The prominent Civil Rights Advocacy group:- HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has reacted to the appointment of a Northern Hausa/Fulani moslem born Military General as a Chief of Army Staff saying that it was no longer surprised by the President’s predilection for appointing only Northern Moslems into strategic National defence portfolios in his government.
HURIWA noted that the President has since 2015 maintained the illegal and unconstitutional practice of posting only Northern Hausa/Fulani Moslems to head the entire Internal Security architectures such as Nigerian Customs Service, Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigerian Police Force, Department of State Services, National Intelligence Agency and Nigerian Army which is the largest set of armed segment of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
HURIWA recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari is quoted in the media as appointing Major-General Farouk Yahaya as the new Chief of Army Staff to succeed the late Lieutenant General Attahiru Ibrahim who was killed surreptitiously in a plane crash in Kaduna about a week ago alongside half a dozen military Generals and scores of Airforce military pilots.
This information HURIWA gathered is according to a statement signed and released on Thursday by military spokesperson Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu.
HURIWA recalled that before his elevation yesterday through his appointment as the substantive Army Chief of Staff, Major-General Yahaya was the General Officer Commanding 1 Division of the Nigerian Army and the incumbent Theatre Commander of the Counter-terrorism, Counter-Insurgency military outfit in the North East code named Operation HADIN KAI, the statement said.
His appointment comes days after the immediate past army chief, Lieutenant-General Ibrahim Attahiru died in a Kaduna air-crash along with 10 other military officials.
the Rights group which described the ‘shameless nepotistic decision’ of President Buhari to continue in the illegal and unconstitutional abuses of appointing only Hausa/Fulani citizens into juicy Internal Security positions in breach of the Nigerian Constitutional provision of Federal Character as despicable, reprehensible and totally toxic, however blames the stooges controlling the National Assembly as senate President and speaker for indulging President Muhammadu Buhari in his serial offenses against the Nation’s Grundnorm.
The Rights group said if the Country had the fortune of having strong and independent persons as heads of the National legislative Chambers, then these serial abuses of the Constitution by President Muhammadu Buhari would have merited his impeachment from office.
HURIWA observed that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria section 14 (3)stated thus: “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few States or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.
The prominent Civil Rights Advocacy Group accused President Muhammadu Buhari of violating his constitutional oath of office by his nepotism as shown clearly by his aversion for respecting the Federal Character principle even when the President swore an Oath of office as follows:
“I, ………….. do solemnly swear/affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I will discharge my duties to the best of my ability, faithfully and in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the law, and always in the interest of the sovereignty, integrity, solidarity, well-being and prosperity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria;………
“I will do right to all manner of people, according to law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will; that I will not directly or indirectly communicate or reveal to any person any matter which shall be brought under my consideration or shall become known to me as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, except as may be required for the due discharge of my duties as President;”.
The Rights group said Buhari’s refusal to appoint an officer from the South East of Nigeria as the Army Chief of Staff even when he is the most senior of the Major Generals further solidify his notoriety as someone who does not believe in one Nigeria.
I am not shocked either too