President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight years in office fundamentally tampered with certain wholesome values that had, hitherto, served Nigeria’s federalism remarkably well. The impact is telling. It is surprising that many do not seem to appreciate the enormity of the Buhari assault on the fabrics of Nigeria’s federal system.
It is either that, or people are merely pretending, possibly for political considerations. Indeed, there seem to be some, among the political elite, who are presently struggling to pretend that what happened did not happen. There are even those who are straining, dubiously, to locate the blame for the devastating tendencies of the Buhari presidency, at the doorstep of the victims. That is characteristically Nigerian.
Before Buhari [BB], the spirit and practice of fair distribution in federal appointments, were always at play beyond what was written down by the law. It was, at its best and even at its worst, a reflection of a people’s appreciation of the need for accommodation and compromise, in a heterogenous society. That spirit of accommodation went a long way to lubricate the squeaking hinges of cohesive, common existence of Nigeria’s constituent entities. Buhari’s presidency drastically altered all that. The effect of all that will haunt the country for a generation or more, if not for ever. Indeed, it will take the emergence of an entirely different emperor with a opposite mentality to reverse the Buhari trend.
Unfortunately, Bola Tinubu has not shown himself to be that different emperor, with contrasting inclination. Having committed himself, either by choice or by bond, to continue where Buhari stopped, Tinubu seems determined to outdo Buhari in many troubling areas. The old, fairly fair-minded culture of inclusiveness in distribution of federal offices across the constituent parts of the country may, therefore, now exist in memory, as a part of the features of the good old days.
It is instructive that even military regimes, in all their dictatorial bearing, while they held sway, managed to give expression in filling public offices, to sensitivity to the heterogenous composition of the country. Such thoughtfulness served the country quite well, providing an optimistic basis for its claims to being one entity. It is true that the slogan of “One nation, one destiny” by the National Party of Nigeria, during the Second Republic, was an exaggeration of reality, by some distance, but it was, without doubts, an expression of a healthy aspiration by a ruling political party for the country. Not anymore.
Then last week, against the backdrop of a prevailing parish-pump regime, enthroned by the All Progressives Congress [APC] since 2015, a group which introduced itself as a Coalition of Public Interest Lawyers and Advocates [COPA] strangely took to the public space, with a curious protest over parochialism in a Nigerian public institution. The group declared, through its statement, that it has discovered a public institution, just one, where appointment into an office did not conform to the principles of federal character.
Led by its coordinator, Pelumi Olajengbesi, COPA, in its public statement, which it clearly worked hard to distribute widely, especially online, identified the Defence Intelligence Agency [DIA] as the singular public institution where federal character is not being respected in Nigeria at the moment. What is the evidence? The public interest lawyers said the appointment of Navy Captain S.K. Ogogo, as Director of Finance and Accounting [DFA] at DIA “starkly undermines the principles of fairness and equity, especially when there are numerous qualified individuals suitable for the role…” What is the problem with the said Navy Captain S.K. Ogogo? COPA said, he hails from the same place with the Chief of Defense Intelligence, Major General Emmanuel Parker Undiandeye. Case closed.
The group proceeded to calumniate General Undiandeye thus; “We are deeply troubled by the pervasive tribalism, abuse of federal character principles and nepotism evident within the Nigerian Defence Intelligence Agency [DIA] under the leadership of Major General Parker Undiandeye, the Chief of Defence Intelligence {CDI]….It has come to our attention that Major General Parker has consistently demonstrated favouritsim towards his kinsmen, notably evidenced by the recent appointment of Navy Captain SK Ogogo (NN/2122) as the Director of Finance and Accounting at the Defense Intelligence Agency”
COPA describes itself as “a dedicated advocacy organization committed to upholding social justice, equity and good governance in Nigeria”.
So, these busy public interest lawyers looked across the Nigerian landscape of this day and all what their professional public interest eyes could see, that is wrong in public appointments at federal institutions, is the appointment of one director at Defense Intelligence Agency, because the director hails from the same Cross River State as the Chief of Defence Intelligence? These public interest lawyers sef!
Until he was appointed Chief of the 38 year old Defence Intelligence Agency [DIA],in June 2023,Major General Emmanuel undiandeye has run a solid professional career that stood him in good stead for his appointment. He has not only paid professional price to rise in his career, he has also paid personal price. He lost a younger brother, who was a promising senior Army officer less than two years back, in circumstances that were traumatizing. And he was in active service. Now, the Pelumi Olajengbesi-led COPA has no qualms denigrating the profile of the General, for no other reason than that another officer from his state was appointed director in the agency he leads.
Of course, COPA could easily be ignored, as one of the motley group of citizens trying to gain attention in the public space. But such ambition should not be propelled at the heavy cost of a well-heeled General’s profile. The tone and substance of the group excoriating General Undiandeye, for no just cause, is unconscionable.
Interestingly, the heavy criticism of the DIA Chief by COPA over the appointment of a director who hails from the same state with the General, came out the same week or thereabout, with the release of a line-up of appointments into federal institutions by President Bola Tinubu.
At the FGN Power Company Limited, President Tinubu had, in “a bid to reform the power sector and ensure energy security for all Nigerians” appointed Kenny Osebi Anuwe as Managing Director/CEO, Prof. Mamman Lawal, as Company Secretary/Legal Advisor; Ebenezer Olawale Fapohunda as Chief Technical Officer; Babatunde Daramola Oniru as Chief Commercial Officer, and Julius Oyekola Olabiyi as Chief Financial Officer.
At the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), President Tinubu appointed Gbenga Alade as managing Director/Chief Executive Officer; Adeshola Lamidi as Executive Director; Aminu Ishmail as executive Director and Lucky Adahge as Executive Director.
At the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, the President appointed Abraham Oshadami as Executive Commissioner, Technical Services; Rimmi Makama Executive Commissioner Stakeholder Management; Opeyemi Dele-Ajayi, President/CEO Digital Bridge Institute; Abiodun Attah, Executive Director, Technical Services Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Jaiyeola Awokoya, Executive Director, Marketing and Business Development; Aisha Abdullahi ED, Finance and Admin NIGCOMSAT; Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Galaxy Backbone; Olusegun Olulade, Executive Director, Customer Centricity and Marketing; Olumbe Akinkugbe, Executive Director, Digital Exploration and Technical Services and Mohammed Sani Ibrahim Executive Director, Finance & Corporate Services. Wonderful appointments.
In the closing paragraphs of its petitions against General Undiandeye for presiding over the appointment of an officer from his state as director in DIA, Pelumi Olajegbesi had written;
“At a time when the current administration, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is diligently working to stabilize the nation’s economy and address pressing security challenges, it is imperative that all government agencies operate with the utmost integrity and transparency. Any display of corruption, nepotism or tribalism undermines the government’s efforts and erodes public trust”.
It was not clear if COPA was speaking tongue in cheek or cheekily.