It wasnt a surprise that last weeks column on this topic drew such an avalanche of responses from readers, from the temperate to the highly intemperate. It is, of course, a sensitive subject and one that I had, perhaps irreverently, touched upon.Very clearly, there are many who think the article was an exercise (deliberately) to whip up ethnic sentiments and (in the Nigerian common parlance) heat up the polity. This is bunkum. What other thing is capable of "heating up the polity" than having a significant section of the country visibly disenfranchised and disaffected'We are here talking of a whole zone made up of at least five states being clearly unrepresented or disproportionately under-represented in the headship of all Federal establishments, including corporations, agencies and parastatals. It just so happens (a coincidence') that the zone is linguistically homogeneous, and is of people largely regarded as one of the most populous, better educated and with surfeit of qualified manpower amongst the constituent nationalities of the country - facts that have made the absurdity more glaring and suspicious. Certainly, it is not for nothing that the "doctrine" of "Federal Character" is enshrined in the Constitution. It is at the heart of peaceful co-existence and accommodation within any multi-ethnic and disparate society, which neither the "doctrine of necessity" nor of "meritocracy" can obviate. And I wonder if being a Yoruba in this instance should make me shy away from drawing necessary attention to such a lapse.Importantly, what one is saying is that at zones (to ignore the ethnic component of it) level, if, for example, 36 key Federal establishments abound and there are six zones, each zone would look to have headship of six of the establishments. Now if one zone (made up of four or more states) cannot have its own folks heading no more than one or two out of the 36, then the anomaly becomes striking and curious.One of the mails I received was from Senator Bode Olajumoke, and it reads:"Dear Tunde, As a PDP member from the South-West, I am embarrassed by the statistics published in your column of 18 December. Some three weeks ago, I gave a press conference during which I pointed out the curious omission in appointing a presidential committee to select people into new boards and parastatals without a single south westerner being on this selection committee! South-West PDP leaders have been objects of attack, scorn and ridicule by our followers for not providing enough umbrellas as shades and support for them!"Another came from an Igbo aburo of mine, Chike Orjiako:"My pen mentor, Ive read your piece. As you observed, those of us that know you understand how difficult it must have been for you to write this. Dont blame anybody but your leaders, as in Tinubu and Obasanjo. While Tinubu is on self-actualisation mission, misrepresenting same as regional emancipation, Obasanjo is, on the other hand, dragging unwilling West to the centre, not because he loves them but to use them as his contribution for national relevance. Until they join hands for a regional consensus, the worst has yet to come. "Its indeed a pity that the most enlightened race in this clime has allowed itself to be led by two of the most vicious politicians amongst them. Politics is like business: you get what you negotiate and not what you deserve. The little crumbs that fall for the Igbo are not borne out of strategic planning but as a result of crass opportunism exploited by the beneficiaries of those deputy this and that. We shall discuss this again, Egbon!"A few others:"Sir, Thank God the truth has been published by you. Let them call you names but fault the samples youve enumerated. Yoruba are too important to be ignored in Nigerian political equation. God be with you. Your pen will not run dry." Abbey (08155206450)"Sir, In a country where things are normal, one does not care who is in one position or the other inasmuch as they do well for the country. But, one question we must ask ourselves: what were their positive contributions (of the Yoruba) when they were in positions of power to the development of South-West and Nigeria' Absolutely nothing! We need a total transformation." Bisi (080580499xx)Another buttresses the point:"Sir, thanks for yours. At INEC headquarters, Abuja, its serious; no director from South-West out of more than 20. Only one Deputy Director. God will save the people of Oduduwa from this maltreatment." - (070346107xx)But, as many readers point out, where in all of this is the Federal Character Commission and what are they doing' Some samplers:"Sir, Your article on Yoruba marginalisation refers. The question that follows is, how far has the Federal Character Commission carried out its function along this line' What of the so-called oversight function of the National Assembly' Both bodies have failed the nation." (070609146xx)There were those who alluded to the "wrong" politics that denied the Yoruba candidate of Speakership of the Federal House of Reps:"Dear Tunde, In the matter of alleged Yoruba marginalisation, I concur about what has been allowed to occur, but disagree that it came about through any deliberate contrivance. Example: beyond political scheming of the most myopic kind, what possible "ethnic" advantage could the Asiwaju and his "progressive" ACN legislators have imagined would accrue from the defeat of the official PDP nominee for Speaker, a principal office of state in our present dispensation' Cutting the nose to spite the face, perhaps' No, the Yoruba are too talented and too educated to be marginalised for long! What goes round soon comes around." Bernard, Benin. (080231186xx)And another:"I am happy you have the strength of character to expose the marginalisation of the Yoruba. But dont you think we deserve it' You cant have your cake and eat it, period."J. O. Rade (080230453xx)Idealism has its place:"Dear Egbon, The more urgent campaign should be targeted at the ugly signs of marginalisation of the common man since 1960. The colour of political patronage would always skew towards the occupant of the centre, even as the impact of good governance knows no ethnic boundary. Give me a cabinet full of Ngozi-Iweala, Fashola, Bode Agusto, or el-Rufai and in five years, the ordinary Nigerian wont have any reason to worry over who occupies heavy budget agencies. Regards." Reginald Onyirioha (070319521xx)And finally, the voice of disenchantment:"Dear Tunde, I understand the point you raised in your write-up of Sunday December 18th, but I have a different opinion on the matter. Obasanjo, a Yoruba man, was president for eight years. What special benefit did his position bring to the Yoruba race' Even if you have a Yoruba man or woman in each of the key national offices in the current Federal Government, as usual, the benefit that will accrue is to the holders of such positions, not the Yoruba people. This is, however, not peculiar to the Yoruba but the entire nation. "The problem is not about political appointments. The point to be made here is the need to urgently restructure Nigeria into a true federation so that those who want to practise Sharia and manage their affairs on the basis of feudalism can do so and leave other federating units alone to manage their own affairs the way they want. Thank you." Mr. Soji Ibikunle, Lagos (070349724xx)Comments (SMS only) 08057335921
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