Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has cautioned President Bola Tinubu against repeating the mistake of his predecessor, former President Muhammadu Buhari in the area of appointments.
Tinubu officially took over from Buhari after his inauguration into office on May 29, 2023.
Sani, an activist, however, claimed the eight-year tenure of the former military Head of State was fraught with nepotism and incompetence, especially in terms of governance, security and economic policies.
Stressing that nepotism was at its peak, Sani wondered why some Ministers were in office for eight years under Buhari.
The federal lawmaker made the plea when he was featured as a guest on Sunday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.
He said, “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. Under President Buhari, you have ministers who 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. 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 noted that “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. If this country has to move forward, we must treat the issue of competency as the qualification for appointment.”
In recent times, the president’s cabinet has come under severe criticism for not living up to expectations despite the current economic hardship rocking the country.
Recall that the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation has been without a minister since Betta Edu was suspended on January 8, 2024.
