The former Senator that represented Kaduna Central in the 8th National Assembly, Shehu Sani, has advised President Bola Tinubu not to make the mistake on appointments like his immediate predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.
Speaking in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, the former lawmaker appealed to President Tinubu to prioritise competence in his appointments if he is interested in getting results that would move the country forward.
According to Sani, “During Buhari’s eight-year administration between May 2015 and May 2023, nepotism was at its peak yet results were not produced in all areas of governance, majorly security, economy, education and healthcare.
“I will advise President Tinubu to be careful not to make the mistakes of President Buhari, and I believe he is experienced enough to understand this.”
He observed that under President Buhari, the country had ministers that were appointed into office for the whole of eight years, stressing that they were with him for the first tenure and the second tenure, and there was no cabinet reshuffle, no removal.
Even if there was a removal, he lamented that it takes three to four months to replace a minister, saying that that was the way the country was governed.
According to him, under Buhari, Nigerians saw nepotism at its peak where people were appointed into office and left there even if they did nothing.
He added that service chiefs were retained in office despite their failures, and by retaining them, the careers of those behind them were destroyed, pointing out that for many years, many officers were retired to appoint one person.
If the country has to move forward, Sani suggested that Nigerians must treat the issue of competency as the qualification for appointment.
He observed that the situation in northern Nigeria is a reflection of the failure of political leaders, particularly those from the region who failed to use political power to reduce the level of underdevelopment in the 19 states of the region.
He wondered what all the powers had been used for, saying that it had not been used for the benefit of the people for a very long time.