Arewa slams President Tinubu for favouring only Lagosians in key appointments

Patrick OdeySeptember 3, 2023

2 minutes read

The Arewa Economic Forum (AEF), a group of Northern economic stakeholders, has criticised President Bola Tinubu for allegedly appointing Yorubas, especially Lagosians, into key positions in the finance and ICT sectors.

The group said that this was a sign of nepotism and regional bias that could undermine the country’s economic development.

The AEF chairman, Ibrahim Dandakata, made this accusation at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday. He said that the group was dissatisfied with the apparent lopsidedness of the appointments made by Mr Tinubu since he assumed office in 2023.

He said that the finance minister, Wale Edun, and acting governor of CBN, Folashodun Shonubi, were both from the South-West and had links to Lagos. He also said that the Minister of Communications Innovation and Digital Economy, Mr Bosun Tijani, and the heads of the Senate and House Committees on ICT, Senator Afolabi Salisu and Hon. Adedeji Olajide Odidiomo, were also from the same region.

He said that these appointments showed a deliberate attempt to ‘Yorubanise’ and ‘Lagosise’ the economy, while neglecting the North and other parts of the country. He said that this was unfair and unjust, considering that the North played a vital role in ensuring Mr Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 general election.

He said that Mr Tinubu, as a patriotic and refined statesman who won a credible national mandate, had a duty to be fair and equitable to all parts of the country. He said that Mr Tinubu should not only be fair but also be seen to be fair by all Nigerians.

He also said that some of the chief executive officers of some key government agencies who were previously Northerners were replaced with Lagosians by the current administration. He said that this was another indication of favouritism and discrimination.

He urged Mr Tinubu to turn the corner and do the needful in upcoming appointments and crucial decisions. He said that he expected Mr Tinubu to be fair, just and equitable in his decisions not only because the Northerners overwhelmingly voted for him but because that was the right thing to do.

The AEF is a group of Northern economic stakeholders who advocate for the economic development and empowerment of the region. The group has been vocal on issues affecting the North and Nigeria at large.

President Bola Tinubu is a former governor of Lagos State and leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He won the 2023 presidential election with 36.61 per cent of the votes. He has been accused of favouring his allies and cronies in his appointments and policies.