There was this Southern African proverb used by former president Dr Goodluck Jonathan that makes a whole lot of sense to us in Nigeria, especially when we are analytically viewing how government business is set up.
The proverb says, "It's much easier to wake a man who is truly asleep from sleep than he who is pretending to be asleep". Flowing from this Southern African proverb is the fact that it is very difficult to get a government bent on doing that which is unconstitutional than from a self correcting government that is transparent and open to criticism.
There are two public statements credited to the current president of Nigeria which self contradict each other. The first one was the story the president told during his happy moments as he marked his birthday very recently.
Visited by an entourage organised by his minister of the Federal Capital Territory Mr. Nyesom Wike, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said he once gave a strong warning to the FCT minister that he must carry out almost his entire public functions with the conscious awareness that the interest of All Progressives Congress which is the President’s political family matters so much and that should he be found wanting, he would be dismissed.
Wike is of the People’s Democratic Party but rebelled from his party and accepted a cabinet level appointment from the government set up by the APC led president.
The aforementioned story specifically is titled 'How I warned Wike of possible sack if his policies didn’t favour APC in FCT – says Tinubu'.
The president had revealed that he threatened the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, that he could lose his position if his policies in Abuja did not favour the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking recently when Wike led FCT residents on a Sallah visit to the State House, Tinubu commended the minister’s efforts in transforming the capital but noted that certain obstacles needed to be removed to ensure smooth progress.
One such challenge was the inclusion of the FCT under the Treasury Single Account (TSA), which Wike requested to be removed. Tinubu recalled that Wike approached him with the appeal.
“I remember the day Nyesom Wike came to me and said, ‘Please take us out of this problem of TSA so that I can do more work and achieve more,” Tinubu said.
He added that he asked Wike to outline his plans and then jokingly questioned whether the changes would benefit the APC politically.
“I said, ‘Okay, show me what you’re about to do,’ and he presented his thinking and his belief, and I threw in my political jibe. I said, ‘Will that give me any opportunity for my party to win an election in the FCT?’” the president added.
“I said, ‘I know where you’re coming from. Your own party or my party? Because if this thing goes too much in your own favour, you will lose your job, and he said, ‘Okay, we will settle that, my oga,’ and I moved ahead, and everything started changing rapidly,” Tinubu said.
He credited the removal of the FCT from the TSA for accelerating development and improving governance in the capital.
The second story was the statement that one of his ministers was offered appointment even when he was a known public critic of the person and politics of the president. In other word, the said minister is an outsider and not a core member of the president’s political family.
President Bola Tinubu had in this vein revealed the reasoning behind his “controversial decision” to appoint Dr. Bosun Tijani as Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy.
This move, he said, drew widespread debate due to Tijani’s history of public criticism of him and the National Assembly.
Speaking at a special Iftar held on Saturday night at the Presidential Villa to mark his 73rd birthday, Tinubu stated that his choice of Tijani underscored his belief in recognising talent, even among critics, as a means to drive national development.
“When I picked him, it was tough. My very close confidantes, who had read his comments on social media, came to me and said, ‘No, never.’ I said, ‘Yes, he is talented.
“Because he criticises me and pours abuses on the parliament, it does not mean he has nothing to offer.
“Maybe his frustration at that time will drive him to contribute more to governance. And today, he is doing that, and I am very proud of him,” Tinubu stated.
These two public stories told by Tinubu gives two contradictions. One is the impression that the president is unaware of the fuller meaning of constitutional democracy which is a form of government that is voted into office, composed by the people, not necessarily by members of the political structure that produced the president and the government of the people by the people is legally obligated to then deliver services that would benefits the greatest majority or percentage of the people of the country and not registered members of the political party in which the president used to run for election into the office of the president of Nigeria.
This particular story of the encounter between Wike and Tinubu tells the story of a president who believes that only members of the All Progressives Congress must become members of his government and therefore should become the overwhelming beneficiaries of the programmes, policies and initiatives of the government. The very next story of how the president proceeded to pick someone outside of his political family and indeed a critic, as a cabinet level appointee, reflects the mindset of a president who knows that government isn't necessarily by members of his political team and the beneficiaries of the policies and programmes of the government should be the greatest percentage of the people of Nigeria.
