Northerners, especially clerics, who are criticising the appointment of former Rivers State governor, Barrister Nyesom Wike, as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have been told to stop dangerous ethno-religious politics.
An Arewa group, which took up the minister’s critics, said the leadership of FCT Ministry is not the birthright of Northern Nigeria.
Addressing a world press conference in Kaduna yesterday, chairman of Arewa Youths for Peaceful Coexistence, Comrade Haruna Bature said, despite Nigeria getting its petroleum resources from the South, over time, the minister of petroleum and current NNPC GMD were from the North, without anyone raising issue from the south.
Bature said, what the north and the entire Nigeria should be talking about, is competence, charisma and capacity, not ethnicity that will not take the country anywhere.
According to him, “We are totally in disagreement with what some Islamic clerics are saying, that a Christian from the South cannot be Minister of FCT. The position of the FCT minister is not an exclusive right of the North.
“As much as we are not trying to join issues with the religious leaders, we need to let the world know that, the current FCT Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike is a detribalized Nigerian and a tested performer. We must therefore stop using ethnic arithmetic in whatever we are doing in this country.
“Aside Malam Nasir El-Rufai, what have the FCT ministers that have come before Wike who are Northerners done? So, we should be talking about competence, charisma and capacity, not ethnicity that will not take us anywhere.
“Going by his antecedent as a local government chairman, as one time chief of staff to governor of River State, as minister of education and two term executive governor, he has all its takes to be minister of FCT and he has so far performed creditably well. And we are sure that, North will not be disappointed at the end of the day.
“We should also be reminded that, we get our petroleum resources from the south, but over time, the minister of petroleum were from the North, and nobody has complained bitterly from the South. So, why is the issue of FCT generating heat? FCT is Nigeria’s capital; it is not for North alone and it is not for South alone.
“We are therefore asking Northerners to support Wike regardless of his tribe, religion or ethnicity. We don’t agree with the argument that the FCT Minister must come from the North. We are in total support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his appointment of Barrister Nyesom Wike.
“We Arewa Youths for Peaceful Co-existence believe that, His Excellency Nyesom Wike’s appointment is great assets to the North, and the nation at large. His commitment to transparency, accountability and good governance is a breath of fresh air in Nigeria’s political landscape,” Bature said.
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