Former education minister says Buhari is correcting past marginalisation against north

FORMER education minister Alhaji Dauda Birmah has justified President Muhammadu Buhari's lopsided appointments so far saying that they were necessary to correct the imbalances created by the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

 

Since assuming office on May 29, President Buhari has made 35 appointments but about 30 of his appointees so far have been northern Nigerians. Particularly enraged about the appointments so far has been the southeast geo-political zone as no one from the region has been appointed to any position, leading to cries of Igbo marginalisation.

 

However, a former education minister Alhaji Birmah, who was at a time a presidential aspirant under the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party, said the appointments were in order as they corrected past errors. He justified President Buhari’s recent appointments alleging that the north had suffered marginalisation in federal appointments under previous administrations.

 

Alhaji Birmah said: "Well, my assessment is that Buhari has come in and he has seen the rot that preceded his coming and he is trying to see how to handle it. Buhari has come on a change agenda and he is not expected to behave in a manner in which you will see things as business as usual.

 

"During the 15 years preceding him, the north had been wailing and crying because the area was totally marginalized. Buhari is trying to rectify that marginalisation of the north but I am not surprised that some people are complaining."

 

He added that 100 days are not enough time to judge this government, pointing out that corrections are going to be effected and people will be satisfied that everybody has been taken into consideration. According to Alhaji Birmah, the previous government did not adequately tackle insurgency but now that the atmosphere is settling down, the matter should be addressed soon.

 

Alhaji Birmah also added that it was absolutely necessary to probe the previous government although he does not believe that probing should be the essence of government. He pointed out that the Buhari administration needs to bring about some sanity in governance and address pressing issues like power supply.