However, if we interrogate further the ways and manners of appointments made by the president, there is an open admission that President Tinubu is intentionally carrying on as if his government is by the APC and the goals and objectives of his governance style should be reaped by the members of his political family. This is so because it is now obvious that 99 percent of all the appointments made by the president have favoured active members of All Progressives Congress and the intriguing thing about it is that key positions of board chairmen of important national agencies have been awarded to the National leaders and states wide leaders of Tinubu’s political party which is the All Progressives Congress. The Nigerian Television Authority’s board is chaired by the spokesman of the APC. All federal teaching hospitals were awarded as trophies to national and state leaders of the All Progressives Congress and then there is another angle that is even more laughable: the overwhelming presence of the kinsmen and tribes women of Tinubu’s Yoruba heritage and ethnicity in his government.
Tinubu has effectively constituted the bulk of his appointees to be composed of Yorubas so much so that what we have with us in Nigeria is akin to a government by TRIBESMEN. This is more dangerous than concentrating appointments in the hands of leaders of the political party that produced the president of Nigeria, even though it is innately evil. So we are now contending with a twin social evils of having the president who has set up his government of TRIBESMEN and political family members only.
This is wrong on all fronts. I will reproduce the identities of the juicy and indeed very important public offices given only to Yorubas who are Tinubu’s TRIBESMEN. Senator Ali Ndume from Borno state, who is a member of the All Progressives Congress, loudly condemned this government by TRIBESMEN, which Tinubu is orchestrating.
But first, let us talk a bit about how tribalism constitutes the most dangerous threat to constitutional democracy.
A political philosopher recalled that Andrew Sullivan's 2017 article "Can democracy survive tribalism" states what I would consider an idealist's vision of Nigeria - "to live beyond such tribal identities, to construct a society based on the individual, to see ourselves as citizens of a people's republic." Most scholars agree that tribalism is an inherited social construct, a default of our collective 'existential experience.' The implication is that tribalism in contemporary societies can not be wished away. Tribalism: "a loyalty or preference to one's own people." "The state of existing as a tribe, or a strong loyalty to your tribe."
She said that a group's history shapes its existential experience. Ahmad Mohammadpour and Kamal Soleimani (2019) suggest that "colonial powers have used tribalism to oversimplify the multifaceted modality of diverse and heterogeneous socio-political arrangements." While understanding history is important, the popular anonymous quote, "If you don't heal what hurt you, you'll bleed on people who didn't cut you," captures the essence of the present moment in Nigeria. What happened prior to Nigeria's independence and post-independence has seared 'tribe' into the country's political identity, fueling a 'survivalist mentality' and the need to 'stick together.' The extensive literature on tribalism agrees that it has more severe consequences in developing societies. Individuals may covertly stay 'primal' and overtly exhibit 'primal' behaviors when any form of security in an already 'lacking, scarce' space is threatened. Primal: the extreme response to new and threatening situations in the interest of self-preservation.
The author recalled vividly that with over 250 ethnic groups, Nigeria is the archetype of a heterogeneous group. However, this diversity also poses a burden, as the country's institutions and leaders need help managing the complexities of the different groups. Despite being a rich economy, Nigeria's poverty rate is high, and its quality of life is worsening. In the lead-up to the 2023 election, Nigeria's economic situation was volatile, with high inflation, contractionary monetary policies, and shrinking policy space, leading to a reduced purchasing power for the average Nigerian. Tribalism exacerbates the issue, as different groups compete for scarce resources. In his article "Tribalism and Politics in Nigeria," Walter Schwarz (1966) wrote that "it is not that different tribes dislike each other. The trouble is they are competing for scarce commodities." Today, 56 years after his writing, resource scarcity has worsened, and the competition for what is available is even more primal. (written by Ada Umenwaliri, PhD in public policy and strategy).
The conclusion is to reproduce empirical evidence to demonstrate our understanding that President Tinubu is running his government of TRIBESMEN, which is much more dangerous than his other understanding of government and purpose of government which to him means satisfying only the interest of members of his political party which is the All Progressives Congress (APC).
As sent to me by a senior officer of the Nigerian Immigration Service (name withheld): SOME OFFICIALS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA UNDER PRESIDENT TINUBU.
Mind you, this is a (non-exhaustive) list of Yorubas in the Government of President Tinubu. "YORUBA LOKAN"?
