Political appointments: no part of Nigeria is left out, says Lai Mohammed

In a statement, the Minister of Information
and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the
comment made by the US lawmaker was
based on a faulty premise.

Alhaji Mohammed said: “Congressman
Marino was poorly informed about the issues
he commented on, wondering why he did not
take the pains to get first hand information
from the US Embassy in Nigeria or any other
credible source before engaging in what is
nothing but a propaganda of his own
imagination.”
The Minister said by asking the US to
refrain from selling war-planes and other
military equipment to Nigeria based on a
faulty premise, the Congressman relied on
the strength of some imaginary accusation
against President Muhammadu Buhari’s
administration.
He said, “Insecurity anywhere is insecurity
everywhere. Had Congressman Marino
understood this, he would not have made
the kind of call he made concerning the US
security assistance to Nigeria. The Boko
Haram insurgency that Nigeria has
decisively dealt with under President
Muhammadu Buhari is not just a Nigerian
problem but a regional and international
crisis.”
The Minister said US lawmaker did not have
Nigeria in mind when he wrote that the US
should withhold security assistance to
Nigeria until President Buhari “demonstrates
a commitment to inclusive government and
the most basic tenets of democracy:
freedom to assemble and freedom of
speech.”
The statement reads: ‘’An Administration
that operates purely on the basis of respect
for the rule of law and a strict adherence to
constitutional order is not one to deny the
citizens of their constitutionally-guaranteed
rights. This Administration therefore does
not need the goading of Congressman
Marino or anyone for that matter to do what
is right.
‘’Concerning running an inclusive
government, had Congressman Marino done
his homework before dispatching his letter,
he would have realized that no part of the
country is left out in the distribution of
political appointments, for example, or in the
appointment of Ministers, which was done in
accordance with the Constitution that
mandates that the President must appoint
at least one minister from each of the 36
states and the Federal Capital Territory.
‘’Had the Congressman sought information
from credible sources before engaging in a
flight of fancy, he would have been
presented with a comprehensive information
on the appointment of CEOs for Federal
Government’s parastatals, agencies and
commissions that shows that the appoints
were almost evenly matched along the line
of the six geo-political zones in the country:
With the North West having 51, North
Central 46, North East 45, South East 41,
South West 45 and South South 45.
“The Congressman may wish to note that
each geo-political zone comprises 6 states,
with the exception of North West (7) and
South East (5).”
The Minister described Marino’s description
of the administration’s anti-corruption
efforts as ‘selective’ as a tired argument
that clearly shows that the US lawmaker
must have appended his signature to
someone’s concocted line.
‘’That line was invented by those seeking to
cause an unnecessary distraction from the
Administration’s anti-corruption efforts, and
it has been roundly rejected. Congressman
Marino’s decision to exhume the dead
postulation without an iota of proof is a
reflection of whose side he has taken in the
ongoing efforts to rid Nigeria of corrupt
elements. Needless to say that the anti-
corruption battle will continue unhindered,
irrespective of whose ox is gored. And in
this fight, only the guilty needs be afraid,”
he said.
Mohammed said Nigeria is delighted that US
Secretary of State, John Kerry, to whom
Marino addressed his letter, is more
knowledgeable, better briefed and definitely
more hands-on concerning Nigerian issues.