Can the careful law of ethnic balancing Nigeria be threatened?

In Nigerian politics, there has long been an informal understanding: the president’s appointments must carefully balance the many ethnic and religious differences in the country. Today’s fears are increasing that this is being ignored.

While the Constitution requires a regional representation of cabinet positions, the broader distribution of other prominent roles traditionally follows a convention aimed at promoting national rapprochement.

The factual divisions of Nigeria in the past have torn the country – the most populated – except Africa.

Concerns about justice in the president’s appointments are not new, but the chorus of criticism is increasing over the election of President Bola Tinubu, with some blaming the head of state – who has been in power for two years – to favor people in his own ethnic group Joruba.

The Presidency strongly denies the prosecution.

There have long been fears that members of an ethnic group will dominate key positions – and this means that the president’s appointments are carefully considered when announced.

There are over 250 ethnic groups with Hausa-Funganis, Igbo and Yoruba-Rodom from the north, southeast and southwest, respectively the three largest.

Critics say Tinubu, a southern Muslim, showed signs of ignoring a precedent from the beginning when he chose another Muslim (though from the north) to be his governing partner for the last elections.

After the return of democracy in 1999, the main parties have always exposed a mixed Muslim-Christian ticket, as the country is approximately evenly divided between the followers of the two religions.

The appointments of Tinubu, since becoming president in May 2023, have been facing a growing Chrisim.

Although there are dozens of roles for the head of state to fill, there are eight jobs that “are the most important for every administration”, according to political analyst and lawyer Lawal Lawal.

These are the heads of:

• Central bank
• State Petroleum Company, NNPC
• police
• army
• customs office
• Intelligence agency
• Anti -Corruption Agency and
• Revenue service.

There is no constitutional ranking of positions, but jointly these roles control the key financial and security apparatus of the country.

Each president inherits the appointments of his predecessor, but has a prerogative to replace them.

By April, all eight positions under Tinubu were already filled by Yorubas.

Recent Appointment of former Shell Bayo Ojulari boss In order to head the state -owned oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), on the site of a North -hairednik, the turbo occupies the debate for the obvious monopoly of a group of senior positions.

Looking at who filled the same posts under the two immediate predecessors of Tinubu, there was no such dominance of an ethnic group at the same stage of their presidency.

Gudluk Jonathan – who served from 2010 to 2015 – had a relatively balanced team of two ethnic Fulans, two hazz, one atype, an igbo, one yoruba and one Calabar.

When it came to Mohamadu Bukhari – in power from 2015 to 2023 – the situation was less clear.

In the top eight, he had three hatchi, two canoes, one igbo, one yoruba and one NUPE.

But in the minds of many Nigerians, Howles, Cannis and Nupes, they are regarded as northerners – and therefore there was a perception that Bukhari, which is from the north, shows favorites.

Some claim that Tinubu’s appointments simply continued the trend, but 100%of the makeup of the eight key positions is unprecedented.

“I can not remember at any point in Nigerian history, where you have this high concentration of a particular ethnic group, which occupies most sensitive positions,” Tidjani Nanja told the BBC.

This is not just about what happened in the past, but it can affect the unity and even the future of the country, the professor said.

“For me, fear is what if the next president continues this path and takes most of the sensitive positions in his ethnic group, this reduces the sense of belonging to the rest and also reduces the belief in democracy,” he said.

In the last two years, many northerners, mostly House-Fluani, have considered the obvious direction of anxiety.

Current men (no women) responsible for NNPC, police, customs and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), all replaced the northerners.

The removal of Abdulrashid Bava, House, as chief of EFCC in 2023. Only two years after he was appointed, it was particularly controversial.

He was arrested, charged with abuse of position and detained for more than 100 days before the allegations were dismissed.

It was replaced by Coal Engineeriade, ethnic English.

Some of the north felt that Biva was unjustly treated and pushed aside to make the way to the d -nlukoyode.

“The president must know that the people of Yoruba are only part of the country. All appointments must be distributed in all ethnic groups and regions,” Social Affairs Analyst Isa Habibu told the BBC.

Without dealing with specific cases, a Tinubu spokesman said the president is fair and balanced, taking a broader view of all appointments.

The media assistant on Sunday Dare tried to go into detail, saying that overall 71 northerners and 63 southerners were appointed by Tinu. But later, his post on April 9 of X was deleted after people indicated mistakes in his request.

He promised an updated list, but for more than six months Slater, he still has not appeared.

Tinubu is confronted with critics even from his own party.

Senator Ali Ndum is from the north and – like Tinu – belongs to the congress of all progressives. In a television interview, he said he had gone on air to talk about the president’s appointment “unlawful action.”

Ndume said he was shocked by describing them as “nonsense and not reflecting the President’s” renewed hope program “, which promised to carry every section of the country together.”

Another assistant to President Daniel Bwala challenged the idea that some positions are more significant than others.

“All I know is that the constitutional provisions (regarding appointments) have been taken care of by the president – there is nowhere in the constitution (where it is) five, the top 10 and the rest,” he told the BBC.

“The way we see that every position or meeting in which a person is privileged to serve is very critical and important.

“The national security adviser is from the northeast, the chief of defense headquarters is from the northwest, and the secretary to the federal government is from the North Central.”

The Office of the Secretary of the Federation Government, which coordinates the policy on behalf of the Presidency, made a statement on April 12, saying that Tinubu was fair.

“This administration is dedicated to the guarantee that all regions and demographics of the country are adequately presented in its institutions and agencies,” the statement said.

Political analyst G -n Loal said that the president should appoint the best person to work, regardless of their ethnic origin -and Agues, that this is doing Tinubu.

“It’s highly that Nigeria looks beyond ethnicity,” he said.

There may be a time when the Nigerians no longer obsess on the ethnic origin of those in the upper government echelons, but the historian Prof. Nanna says that this is still some way.

He believes that this can only happen when the country receives at least four presidents consistently, which give each section a sense of belonging to projects and appointments.

“I think this can be done, but it needs the right leaders.”