However, in a country of byzantine political ecosystem, and climate of vexing power politics, it is not farfetched for Osinbajo’s recent visibility to be misconstrued as subtly Machiavellian. In the past weeks, there had been grumblings, veiled as passing opinions and with vitriolic undertone.
When at last it came, the hail of criticisms––harshly accusing him of consolidating his power base ahead of the 2019 election––was a viral online polemic by a Dr. Ismaila Farouk.
The opening paragraph of the diatribe accused the Acting President for ‘tactical’ nepotism and cronyism that has seen key strategic cabinet positions filled by people linked to him.
“Contrary to the widely held belief that Vice President Osinbajo, a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and a Professor of Law is above board, a forensic analysis of his activities since he assumed office reveals that the VP has consistently abused his office, negating the principles of Federal Character and has systematically favored members of the Redeemed Church and his Yoruba tribe.”
It particularly knocked Osinbajo for the appointment of Dr Okey Enelamah as Minister for Trade and Investment––noting that the latter was his Deputy and later successor at the RCCG, Banana Island, Lagos. The Vice President was also indicted for the appointment of “his RCCG Brother” Alex Okoh as DG of the Bureau of Public Enterprise.
The long and short of it was that the VP is surreptitiously embedding his lackeys in positions of authority in violation of the principle of Federal Character, in key institutions like INEC and NNPC to the Non-Career Ambassadors and critical Regulatory Agencies.
According to the statement, “While Nigerians were trying to come to terms with the shock of Pastor Enelamah’s nomination, VP Osinbajo took a step further in his nepotistic disposition in the setting up of his office and selection of personal staff. First, he chose his former colleague at the University of Lagos Ade Ipaye who was also his Special Adviser while he was Attorney General of Lagos to serve as his Chief of Staff. Unsurprisingly, Ade Ipaye hails from Ogun State, the VP’s State of origin. He went on to relocate Laolu Akande, an indigene of Ogun State who was hibernating in New York to serve as his Media Adviser. For his Chief Economic Adviser, he appointed Ambassador Dipeolu also of Yoruba extraction. The VP didn’t stop there, of his 10 Principal Officers in his office, 9 are from his Yoruba ethnic group. In his quest to perpetuate his ilk in government, the VP has capitalised on the magnanimity of President Buhari’s implicit confidence in him to plant his Yoruba and RCCG brethren in key agencies of government.”
Senior Special Assistant, Media to the Acting President, Laolu Akande, declined to comment. There are nonetheless others who spoke against the storm precipitated by Farouk. One of such rebuttals online by an anonymous called it “a bunch of deliberate and wicked lies against a man of God who has come to support and serve,” citing the tirade as “an abortive attempt to disparage the truly beloved, humble VP.”
…Eminent Nigerians speak
Eminent Nigerians wade into the smoldering controversy, giving their constructive and weighed opinions.
According to Abubakar Tsav, former commissioner of police, Lagos state “Osinbajo has been very active as Acting President working very hard, with zeal, dedication and utmost efficiency and this is commendable. However, the recent appointments he has been making alarm me. Those appointments are very narrow and sectional. Those appointments will create division and sow seeds of ethnic discord.
How can Osinbajo appoint more than 80 per cent of his personal staff from South-West? Not only that, names of Yoruba also feature prominently on the list of appointments he made into parastatals. Again, most of these appointees are Christians. This is unacceptable. Osinbajo should realise that he is now a national figure.
“Although Osinbajo is humane, but he should be more liberal, and try to be pan-Nigerian in whatever he is doing . With the public outcry against him on this issue, I think he should do the needful. He should realise that what he has done on this appointments issue is not good for his own image, for the interests of the country, and it is also inimical to the growth and development of democracy in this country.”
On his part, Ola Ishola-Williams, a retired army general said
“Osinbajo really disappointed me. Look at the way the lady that used to be at PENCOM was removed. The lady was removed when she has not completed her tenure. She was unceremoniously removed.
Even at that, what I had expected was that the replacement for her should have been somebody from her geo-political zone, but that didn’t’ happen, Osinbajo now appointed a Yoruba to fill the post. That is bad.
Politicians should be careful, they should be sensitive to the feelings of others. It is very sad that Osinbajo is following the footstep of Buhari on issues relating to appointments. He should not copy Buhari at all, because this is how Buhari also concentrated all appointments in the North, and also favour Muslims in government appointments. Osinbajo should revert those appointments and follow due process. I even believe that some of these appointments should be given to professionals. Professionals should be recruited to run these parastatals instead of appointing politicians who are given the positions not based on merit.”
DAILY SUN
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