling the good people of Central and Northern Borno, led by Vice-president-elect Kashim Shettima, to ‘be their brothers keepers’ this time, by backing a Southern Borno person for appointment as a federal minister, for balancing, inclusion and participation.

These he said are key criteria for political equity, fairness and justice.
“Considering the current political setup in the state, we are particularly calling on the president-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu to lead the charge for sociopolitical and socioeconomic integration, by appointing a person from Southern Borno as a federal minister – since they have already been schemed out of the political equation in Borno state in particular and Nigeria in general.
“Just as the current administration in the state schemed southern Borno out, they were equally not featured in federal ministerial appointments, with the current federal minister of state for Agriculture hailing from Borno Central, instead of using that ministerial appointment to compensate Borno south for their marginalization in the state.
Vice- President-elect Kashim Shettima is now the political father of all in the state, since he is about to become the vice president of everyone – not only his own people.
“As civil society, we are appealing to him to leverage on his influence in the party to mend the broken fences and build a bigger, better and more united Borno State and Nigeria, by throwing his weight behind Borno South for federal ministerial appointment, to compensate and bring them into the fold as one family.
“Considering that southern Borno is predominantly Christian and non-Kanuri, we believe that if vice-president-elect Kashim Shettima heed this ‘moralsuation’ and facilitate the inclusion of southern Borno in this federal government, it will send a strong message across the nation and the world, that the Muslim-Muslim ticket is not a prelude to religious intolerance nor a threat to Christians or other religions, but rather a government founded on equity, fairness and justice.”

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Politics

Ondo Governorship Primaries: APC commends Ododo over peaceful conduct

Published

on

By

Share this story

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has commended Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo for his impressive performance in the just concluded Ondo State Governorship primary election where he served as chairman of the committee.
Special adviser on media to the Governor Ismai Isah in a statement indicated that Governor Ododo received the commendation while presenting the report of the Ondo state APC primary election committee to the party’s national chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday.

Receiving the committee’s report from Governor Ododo, Dr. Ganduje congratulated the Governor for a job well done and noted that the party is proud of the performance of the Kogi State Governor for the conduct of the Ondo State Governorship primary election which he noted was the first national assignment of the Governor.

The APC national chairman praised the extraordinary leadership skill and impeccable manner the Kogi State Governor managed the Ondo State APC Governorship primary election, adding that the Collation of results from the 203 wards and the 18 Local Government areas of the state that was viewed live on national television was a rare display of transparency and integrity of the entire election process.

Earlier in his presentation, Governor Ododo thanked the APC National Working Committee for finding him and his committee members worthy of the all important national assignment.

The Governor stated that the committee’s report took cognizance of everything that transpired during the primary election and it contains recommendations that will enable the party to deal with the aftermath of the Ondo State Primary election and ensure that the APC goes into the November governorship election as a united party ready to retain power in Ondo State.

Governor Ododo was accompanied to the presentation of the report by the Secretary to the Committee, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, Kogi State APC Chairman, Honourable Abdullahi Bello, House of Representative Member Representing Ajaokuta Federal Constituency, Honourable Abdulrahim Egidi and the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Barr. Deedat Ozigi Salami, and some of his senior aides.

Continue Reading

Politics

Ondo 2024: Emami admonishes Aiyedatiwa to Seek support of aggrieved aspirants

Published

on

By

Share this story

***Says APC stands to win
with genuine reconciliation

Seek for genuine reconciliation with all the aggrieved aspirants who contested the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election Chief Ayirimi Emami, has admonished the Ondo State Governor and winner of the party’s ticket in last weekend governorship primary, Lucky Aiyedatiwa,

