Former senator who represented Kaduna Central in the Eighth National Assembly, Shehu Sani, has advised President Bola Tinubu not to make the mistake of his immediate predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, in appointments.
In an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, the former lawmaker urged President Tinubu to prioritise competence in his appointments if he is interested in delivering results that will move the country forward.
According to Sani, “during the eight years of Buhari’s administration, between May 2015 and May 2023, nepotism was at its peak, but results were not produced in all areas of governance, mainly in security, economy, education and care medical.
“I will advise President Tinubu to be careful not to make the mistakes of President Buhari, and I believe he has enough experience to understand that.”
He noted that under President Buhari, the country had ministers who were appointed to office for a total of eight years, noting that they were with him during the first and second terms, and that there was no cabinet reshuffle or dismissal.
Even if there was a dismissal, he lamented that it takes three to four months to replace a minister, saying that was how the country was run.
According to him, under Buhari, Nigerians saw nepotism at its peak, where people were appointed to public offices and left there even if they did nothing.
He added that the service chiefs remained in office despite their failures and by retaining them, the careers of those behind them were destroyed, noting that for many years, many officers were removed to appoint one person.
If the country has to move forward, Sani suggested that Nigerians must treat the issue of competence as the qualification for appointment.
He noted that the situation in Northern Nigeria is a reflection of the failure of political leaders, particularly those in the region, to use political power to reduce the level of underdevelopment in the 19 states of the region.
He wondered what all those powers had been used for, saying that they had not been used for the benefit of the people for a long time.
