After criticism, Ndume praises Tinubu’s fairness in recent northern appointments
Senator Ali Ndume of Borno South has acknowledged the recent appointments made by President Bola Tinubu, describing them as a response to earlier concerns about regional representation in federal positions.
On Friday, the federal government named 12 northerners to various leadership roles within federal agencies. The appointments include Yazid Shehu Umar Danfulani from Zamfara as managing director of the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC), Hamza Ibrahim Baba from Kano as programme manager of the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), and Abubakar Umar Jarengol from Adamawa as executive director of operations at NAIC.
Other appointees are Sama’ila Audu from Katsina, executive director of administration at the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF); Musa Garba Mai Tafsiri from Kebbi, executive secretary of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education; and Isa Aremu from Kwara, director-general of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), among others.
Earlier this year in April, Ndume criticized President Tinubu’s appointments as “lopsided” and said they violated the constitutional principle of federal character.
In a statement released on Saturday, Ndume said the new appointments indicate that the president listens to constructive criticism and adjusts accordingly. He said the recent selections are an effort to correct the imbalances in previous appointments.
“President Tinubu is someone who surrenders to constructive criticisms,” Ndume said. “I have known him to be a fair-minded, cosmopolitan person. Yes, we are all bound to make mistakes. No one is infallible.
“I could recall that our leaders in the north, including my humble self, who felt jolted over recent appointments into key federal positions, raised our voices, screaming against the perceived imbalances.
“The hallmark of a good leader and statesman is to quickly adjust himself when he takes a decision or makes a policy pronouncement that a large section of the people finds unpopular and uncomfortable with.
“President Ahmed Bola Tinubu has demonstrated several times that he is a responsive leader.
“This recent appointment of Northerners into key positions in federal parastatals and agencies was meant to address the imbalances thrown up by his previous appointments, which left the North stranded.”
