A
former Military Governor of Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (rtd), has
said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s lopsided appointments will destroy
Nigeria.
Umar,
a respected voice on national issues, in an open letter to the President on
Sunday, asked Buhari to “belong to all of us,” adding that history will not be
kind to the President unless every section of the country were treated fairly.
The
former military governor specifically noted the lopsided appointments in the
security services which had more people from a particular section of the
country.
Quoting
the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate, Sheikh Usman Danfodio, Umar said: “One of
the swiftest ways of destroying a Kingdom is to give preference of one
particular tribe over another or show favor to one group of people rather than
another. And to draw near those who should be kept away and keep away those who
should be drawn near.”
He
said in the light of all that had happened since Buhari took office, “any
conversation with you Mr. President cannot gloss over the chaos that has
overtaken appointments into government offices in your administration. All
those who wish you and the country well must mince no words in warning you that
Nigeria has become dangerously polarized and risk sliding into crisis on
account of your administration’s lopsided appointments which continues to give
undue preference to some sections of the country over others.
“Nowhere
is this more glaring than in the leadership cadre of our security services.”
He
warned that Buhari’s skewed appointments into the offices of the federal
government, favoring some and frustrating others, will bring ruin and
destruction to the nation.
Below
is the full text of the open letter:
OPEN
LETTER FROM COL. DANGIWA UMAR (RTD) TO PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI
Sunday
31 May 2020
Muhammadu
Buhari,
President,
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces,
Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Dear
Mr. President,
MR.
PRESIDENT; PLEASE BELONG TO ALL OF US.
“One
of the swiftest ways of destroying a Kingdom is to give preference of one
particular tribe over another or show favor to one group of people rather than
another. And to draw near those who should be kept away and keep away those who
should be drawn near” –Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio.
I
have been prompted to write you this open letter, Mr. President, by the loud
sounds of drums, singing and dancing that erupted within many groups in the
last few days on the grounds that you attained the 5th year in office as
President of Nigeria. It comes as no surprise that enthusiasm for the
celebration is not shared equally by segments of the public. While your
admirers and supporters believe you have performed well, many others believe
the five years you have been in office as our President has not met the
yearnings, expectations and change promised Nigerians.
Mr.
President, you know me well enough and my position on issues to realize that I
can be neither a rabid supporter nor a fanatical opponent of yours. I believe
being a responsible citizen is enough reason to wish you well and to work for
your success. As we have seen all too clearly these past few years, your
success is ours as is your failure. We swim or sink with you!
You
might wish to recall that after the results of the 23rd of February 2019
presidential elections were announced, giving you victory, I addressed a press
conference during which I urged the runner-up, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the
PDP, to concede defeat. The reason was clear: tensions were running high and
little missteps by the leaders might ignite violence, as often happened after
major elections. Some supporters of Abubakar Atiku disagreed with me and told
me off. As it happened, Alhaji Atiku went ahead to mount a legal challenge to
the outcome of the elections up to the Supreme Court. Mercifully, his actions
did not result in an outbreak of violence as we feared.
At
the same occasion, I counseled the declared winner, your good self, to use the
opportunity of your second term to redeem your pledge of being a leader and
president of all Nigerians.
On
the occasion of the first-year anniversary into your second four-year term, I
feel there is an urgent need to revisit this subject matter.
Mr.
President, you have often expressed the hope that history will be kind to you.
It is within your competence to write that history. But you have less than
three years in which to do it. You may wish to note that any authentic history
must be devoid of myth. It will be a true, factual rendition of the record of
your performance.
And
truth be told, Mr. President, there are quite a lot of things that speak to
your remarkable accomplishments, not least of which is that for the first time
in our democratic history, a sitting President was defeated. That feat was
achieved by Muhammadu Buhari. The reason was the public belief of you as a man
of integrity.
The
corollary to this is that at the expiration of your 8-year tenure in 2023, your
achievements will not be measured solely by the physical infrastructure your
administration built. An enduring legacy would be based on those intangible
things like how much you uplifted the spirit and moral tone of the nation. How
well have you secured the nation from ourselves and from external enemies?
At
this time and in the light of all that has happened since you took office, any
conversation with you Mr. President cannot gloss over the chaos that has
overtaken appointments into government offices in your administration. All
those who wish you and the country well must mince no words in warning you that
Nigeria has become dangerously polarized and risk sliding into crisis on
account of your administration’s lopsided appointments which continues to give
undue preference to some sections of the country over others.
Nowhere
is this more glaring than in the leadership cadre of our security services.
Mr.
