Group debunks claims of lopsidedness in FG’s appointment of Borno indigenes

ABDULLAHI MARI, Maiduguri

A group, the Concerned Citizens of Southern Borno Senatorial District (CCSBSD), comprising members of all political parties, has condemned comments credited to Elder Bitrus Mshelia and Bukar Mala Bukar, that the Borno Central and Northern zones are marginalized in political appointments at the federal level in Borno state.

The group, in a press statement signed by its Chairman and Secretary, Alhaji Yakubu Aliyu and Mr. James Bulus Mamza, respectively, a copy of which was made available to our Correspondent, argued  that the peace-loving people of Southern Borno are fully in support of the policies and programmes of President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Kashim Shettima, ‘especially their collective giant strides towards ending the activities of insurgents in Borno and other parts of the north east,’ even as it warned that ‘any group that wants to cause disaffection between the people who are more patient despite ethnic diversity in the zone will not be tolerated.’

It would be recalled that Mshelia and Bukar had claimed that ‘the people of Southern Borno which comprises of nine Local Government Areas, and who are non -Kanuri speakers, but highly intellectual and professional in their various fields of endeavour have been marginalized in terms of political appointments at the state and the federal government levels.’

However, reacting, the CCSBSD said that since the creation of the state decades ago, no southern Borno person has governed the state be it during the military or democratic dispensation.

The group further cited an instance where Elder Bitrus and Bukar, out of their ignorance and selfish motive will claim that the appointment of Hon. Usman Mamman Durkwa as the new Deputy Governor following the death of Alhaji Zannah Mustapha by Governor Kashim Shettima led to a protest/demonstration in Biu local government area where the late Deputy Governor hailed from, while to say the fact, there was no protest of such nature that took place, as people described the appointment of Durkwa as well merited to the extent that on the day that Durkwa was announced as the new Deputy Governor, there was massive jubilation not only in Biu or Southern Borno, but in the entire state.

The statement further expressed shock at another claim that the current dispensation favoured Southern Borno by appointing Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume who hails from the zone as the Majority Leader of the Senate as well as Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, Chief of Army Staff and four other Justices of the Federal High Court/Court of Appeal, not knowing that all these appointments were done based on their professional merit and not quota system or political consideration as ignorantly claimed.

The group however said it was compelled to make a passionate appeal to President Buhari to consider the purported claims/allegations that Southern Borno is being favoured in political appointments at the federal level as not only misleading, but ‘crafted purposely for selfish aggrandizement and to cause disaffection amongst the people of Borno who have already made up their minds to massively support the present administration that is committed to the fight against corruption.’

While praising the peaceful transition process and the transformations taking place under the leadership of President Buhari, the group expressed the hope that such democratic maturity exhibited by Nigerians will be sustained in order to move the nation to greater heights.