NEWSPAPER REVIEW: Buhari’s Recent Appointments Dominate Front Pages

Nigerian major newspapers today, August 28, 2015, focused on the recent appointments by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Thisday reports that after weeks of suspense, President Muhammadu Buhari finally appointed Mr. Babachir David Lawal as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), putting paid to speculation that the office had been zoned to South-east or South-south.

In addition, the president appointed a former managing director of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Alhaji Abba Kyari, as his new chief of staff.

Other appointments made by the president included Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd.) as the new Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), a departure from the past when comptroller-generals of Customs were usually selected within its ranks.

Mr. Kure Martin Abeshi has been appointed to take over as the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), effectively terminating the appointment of Mr. David Parradang who was suspended by the president last week.

The president also appointed Senator Ita S.J Enang as his senior special assistant, national assembly matters (senate), while Hon. Suleiman A. Kawu was made his SSA, national assembly Matters (house of representatives).

Thisday front page

 

A statement by the special adviser to the president on media and publicity, Femi Adesina said all the appointments took effect from yesterday.

In a statement by his special adviser on media and public affairs, Turaki Hassan, yesterday, house of representatives speaker, Yakubu Dogara said the appointments were based on merit.

While congratulating them, Dogara charged the new SGF to use his office to push for the rehabilitation, reconstruction and recovery of the violence ravaged North-east region, Guardian reports.

Guardian front page

Meanwhile, there was an outrage in the ruling All Progressives Congress yesterday over the announcement of the new appointments by Buhari.

Leaders of the APC, complained that the appointments tilted in favour of the North and said the party must move fast to cope with the backlash of expected rumblings in the polity.

“The President does not consult before making most of these appointments and I can tell you that Nigerians are going to term the party and the President as a northern party and the President of Northern Nigeria,” a leader of the party told Punch. 

The Punch front page

Vanguard reports that Buhari’s appointment, yesterday, of the secretary to the government of the federation, his chief of staff and four others was greeted by angry reactions as some described it as lopsided and sectional.

Same sentiments were expressed with the president’s earlier appointments.

The appointments went against the grain of political permutations which had seen some key political figures being mentioned as likely appointees to the coveted offices.

Vanguard front page

In another development, over 300 women, school pupils, activists and members of Chibok community resident in Lagos, joined a protest march which took off at the Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja to press for the release of the girls alive by the Boko Haram group.

They chanted solidarity songs, displayed the portraits of the girls, placards and called on the relevant authorities to hasten action on the return of the abducted girls.

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode reiterated his administration’s commitment to the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) campaigns. He said the BBOG has kept hope alive for the missing girls.

Ambode said it was painful that the innocent schoolgirls were still in captivity after 500 days they were kidnapped, stressing that he was worried just like President Muhammadu Buhari was concerned, The Nation reports.

The Nation front page

 

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NEWSPAPER REVIEW: Buhari’s Recent Appointments Dominate Front Pages