Special adviser to the president on media and publicity, Femi Adesina has responded to those criticizing President Muhammadu Buhari on his latest appointments.
On Thursday, August 28, Buhari had appointed 6 more key officials of his government, causing outrage among Nigerians, who were of the opinion that he is favouring people from Northern Nigeria.
According to the president’s aide, Buhari had the exclusive right to appoint whoever he pleases into his government.
According to Daily Post report, Adesina, who spoke on Friday, August 28, on Ray Power’s flagship programme in Abuja, called on Buhari’s critics to pay attention to the fact that those appointed were qualified for the position.
“You cannot run away from the fact that each person appointed merits the position. They are qualified.
“But then in terms of the spread, the thing I will also like to say is that the president has the prerogative to make appointments and he knows that there is federal character in our constitution. I’m sure he bears that in mind as he makes the appointments that will come in the future.
“I believe that at the end of it all, there is going to be a balance.
“These are still early days in the appointments he is going to make. At the end of it all, I believe we are going to have a balance,” he stated.
The presidential spokesman added that every position can be key, depending on how the person appointed applies himself to the position.
Speaking on Buhari’s ministerial list that Nigerians have been waiting for, Adesina gave the assurance that the president would honour the September dateline given by him, saying: “September is just next month and it has 30 days. I believe that within those thirty days, the job will be done.”
Buhari has made a total number of 29 appointments of government personnel who will handle the economy, energy, defence and other important sectors of governance for the nearly 100-day-old Buhari government.
Report has it that majority of Buhari’s appointments have been from the North and he has not appointed any female, fueling criticisms that his administration was overpoweringly lopsided, lacking in gender balance and regional equity.
Speaking in an interview, some leaders of the All Progressives Congress said that the appointments favour only the north, adding that President Buhari was already giving the party a bad name among Nigerians..
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