Former Kaduna lawmaker Shehu Sani has cautioned President Bola Tinubu against repeating the mistakes of his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, when it comes to making appointments.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Sani emphasized the importance of prioritizing competence to achieve effective governance.
Sani criticized Buhari’s administration for its high level of nepotism and lack of results in key areas such as security, the economy, education, and healthcare. He pointed out that Buhari’s failure to reshuffle his cabinet or replace ineffective ministers contributed to the country’s challenges.
“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,” Sani stated.
“Under President 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.”
He continued, “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.”
Sani also highlighted the issue of retaining ineffective service chiefs, which he argued hampered the careers of other qualified officers.
“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,” he said.
He stressed that for Nigeria to progress, competency should be the main criterion for appointments.
“If this country has to move forward, we must treat the issue of competency as the qualification for appointment,” Sani insisted.
Additionally, Sani remarked on the political failures in northern Nigeria, criticizing leaders from the region for not utilizing their power to address underdevelopment in the 19 northern states.
“What has all these powers been used for? It has not been used for the benefit of our people for a very long time,” he concluded.