By Izuoma Ibe, TODAY NEWS AFRICA
In the words of President Muhammadu Buhari, “our government will remain inclusive and our doors will remain open”. The President emphasized that his government will continue to engage all parties. The Daura born Nigerian President made this assertion after he was reelected for a second term of four years.
Be that as it may, we all know that the government of Buhari in the last four years was labelled sectional due his style of National appointments and distributions of dividends of democracy.
[read_more id="2" more="Read full article" less="Read less"]
Should he change his ways, Nigerians will be looking up for better four years with Buhari as president.
President Buhari and his handlers must look beyond the outcome of the last presidential election and unify Nigeria in terms of political appointments, at least, by ensuring that the three major ethnic groups are well positioned in his government unlike what the experience was during his first term.
One major area he and his party should look into is the National Assembly. He should use his influence to allocate the office of the Senate president to the South East to ensure a well-unified government. Mr President is an Hausa man while the Vice President is a Yoruba man, leaving out Igbo from the power equation will dent his promise for an inclusive government. An Igbo man should be the Senate president!
In my opinion, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu is a round peg for that round hole at this time. The ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) leadership should look beyond self and tribe to consider Senator Orji Kalu who is a former member of the House of Representatives where he moved for the dual citizen bill which many Nigerians are benefiting from today; a former state governor who governed meritoriously for uninterrupted 8 years.
As a senator, he has a vast knowledge and experience of governance and legislation to bring into play.
Additionally, Senator Orji Kalu is pan Nigerian whose planks cut across the geopolitical zones of Nigeria. He is not a fair-weather political leader but one who believes in the invisibility and overall development Nigeria. He has never shied away from his national interests and has never been found wanting in roles and assignment given to him in the past.
If president Buhari and his political party, APC will get it right by having an Igbo man as Senate president, they will succeed in consolidating their victory in the last presidential election by making Nigerians to believe the words of Mr President when he said he belongs to Nobody but to all Nigerians.
Izuoma writes from Port Harcourt, Nigeria via izuomaibe@gmail.com
[/read_more]
