Kaduna, Nigeria – As President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approaches his 100th day in office, the Convener of the Arewa Think Tank Group, Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu, has made a noteworthy observation regarding allegations of nepotism. Yakubu emphasized that, unlike the previous administration, Northerners cannot accuse President Tinubu of nepotism.
President Tinubu, who assumed office on May 29 after securing victory in the polls, has received praise from Yakubu, who stated that even if there were instances of nepotism under the current administration, Northerners lack the moral grounds to level such accusations.
This stems from the fact that during the tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari, when nepotism was prevalent, many Northerners remained silent without criticizing the former president.
In a statement issued on Friday and distributed to the media in Kaduna, the Arewa Think Tank Group expressed satisfaction with President Tinubu’s proactive stance.
They particularly commended his warning to recently appointed ministers, urging them to demonstrate diligence and uphold good conduct in their roles, or face dismissal from office.
The Arewa Think Tank Group, in reference to one of its published pieces, acknowledged advising President Tinubu against appointing former governors as ministers, despite some being appointed. The group expressed satisfaction that such appointments could result in removal for poor performance.
The group highlighted President Tinubu’s apparent commitment to leading the nation toward progress. They appealed to all Nigerians to collaborate with the President in achieving his objectives.
Furthermore, the group asserted that, based on President Tinubu’s appointments thus far, there is no evidence of nepotism. In fact, they indicated a willingness to support nepotism, emphasizing that no individual, group, or region should hinder President Tinubu’s efforts, as his ascent to power was attributed to divine intervention and diligent work.
“I must confess that Tinubu has surpassed my expectations, especially in the stamina with which he has been exhibiting in carrying out his functions. Virtually every day, including weekends, there were actions by President Tinubu.
“If you go to the Villa now, it is like a market; that is how democracy should be, compared to what it used to be in the last eight years, and his level of humility in governance is exceptional.
“No Northerner should bring up this unjustified sentiment now because some of us spoke against Buhari when he was doing the nepotism thing. And he didn’t listen.
“So it is just 100 days into President Tinubu’s regime. And he is doing exceptionally well. We will not allow anybody to express that kind of sentiment against Tinubu.
“Most Northerners are now going to support Tinubu to bring this country out of the woods because a lot of damage has been done to it in the past.
“When Buhari came in 2015, six months after he constituted his cabinet, I was one of the first people to grant an interview to a national television station, telling Buhari that we would not watch him misbehave coming into office after Jonathan. And we will not watch him do the wrong things and keep quiet. We will be the first to take you to the cleaners.
“So the same thing with Tinubu: if we see him going wrong, we will not keep quiet. But we will not exhibit stupid sentiments. And I don’t see Tinubu committing nepotism like Buhari did.
“Tinubu looks like a leader who is going to be very objective. I have heard some snippets, which I cannot say publicly, where Tinubu stamped his feet on the ground and said that he would not take such a mess.
“This is one of the qualities that are required of a leader. He is a leader who is going to be firm and stamp his feet.
“I once advised that the past governors that have served for eight years in office should take the back seat so that President Tinubu would not incur the wrath of Nigerians.
“I told him to forget about these former governors. But since he had appointed some of them, so be it. My happiness is that Mr President has warned all the ministers to perform or be fired from office. So the ministers must sit up and perform their duties,” the statement said.