…Promises more appointments into boards of agencies
BY AMOS DUNIA, ABUJA – Following myriad of complaints by Party faithful across the country, President Muhammadu Buhari has announced plans to increase the membership of his compressed Federal Executive Council (FEC), by bringing in more Party supporters at Federal level with a view to inject fresh ideas into his government.
The new thinking may have been part of the steps taken to assuage the feelings of supporters with promises of more appointment of ministers and membership of Boards of agencies and parastatals.
Some top chieftains of the APC have recently called on the president to up his ante by appointing party members into positions in the government.
The move is seen as a quick attempt at combating some of the visible weaknesses in the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), with a view to reinvigorate and re-integrate his ardent supporters into the mainstream of the party.
APC members have openly complained of being side-lined after working for the success of the party as most of the appointments are dominated by PDP members.
But President Buhari while addressing the first National Executive Committee (NEC), meeting of the APC in Abuja on Tuesday said he is keenly aware that supporters of the party are very eager for appointments to be announced.
He therefore added; “By the Grace of God, these appointments will be announced soon. Especially now that the economy is improving, we will have the resources to cater for the appointees.
“By the same token, the compressed Federal Executive Council will be expanded to bring in more supporters at Federal Level, with fresh ideas to be injected into the government.”
The latest moves by President Buhari is seen as part of his plans ahead of 2019 which has become rife. Only last week, a new office complex was opened in Abuja on the aegis of “Buhari Support Group.”
Specifically, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State last week openly complained that state governors were left out of appointments by the federal government, adding that government must be made to understand that things are not working the way they should.
Lalong further said; “If things are wrong, they are wrong, if they are right, they are right. But it requires very courageous people to come out and say these things are wrong or they are right.
“Let the Mr. President be aware that this is the time to do it because even as governors we are also complaining in our various states, we are saying it. We complained in our states that we sit down and we hear of appointment made and then people start asking you as the governor where is this man coming from?
“But when we turn right and turn left, we don’t know where such a person is coming from. Many people have complained. I’m sure governors have complained that we should be able to know who and who will protect Mr. President and his administration.”
This was just as the Comptroller General of Customs, Col Hameed Ali complained that appointments were being made without recourse to the governors.
Col Ali pointedly said that those who do not have the capacity to defend the actions of the President have been the ones benefiting from federal government appointments.
