There are indications that Rivers State Governor,
Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed
Tinubu, may lock horns over nomination of members of General Mohammadu Buhari’s
(GMB) economic think tank that will formulate the retired army general’s
economic policy.
Already, Alhaji Tanimu
Yakubu Kurfi, former chief economic adviser to late President Umaru Musa
Yar’Adua, has been tipped as the head of the think tank, is facing serious
opposition from members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The economics graduate
of Wagner College, New York, U.S. was tipped to head the economic policy
directorate of the Buhari Campaign Organisation, the former head of state and
senior APC chieftains have been inundated with calls by concerned
Nigerians who kicked against Kurfi’s membership.”
Some of those who are
opposed to Kurfi’s headship of the economic directorate are said to be
doing so on the grounds that it is going to send the wrong signals if the
former economic adviser to the late Yar’Adua is allowed to play any major
role in Buhari’s quest to become Nigeria’s president next year.
But while most members
of the party are bickering over the choice of Kurfi whom the former Governor of
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, allegedly described as a
“terrible economist” in whistle-blowing Wikileaks cable, Buhari is said to be
keeping mute over the disagreement.
“I am aware that many
well-meaning Nigerians have been expressing worries over Yakubu. Buhari has not
told any of us categorically that Yakubu is his choice to head the team. He is
already aware of the possible repercussion,” an APC top official reportedlysaid.
The
head of the policy think-tank is expected to end up holding a major position in
government and play the kind of role Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is playing
presently if Buhari wins the presidential election next year.
Though, full
membership of the committee has not been officially announced but two former
commissioners in Lagos State, Wale Edun and Yemi Cardoso, are said to have been
nominated by Tinubu, who today is the most powerful member and national leader
of APC.
It is also said that
Amaechi, who is the director-general of the campaign organisation, who has been
accused by his former chief of staff and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)
governorship aspirant in Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, of funding Buhari’s APC
with Rivers’ fund is not aware of the nominations.
Besides that, Amaechi
is also said to have his own list of credible and knowledgeable Nigerians who
can work with Buhari to produce an economic blueprint.
“His input
will certainly be sought. He has his own candidates. The only fair
conclusion is that the team is still being put together, but of course, General
Buhari will have the final say. And we will resist it if Amaechi’s list is not
considered not after he was robbed of the vice president slot after all his
contribution,” a commissioner in Rivers who refused his name in print said.
According to the commissioner, “we in Amaechi camp is still
nursing his rejection as vee pee and we will not take another humiliation.”Kurfi, who is from
Katsina State like Buhari and has been close to the retired major general
for decades, is not in the good books of many because of his perceiveds role in
the Yar’Adua’s government.
He was seen then as
the most powerful political appointee of Yar’Adua and was held responsible for
the stalling of many projects initiated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo
allegedly because of personal interest.
He was said to have
stalled the execution of power projects, Kano-Lagos rail modernisation and the
renewal of oil mining licences of multinational oil companies. Kurfi was also said to
have shot down several bills on privatization sent to Yar’Adua by the Bureau
for Public Enterprise (BPE), and was even held responsible for the reversal of
the sale of Warri and Kaduna refineries to a company owned by Aliko Dangote and
Femi Otedola.
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