BOLA TINUBU'S FEDERAL GOVERNMENT:
1.OFFICE/POSITION- President and Commander-in-Chief, Federal Republic of Nigeria
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Bola Ahmed Tinubu
TRIBE- Yoruba
2. OFFICE/POSITION- Chief Justice of Nigeria
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun
TRIBE- Yoruba
3. OFFICE/POSITION- Chief of Army Staff
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede
TRIBE- Yoruba
4. OFFICE/POSITION- Inspector General of Police
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Kayode Egbetokun
TRIBE- Yoruba
5. OFFICE/POSITION- DG, Department of State Services
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi
TRIBE- Yoruba
6. OFFICE/POSITION- Commander, Brigade of Guards
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Adebisi Olusola Onasanya
TRIBE- Yoruba
7. OFFICE/POSITION- Chief of Defence Space Administration
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Lanre Ibrahim Oluwatoyin
TRIBE- Yoruba
8. OFFICE/POSITION- Commandant, National Defence College
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Olumuyiwa Morankinyo Olotu
TRIBE- Yoruba
9. OFFICE/POSITION- CG, Nigeria Customs Service
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Bashir Adewale Adeniyi
TRIBE- Yoruba
10. OFFICE/POSITION- CG, Federal Fire Service
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Abdulganiyu Olola Jaji
TRIBE- Yoruba
11. OFFICE/POSITION- Accountant-General of the Federation
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein
TRIBE- Yoruba
12. OFFICE/POSITION- Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Olayemi Michael Cardoso
TRIBE- Yoruba
13. OFFICE/POSITION- Chairman, Economic & Financial Crimes Commission
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Olanipekun Olukoyede
TRIBE- Yoruba
14. OFFICE/POSITION- Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Zaccheus Adelabu Adedeji
TRIBE- Yoruba
15. OFFICE/POSITION- CCE, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Gbenga Komolafe
TRIBE- Yoruba
16. OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Dayo Mobereola
TRIBE- Yoruba
17. OFFICE/POSITION- MD/CEO, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Gbenga Alade
TRIBE- Yoruba
18. OFFICE/POSITION- DG, National Pension Commission
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Omolola Bridget Oloworaran
TRIBE- Yoruba
19. OFFICE/POSITION- DG, Bureau of Public Procurement
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Adebowale Adedokun
TRIBE- Yoruba
20. OFFICE/POSITION- MD/CEO, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Olubunmi Oluwaseun Kuku
TRIBE- Yoruba
21. OFFICE/POSITION- DG, Bureau of Public Enterprises
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Ayodeji Ariyo Gbeleyi
TRIBE- Yoruba
22. OFFICE/POSITION- MD/CEO, Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Olufemi Ogunyemi
TRIBE- Yoruba
23. OFFICE/POSITION- Commissioner/CEO, National Insurance Commission
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Olusegun Ayo Omosehin
TRIBE- Yoruba
24. OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO, National Identity Management Commission
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Abisoye Coker-Odusote
TRIBE- Yoruba
25. OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO, National Space Research and Development Agency
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Mathew Adepoju
TRIBE- Yoruba
26. OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO, National Centre for Technology Management
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Olushola Odusanya
TRIBE- Yoruba
27. OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO, National Automotive Design and Development Council
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin
TRIBE- Yoruba
28. OFFICE/POSITION- Chairman, Nigerian Ports Authority Board
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Adedayo Clement Adeyeye
TRIBE- Yoruba
29. OFFICE/POSITION- MD, Federal Housing Authority
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Oladimeji Oyetunde Ojo
TRIBE- Yoruba
30. OFFICE/POSITION- ES, National Lottery Trust Fund
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Tosin Adeyanju
TRIBE- Yoruba
31. OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO, National Lottery Regulatory Commission
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Lanre Gbajabiamila
TRIBE- Yoruba
32. OFFICE/POSITION- CEO, Nigerian Postal Service
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Omotola Odeyemi
TRIBE- Yoruba
33. OFFICE/POSITION- CEO, Nigeria Data Protection Commission
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Vincent Olatunji
TRIBE- Yoruba
34. OFFICE/POSITION- MD/CEO, Galaxy Backbone Limited
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju
TRIBE- Yoruba
35. OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO, National Biosafety Management Agency
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Agnes Yemisi Asagbra
TRIBE- Yoruba
36. OFFICE/POSITION- DG, National Agency for the Control of AIDS
