Group demands appointment of southerner as Federal Character Commission’s chair
Shina Abubakar, Osogbo
A Non-Governmental Organisation, United Youth for Growth and Development (UYGD) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to stop the injustice at the Federal Character Commission.
The group also called on the President to take a bold step of appointing a southern person as the commission’s chairman for the first time since its 25 years of existence.
Addressing a press conference in Osogbo, the group’s Executive Director, Comrade Wasiu Adebiyi said it would amount to injustice to appoint another northerner chairman of the commission after the expiration of Dr Muheeba Fareedah Dankaka.
“Since the establishment of Federal Character Commission in 1996, no southerner has been appointed a substantive chairman. This is injustice and we call on President Muhammadu Buhari to correct the injustice when the office of the chairman is vacant.
“In most heterogeneous societies like Nigeria, the greatest recurrent problem is that protection and accommodation of generality of interest of its components or entities and consequent elimination of looming fears or worries of its members especially the minority.
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In other words, the challenge is to prevent the predominance of members from a major ethnic group in the political geo-entity by ensuring equitable distribution of powers and resources. This is the Purpose of Section 14 (3) & (4) of the 1999 constitution.
“In a sincere bid to actualise this dream, Section 153 (1) (c) of the 1999 constitution established Federal Character Commission with a view to guaranteeing the operation and implementation of the principle of Federal Character.
“The Composition of the Commission is as stipulated by Paragraph 7(1)(a)&(b) of part 1 to the Third Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 and which was reinforced by Section 2(1) of the Federal Character Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004 to include: A Chairman, one person to represent each State of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja”, he said.
Adebiyi also urged the president to break the jinx of not appointing a southerner to the office of chairman, saying the secretary is not part of the decision making of the commission considering the parliamentary line of its workings and collegial decision making.
“The big question is: What is the sin of the Southern part of the country which necessitated their denial of the Chairmanship position of the Commission since 1996?
“Although, every state of the federation is well represented in the commission while the Secretary of the Commission serves them through the Chairman.
“It is, therefore, germane to point out that Southern part of the country is not interested in the Secretary position but the Chairmanship whenever the vacancy occurs,” he added.
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