In the primary election conducted by a team led by Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, his colleague, Governor Aiyedatiwa was declared winner having polled 48, 569 in the Direct Primary exercise to defeat all the other 15 aspirants.
Some of the aspirants have since kicked against the outcome of the election, alleging that the Governor Ododo team did not follow the party’s guidelines and laid down procedure
The APC chieftain who congratulated Governor Aiyedatiwa, described his victory at the primary as testament of his impactful governance for the few months he has taken over as governor of Ondo state.
He urged him to broker peace with the aggrieved aspirants, accomodate them in the course of his campaigns for the overall interest of the APC and development of the oil producing state.
While he maintained that Governor Aiyedatiwa posture should be a no victor, no vanquished towards the other aspirants on the outcome of the primary, Chief Emami, said the cooperation of other aspirants would make the Party victory seamless and accelerate the developmental strides being witnessed in the state.
He equally appealed to other aspirants that contested the APC governorship primary to sheathe their sword and support the candidacy of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
Some of the contenders for the ticket won by Governor Aiyedatiwa included
senator representing Ondo South Senatorial District, Jimoh Ibrahim; Olusola Oke SAN, former President of Nigerian Medical Association, Prof. Francis Faduyile, a mechanical engineer, Dr Funmilayo Waheed-Adekojo and the National Vice Chairman of the APC (South APC (South West), Isaac Kekemeke.

Others were Dr Soji Ehinlanwo, Akinfolarin Samuel, Okunjimi Odimayo, Adewale Akinterinwa, Olugbenga Edema and Brig. Gen. Ohunyeye Olamide (retd), Morayo Lebi, Oladiran Iyatan and Engnr. Ifeoluwa Oyedele.

Continue Reading

Politics

Concerned Kano Progressives throw weight behind Ganduje

Published

on

By

Share this story

***Alerts President Tinubu over Kwankwaso’s scheming to destabilize APC

From Mohammed Abubakar Minjibir

A Kano-based political think-tank, the CONCERNED KANO PROGRESSIVES, {CKP} has vowed to do everything humanly possible to support ongoing efforts of the national Chairman of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to reposition the party and encourage all elected representatives on the platform of the APC to manage the gains of their respective, electoral successes.
Similarly, the KCP, have also vowed to checkmate, what its members, have described as , “the infantile and highly dysfunctional thought-processes being elicited by one-time civilian Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Kwankwaso, in his drift towards political mischief-making against the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu “.
These views, were contained in a Media statement issued to newsmen on Sunday, by the National Coordinator of CKP Alhaji Mohammed Z. Abubakar.
The CKP stated that, “Anybody who knows Alhaji Kwankwaso and his conditioned behaviour towards matters of political socialization processes and mentorship, can attest to his high affinity for not only being domineering, high-handed, self-opinionated but abnormally dictatorial in the way and manner he relates with his peers, eminent political leadership figures and sundry loyal party members.”
The statement explained further that, “Alhaji Kwankwaso, is believing that he has the nationwide capacity to swing the sociology of the voter-behaviour of the larger Nigerian voting electorate come 2027, to actualize his animated ambition of becoming the President of Nigeria.”
The CKP, said that Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s self-inflated ego, is what is perhaps, leading him into nursing the faulty impression-formation disposition that, apart from the entire northern electorate, “voting” massively for him under the NNPP, the social and political rating which President Tinubu presently enjoys, is far below his self-proclaimed social and political stratification rating, which, has given him the pseudo courage to embark on his ongoing secret plans to destabilize the All Progressives Congress by using his NNPP political party platform to achieve his ambition of becoming president of Nigeria in 2027.
According to the CKP spokesman, Alhaji Mohammed Z. Abubakar, “Alhaji Kwankwaso’s hope of executing his plan of action is largely reliant and premised on the funding from his political stooge, the current Governor of Kano State, who will never dare defy the directives of Alhaji Kwankwaso, his father in-law and mentor.
Alhaji Kwankwaso, according to the Progressives, “uses the Kano State Executive Governor, Alhaji Abba Yusuf, as a willing instrument to prosecute his current thinly disguised agenda to blackmail and demonise the APC National Chairman, Alhaji Ganduje, and his party in such a way as to destroy the APC brand before the next general elections in 2027.
The Progressives, have therefore humbly advised President Tinubu and APC members nationwide to be on the alert about the scheming of Alhaji Kwankwaso.

The organisation indicated that, “the unfolding pockets of mischief-making ploys, antics and deviant behavioural traits being orchestrated by the former Governor of Kano State, Dr Kwankwaso and the current NNPP government led by Alhaji Abba Yusuf, to tarnish the good image and reputation of both the ruling APC and its National Chairman, Dr. Ganduje, will fail. “We stand resolutely in solidarity with Dr. Ganduje”, the statement concludes.

Continue Reading

Trending