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Temitope Ilori
TRIBE- Yoruba
37. OFFICE/POSITION- DG, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye
TRIBE- Yoruba
38. OFFICE/POSITION- ES/CEO, National Primary Health Care Development Agency
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Muyi Aina
TRIBE- Yoruba
39. OFFICE/POSITION- DG, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Jide Idris
TRIBE- Yoruba
40. OFFICE/POSITION- Statistician-General, National Bureau of Statistics
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Adeyemi Adeniran
TRIBE- Yoruba
41. OFFICE/POSITION- ES, National Sugar Development Council
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Kamar Bakrin
TRIBE- Yoruba
42. OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO, Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Lekan Fadolapo
TRIBE- Yoruba
43. OFFICE/POSITION- EVC/CEO, Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Olatunji Bello
TRIBE- Yoruba
44. OFFICE/POSITION- National Coordinator, National Social Safety-Net Coordinating Office
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Funmi Olotu
TRIBE- Yoruba
45. OFFICE/POSITION- DG, National Sports Commission
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Bukola Olawale Olopade
TRIBE- Yoruba
46. OFFICE/POSITION- DG, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Folorunsho Coker
TRIBE- Yoruba
47. OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO, National Orientation Agency
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Lanre Issa-Onilu
TRIBE- Yoruba
48. OFFICE/POSITION- Registrar Surveyors Council of Nigeria
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Olakunle Olugbemiro
TRIBE- Yoruba
49. OFFICE/POSITION- President/CEO Digital Bridge Institute
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Opeyemi Dele-Ajayi
TRIBE- Yoruba
50. OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO Industrial Training Fund
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Oluwatoyin Afiz Ogun
TRIBE- Yoruba
51. OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO Nigerian Institute of Medical Research
CURRENT OCCUPANT- John Oladapo Obafunwa
TRIBE- Yoruba
52. OFFICE/POSITION- DG/CEO National Institute for Hospitality Tourism
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Abisoye Fagade
TRIBE- Yoruba
53. OFFICE/POSITION- National Power Training Institute of Nigeria
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Ahmed Bolaji Nagode
TRIBE- Yoruba
54. OFFICE/POSITION- DG National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Ayo Omotayo
TRIBE- Yoruba
55. OFFICE/POSITION- Administrator/CEO Public Service Institute of Nigeria
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Abdul-Ganiyu Obatoyinbo
TRIBE- Yoruba
56. OFFICE/POSITION- Registrar Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede
TRIBE- Yoruba
57. OFFICE/POSITION- Registrar/CEO Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Josiah Ajiboye
TRIBE- Yoruba
58. OFFICE/POSITION- MD/CEO Nigerian Education Loan Fund
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Akintunde Sawyerr
TRIBE- Yoruba
59. OFFICE/POSITION- ED/CEO Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Patrick Olusanmi Adebola
TRIBE- Yoruba
60. OFFICE/POSITION- MD/CEO Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Folashade Joseph
TRIBE- Yoruba
61. OFFICE/POSITION- Minister of Petroleum Resources
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Bola Ahmed Tinubu
TRIBE- Yoruba
62. OFFICE/POSITION- Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Wale Edun
TRIBE- Yoruba
63. OFFICE/POSITION- Minister of Interior
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo
TRIBE- Yoruba
64. OFFICE/POSITION- Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Lateef Fagbemi
TRIBE- Yoruba
65. OFFICE/POSITION- Minister of Power
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Adebayo Adelabu
TRIBE- Yoruba
66. OFFICE/POSITION- Minister of Solid Minerals Development
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Dele Alake
TRIBE- Yoruba
67. OFFICE/POSITION- Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Bosun Tijani
TRIBE- Yoruba
68. OFFICE/POSITION- Minister of Marine and Blue Economy
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Adegboyega Oyetola
TRIBE- Yoruba
69. OFFICE/POSITION- Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Jumoke Oduwole
TRIBE- Yoruba
70. OFFICE/POSITION- Minister of Education
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Morufu Olatunji Alausa
TRIBE- Yoruba
71. OFFICE/POSITION- Minister for Youth Development
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Ayodele Olawande
TRIBE- Yoruba
72. OFFICE/POSITION- Minister of State, Health
CURRENT OCCUPANT- Salako Iziaq Adekunle Adeboye
TRIBE- Yoruba.
*Emmanuel Onwubiko is the founder of the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) and was NATIONAL COMMISSIONER OF THE NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF NIGERIA.*