– Leaders of the South East region are not relenting in their quest for the Office of Secretary to the Federal Government (SGF)
This is due to the suspension of the incumbent, David Babachir Lawal
There are however speculations that Lawal may not return and that the presidency is already searching for his replacement
A report by The Nation indicates that political leaders from the South East have launched a campaign for President Muhammadu Buhari to give the vacant SGF position to the zone.
According to the leaders, giving the position to an Igbo man or woman will reverse the view that the administration is marginalizing the zone.
Frontline Igbo leader and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwart, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu who spoke on the issue said the Igbos have not benefitted from the Buhari administration.
President Buhari (right) suspended the SGF, Babachir Lawal (left) recently
His words: ”If you look at the whole thing that they are doing, it appears as if people don’t exist in the South East.
“We have people who are qualified to hold this position in the APC. They should look at our people in the APC and appoint one of them.”
READ ALSO: Babachir Lawal, Ayo Oke will be handed over to EFCC if need be – Presidency
On his part, former governor of Anambra state, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife said the position should naturally be conceded to the South East.
He said: “Nigeria has six principal protocol offices. The North West has the President; the South West has the Vice-President; the Senate President is from the North Central; so are other zones except the South East.
“Our constitution prescribes federal character, but the South East zone is conspicuously absent, blatantly removed from these positions. The position should automatically come to the South East.
“Usually, anyone who should be the SGF is effectively someone who knows where the switches in government are, so that if anybody switches on, he switches off.
“That was why, in the past, it was only retired permanent secretaries that qualified to be made SGF. Somebody who has worked as a governor is also qualified because he has worked with so many permanent secretaries.”
Former governor, Chief Ezeife says the position should naturally go to the South East
Also speaking, the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Nnia Nwodo, said: ”I think we should go beyond the stage of determining who should occupy an office on the basis of zone to competence.
”The entire federal appointments have violated the federal character and shortchanged the South East and shortchanged the policy of the APC to zone the SGF position to the South East.
“A lot more has been done in denying the South East their due at the centre. I hope the president will use this opportunity to correct a lot of things. But far more important is that he should look for somebody competent from the South East. We want quality people to man important positions.”
The call also got the support of first republic minister and nationalist, Mbazulike Amaechi, who said: “If the president now believes that there should be fairness and equity and justice and that Nigeria should be a true federation, he should give the post of the SGF to the South East.
“You put somebody in foreign affairs and another in science and technology. To me, those are insignificant positions.
“It shows that he doesn’t want the Igbo. If he changes his mind now, it will douse tension in the country. He will regain the confidence of the Igbo people if he does this.
“Ogbonaya Onu had been a chairman of a political party that sponsored President Buhari twice. He has been so faithful a man. He is a quiet and principled Igbo man. He is not like these other ones that jump from one party to the other. If he (Buhari) actually wants somebody who will be loyal to him, he has him (Onu) there in Abuja.”
READ ALSO: Kastina residents raise concerns over Buhari’s health
Meanwhile, former Senate President, Dr Ken Nnamani has advised members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra to embrace only dialogue and political solution, and not agitation to achieve self-determination for Ndigbo.
Nnamani canvassed for the restructuring of the country, adding that people stand a better chance to benefit from restructuring rather than engaging in agitation that could easily lead to deaths.
‘);
});
}(window, document);
0naze
No comments:
Post a Comment