Tinubu Cabinet: ‘Marginalized’ Southern Borno Deserves Ministerial Slot – Group

For the sake of fairness, the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been urged to appoint one of his ministers from southern Borno to put an end to 44 years of alleged political marginalization of people from the region.

The Civil Society Groups for Good Governance (CSGGG) made the call at a press conference by its president, Ogakwu Dominic Ogakwu, on Thursday in Abuja.

“…the President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice-President-elect Kashim Shettima, must be seen to be deliberately institutionalizing equity, fairness and justice, so as to wean itself from the current baggage of nepotism that characterizes federal appointments in the outgoing APC government.

“It is against this backdrop of call for balancing and inclusivity, that concerned Nigerians under the aegis of coalition of civil societies, hereby throw their weight behind the appointment of a Southern Borno person as a federal minister in the incoming administration of senators Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima. Our support is because, for decades the southern senatorial district of Borno has suffered political inequality, injustice and exclusion in terms of state and national affairs.

“It is on record that southern Borno has suffered and continues to suffer national and State marginalization till date. The more politically advantaged Central and Northern Borno cabal, have such a stranglehold on the political equation in the state, that they continue to hijack all political offices in the state – especially the plum job of the state governorship, which has eluded the people of Southern Borno for decades despite their aspirations and contributions,” said Ogakwu.

The group argued that careful assessment of past elective and appointive positions in the state, including governorship, shows that southern Borno people have suffered exclusion and “instituted conspiracy” since 1979 despite being the most populous, educated, and religiously tolerant.

“Considering the current political setup in the state, we are particularly calling on the president-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu to lead the charge for sociopolitical and socioeconomic integration, by appointing a person from Southern Borno as a federal minister – since they have already been schemed out of the political equation in Borno state in particular and Nigeria in general.

“Just as the current administration in the state schemed southern Borno out, they were equally not featured in federal ministerial appointments, with the current federal minister of state for Agriculture hailing from Borno Central, instead of using that ministerial appointment to compensate Borno south for their marginalization in the state.”

Ogakwu further urged the Vice- President-elect, Kashim Shettima, to use his new position as ‘the political father of all in the state’ to “mend the broken fences and build a bigger, better and more united Borno State and Nigeria, by throwing his weight behind Borno South for federal ministerial appointment, to compensate and bring them into the fold as one family.”