* Building On  Illegality,  Injustice Is Building On Sand

by Tony Icheku

If the advisers of President Muhammadu Buhari advises him to ignore any section of this country, they do well and he does even better by listening to them. But like the rising sun, truth will show up at the appointed time. With President Buhari's recent appointments, we return again to the pedestrian conversation of merit versus quota in the disbursement of Nigeria's resources.

Trite the idea may be, but the founding fathers understood the  forces at play, holding Nigeria together: social justice, equity, rule of law and brotherhood (unity). Even the military in all the incursions into politics clearly understood this and diplomatically bought into the idea. It would be a great tragedy therefore if we jettison the pillars holding Nigeria together under the rule of  constitutionalism and democracy.

Perhaps, the matter would have been better understood if President Buhari had scrapped the Federal Character Commission which draws its legality  from Section 14 subsection (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999.


That portion of the 1999 Constitution states: "The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few States or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or any of its agencies."

Though controversial,  this section of the constitution promotes national unity, fosters national loyalty and gives every citizen of Nigeria a sense of belonging to the nation notwithstanding the diversities of ethnic origin, culture, language or religion.

The chief argument of the opponent of the federal character principle is that it undermines merit, But  there is minimum requirement for appointment into any post and this merit is not a closed shop. It is not the exclusive preserve of any particular section, geopolitical zone, State, or ethnic nationality.

Nigeria is a delicate union where meaning is read to every action  of the government of the day. So soon, advisers of President Buhari forgets that what  contributed to the "rejection" of former President Goodluck Jonathan's government in the South West was the alleged exclusion of Yorubas from sensitive appointments.

The federal character principle is enshrined in the constitution and any lopsided appointment by any government is illegal and unconstitutional, at least until this section is amended.

To add insult to injury, political rascals and beneficiaries of the impunity of the past, the likes of Hon. Bethel Amadi from Imo State, a former member of House of Representatives, are supporting un-constitutionalism, illegality, injustice! Surely injustice will not stand and Ndigbo will not succumb to being reduced to second class citizens in a Country they freely chosed to belong.