6000 appointments coming – Presidency

In spite of promises to reduce the cost of governance, especially in terms of political appointments made by President Muhammadu Buhari during the campaigns, the administration may still make as much as 6, 000 appointments, before its tenure runs out.

This much was made known by the president’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, during an interview with SaharaTv on Saturday, who noted that Buhari would be fair to all.

Buhari, who recently sacked the country’s service chiefs that served under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and dissolved the boards of many Federal Government parastatals across the country, has been criticised for allegedly favouring the North in the appointments he had made so far.

But Shehu said, “I think President Muhammadu Buhari is sensitive to the diversity of this country. He has more than 6,000 appointments to make. Therefore, why would anybody use less than 10 appointments to judge the President on this matter? Again, it boils down to the lack of patience. This man is an experienced leader. Nigeria stands to gain from the accumulation of wisdom that he has garnered over his long life on earth. He has sworn to an oath that he’s a President of all.

“This government will make as many as 6,000 appointments. And he is bound, even if he doesn’t wish it, by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to reflect federal character.”

He also reiterated that there is no going back to President Buhari’s resolve to ensure that stolen public funds are returned to the treasury.

Shehu said though he is not at liberty to say whether or not the immediate past Goodluck Jonathan’s ministers would be probed, the Buhari administration is commitment to recovering stolen funds.

“Whoever has taken money from Nigeria that does not belong to them, Buhari’s word is to bring it back,” he said.

When asked whether Buhari is under pressure not to probe members of Jonathan’s cabinet, Shehu said that he is not aware of such pressure.

Read also: G7 over, Buhari returns to face appointments brouhaha

He also spoke on Radio Biafra, describing it as a fringe effort to ineffectively dissolve the country.

“The issue of the oneness of the country had been settled by the civil government, and Nigerians have moved on. I don’t think people should take this fringe group seriously because they do not represent the majority of the country,” he said.

Responding to insinuations that the United States government will try to push President Buhari to reverse Nigeria’s anti-gay law during his visit to Washington D.C. this week, the presidential aide emphasized the importance of the opinion of the country as a whole.

“The president of Nigeria will address the question when it is raised. Even if President Buhari holds a contrary opinion, he is one person, and he cannot ignore the domestic opinion of the country.”

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