President, I regret that there are no kind or gentle words to tell you that
your skewed appointments into the offices of the federal government, favoring
some and frustrating others, shall bring ruin and destruction to this nation.
I
need not remind you, Mr. President, that our political history is replete with
great acts of exemplary leadership which, at critical moments, managed to pull
this nation back from the precipice and assured its continued existence.
A
few examples will demonstrate this:
In
February, 1965, the NPC-led Federal Government was faced with a decision to
appoint a successor to the outgoing Nigerian Army General Officer Commanding
(GOC), General Welby Everard, a Briton. Four most senior officers were
nominated; namely, Brigadiers Aguiyi Ironsi, Ogundipe, Ademulegun and
Maimalari. The first three were senior to Maimalari but he was deemed to be
more qualified due to his superior commission. He was the first Sandhurst
Regular trained officer in the Nigerian Army. His being a Muslim Northerner
like the Minister of Defense, Alhaji Muhammadu Ribadu and the Prime Minister,
Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa granted him added advantage by today’s standards.
But to the surprise of even the Igbos, and opposition from some senior NPC
members, Minister Ribadu recommended Ironsi, pointing to his seniority. The
Prime Minister concurred and Aguiyi Ironsi was confirmed as the first
indigenous GOC of the Nigerian Army.
When
on 13 February 1976, the Commander-in-Chief, General Murtala Muhammed, was
assassinated in a failed Coup de tat, General Olusegun Obasanjo, his deputy and
the most senior officer at the time, was sworn in as his successor. The Chief of
Army Staff, General T.Y Danjuma, a Northern Christian, was next in line to
succeed Obasanjo as the Chief of Staff, SHQ and Deputy Commander in Chief.
General Danjuma however waived his right and recommended a much junior officer,
Lt. Col. Shehu Musa Yar’adua, for the post. Shehu was promoted two steps up to
the rank of Brigadier and appointed Chief of Staff SHQ and Deputy
Commander-in-Chief. Lt. Col. Muhammadu Buhari was appointed Minister of
Petroleum. This was done to placate Muslim North which was deemed to have lost
one of its own, Murtala Muhammed.
Both
the chief of staff, Mr. Sunday Awoniyi, and the personal physician Dr Ishaya
Audu to the Premier of Northern Nigeria, Alhaji Sir Ahmadu Bello, a direct
descendant of Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio, were Christians.
Barely
nine years after the civil war in 1979, the NPN Presidential candidate, Alhaji
Shehu Shagari, picked an Igbo, Dr Alex Ekwueme, as his running mate. They
enjoyed a truly brotherly relationship as President and Vice President.
President Shagari’s political advisor, Dr Chuba Okadigbo and National Assembly
Liaison, assistant, Dr K.O Mbadiwe, were both Igbos. His economic advisor,
Prof. Emmanuel Edozien and his Chief of Personnel Staff Dr Michael Prest, were
of Niger Delta extraction. Remarkably, all his military service chiefs were
Christians with the exception of his last Chief Army Staff, General Inuwa
Wushishi under whose tenure he was removed in a military coup de tat.
Mr.
President, as a witness and beneficiary, it is our expectation that you would
emulate these great acts of statesmanship. Which is why we have continued to
engage with you.
You
may wish to recall that I had cause to appeal to you, to confirm Justice Onnoghen
as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria a few days before the expiration of
his three months tenure of acting appointment to be replaced by a Muslim
Northerner. We were saved that embarrassment when his nomination was sent to
the senate by the then acting President, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo. When he was
finally confirmed a few days to the end of his tenure, he was removed after a
few months and replaced by Justice Muhammed, a Muslim from the North.
May
I also invite the attention of Mr. President to the pending matter of
appointment of a Chief Judge of the Nigerian Court Appeal which appears to be
generating public interest. As it is, the most senior Judge, Justice Monica
Dongban Mensem, a northern Christian, is serving out her second three-month
term as acting Chief Judge without firm prospects that she will be confirmed
substantive head. I do not know Justice Mensem but those who do attest to her
competence, honesty and humility. She appears eminently qualified for
appointment as the substantive Chief Judge of the Court of Appeal as she is
also said to be highly recommended by the National Judicial Council. If she is
not and is bypassed in favor of the next in line who happens to be another
northern Muslim, that would be truly odd. In which case, even the largest
contingent of PR gurus would struggle to rebut the charges that you, Mr.
President, is either unwilling or incapable of acting on your pledge to belong
to everyone — and to no one. I hope you would see your way into pausing and
reflecting on the very grave consequences of such failure not just to your
legacy but to the future of our great country.
Thank
you for your time, Mr. President.
COL.
ABUBAKAR DANGIWA UMAR (RTD)
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