Shehu Sani, a former Kaduna lawmaker, has cautioned President Bola Tinubu against repeating the same mistake as his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, when it comes to appointments.
While speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Shehu Sani delivered this cautionary message to President Bola Tinubu regarding appointments.
The former lawmaker urged President Tinubu to prioritize competence when making appointments if he desires to achieve positive outcomes. Sani pointed out that during Buhari’s eight-year administration from May 2015 to May 2023, nepotism was rampant, but it failed to yield desired results in critical areas such as security, economy, education, and healthcare.
He stated, “I will advise President Tinubu to be careful not to make the mistakes of President Buhari, and I believe he is experienced to understand this.
“Under Presdient Buhari, you have ministers that were appointed into office for the whole of eight years; 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, it takes three to four months to replace a minister. That was the way the country was governed.
“Under Buhari, we have seen nepotism at its peak where people were appointed into office and left there even if they did nothing.
“Service chiefs were retained in office despite their failures, and by retaining them, you destroyed the careers of those behind them. For many years, many officers were retired to appoint one person.”
If this country has to move forward, we must treat the issue of competency as the qualification for appointment,” he added.
According to Sani, the current state of affairs in northern Nigeria serves as evidence of the shortcomings of political leaders, particularly those hailing from the region.
He emphasized that these leaders have not effectively utilized their political influence to address and mitigate the prevalent underdevelopment across the 19 states in the region.
He said, “What has all these powers been used for? It has not been used for the benefit of our people for a very long time.”
