Against Maitama Sule’s Advice, Is Buhari Becoming Northern Nigeria President?

Against Maitama Sule’s Advice, Is Buhari Becoming Northern Nigeria President?

On May 10, 2015, less than three weeks to his being sworn in as president, some northerner elders lead by Elder Statesman and former Nigeria’s Permanent Representatives to the United Nations, UN, Maitama Sule, paid the then President-elect Muhammadu Buhari a courtesy call and charged Buhari, to see himself as a Nigerian President and not only President of  Northern Nigeria when sworn in on May 29.

Referring to Buhari’s election as an act of God, Sule also asked him to use the opportunity to correct the social ills of the past.

Maitama Sule spoke, when he led a delegation of northern elders, including Professor Ango Abudalhi, to pay a congratulatory visit to Buhari in Abuja.

According to him, God granted Nigeria a peaceful election against scary predictions that the country would disintegrate in 2015.

Extolling the virtues of discipline and uprightness in Buhari, the elder states man also urged him to relentlessly pursue justice and make truth his watch word throughout his tenure.

He said:  “You are the president of Nigeria, you are not the president of Northern Nigeria by the grace of God. Your excellency, we have come to congratulate you.

‘’We first of all thank God. What has recently happened to Nigeria is an act of God. Nobody can claim credit for it. Allah has done it for us. Allah has listened to our prayers and our pleas to bring about this change, a change for the betterment of all.

“Nobody expected that the elections would be peaceful, nobody expected that the elections would not lead to the disintegration of the country. By the grace of God, the elections were held peacefully.

‘’We are living in peace with one another. By the grace of God, power will also be handed over to you  (Buhari) and we’ll be living peacefully thereafter by the grace of God.

“On many occasions, I’ve called   for a revolution  but I made it quite clear that I was not calling for a violent or bloody revolution.

“I wanted a kind of revolution led by Mahatma Gandhi, non-violent, bloodless revolution with the philosophy of Sathia Gria. A revolution is a change of attitude.

“Glory be to God, having listened to our prayers, he gave us somebody who has a good record of being a man of God, a truthful man, a man of integrity, a man of discipline.

‘’Yes, you (Buhari) were a military leader. I’ve always said it that when you were a military leader, you instilled discipline into our society.  You fought corruption and you gave Nigeria a sense of direction.

“I am sure you will not compromise your principle but you’ll bring justice, wisdom and diplomacy. I’m sure you’ll not compromise your principline. Let it be the same Buhari that gave the country a sense of direction when he was a military leader.”

However despite the advice by the elder statesmen, Buhari’s appointment so far has made many Nigerians to say that perhaps the president has decided to be seen as a northern president.

Below is a list of all appointees made so far by President Buhari and their states of origin
1. Aide de Camp to president: Lt. Col Abubakar Lawal, [Kano State, North-West]
2. Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the president: Femi Adesina, [Osun State, South-West].
3. Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity: Garba Shehu, [Kano State, North-West].
4. State Chief of Protocol/Special Assistant (Presidential Matters): Lawal Abdullahi Kazaure, [Jigawa State, North-West].


5. Accountant General of the Federation: Ahmed Idris [Kano State, North-West}

6. National Security Adviser: Babagana Monguno [Borno State, North-East]

7. Chief of Defence Staff, Abayomi Olonishakin, [Ekiti State, South-West]

8. Chief of Army Staff: Tukur Buratai, [Borno State, North-East]

9. Chief of Naval Staff: Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, [Cross Rivers, South-South]

10. Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar, [Bauchi State, North-East]

11. Chief of Defence Intelligence: Monday Riku Morgan [Benue State, North-Central]

12. Director General, State Security Services, SSS: Lawal Daura, [Katsina State, North-West]

13. Acting Chairperson, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Amina Zakari, [Jigawa State, North-West]

14. Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA: Habibu Abdulahi [Kano State, North-West]

15. Special Adviser, Niger Delta Amnesty Office: Paul Boroh, [Bayelsa State, South-South]

16. Acting Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration, Safety and Security Agency, NIMASA: Baba Haruna Jauro [Yobe State, North-East]

17. Executive Vice Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Communications Commission: Umaru Dambatta [Kano State, North-West]

18. Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS: Babatunde Fowler, [Lagos State, South-West]

19. Director General, Budget Office of the Federation: Aliyu Gusau, [Zamfara State, North-West]

20. Engr. Babachir David Lawal – Secretary to the Government of the Federation{Adamawa state}

21. Alhaji Abba Kyari – Chief of Staff to the President{Borno state}

22. Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd.) – Comptroller-General, Nigerian Customs Service{Nassarawa state}

23. Mr. Kure Martin Abeshi – Comptroller-General, Nigerian Immigration Service{Nassarawa state}

24. Senator Ita S.J. Enang – SSA to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate) (Akwa Ibom}

25. Emmanuel Kachikwu- Group MD NNPC {Delta state}