Still On Okonjo-Iweala Over Controversial Appointments By Yushau A. Shuaib

I still wonder how the Coordinating
Minister for the Economy and the
Honourable Minister of Finance, Dr.
Ngozi Okonjo Iweala is in the eye of
the storm. Her grandiose title is not a
mere tautology as some people will
assume. Being the first holder of that
title in Nigeria’s history, her position
could be seen as equivalent to Prime
Minister, which gave her the mandate
to oversee and superintend over every
other ministry, department and
agency of government including their
budgetary allocations and revenue
expenditures. She is invariably the
next most powerful cabinet member
after President Jonathan and Vice
President Namadi Sambo.
In the last ten years, this writer is one
of her ardent admirers who is
impressed by her academic
accomplishments and enviable
working experiences on the
international scene including her
contributions to Nigeria’s economic
development after her appointment as
the first female Finance Minister and
later first female Foreign Affairs
Minister by President Olusegun
Obasanjo in 2003 and 2006. Though
she left the administration
unceremoniously over personal
issues, her tenure then was a success
story.
One of the major reasons some of us
believe strongly in ability of Dr. Ngozi
Okonjo Iweala was the way and
manner she carried major players
both from the North and the South
along while she were Minister of
Finance between 2003 to 2006. She
were never accused of discrimination
or bias against any of the diverse
groups of the ethnically charged and
religiously polarized nation. The
same will be said of her then
principal, Olusegun Obasanjo who,
despite some of his shortcomings will
never be accused of tribalism. He is a
detribalized leader and a nationalist
to the core who believe strongly in
the Nigeria project.
The choice of her nominees into top
public appointments and even the
composition of her associates cut
across every segment of Nigeria
including those in her Economic
Team like Nasir Elrufai, Nuhu Ribadu,
Bode Agusto, Dr. Mansur Mukhtar
and Chukwuma Soludo among others.
Her achievements too were glaring.
We recall that in 2005 she led Nigeria
to striking a deal with the Paris Club,
a group of bilateral creditors, to pay a
portion of Nigeria’s external debt
amounting US $12 billion in return
for an $18 billion debt write-off.
She ensured transparency in monthly
federation account allocation by the
introduction of monthly publication of
the disbursements in selected media.
She was instrumental to helping
Nigeria obtain its first ever sovereign
credit rating (of BB minus) from an
international ratings agency. Even
when she left the government in
2006, her nongovernmental
organisation, NOI Global Consulting,
partnered with the Gallup
Organization to introduce what may
be described as the first credible
opinion poll, the NOI poll, into the
Nigerian polity.
With these at the background, it was
not surprising that when she were
reappointed by President Jonathan as
Finance Minister and when she were
shortlisted for the post of President of
the World Bank in 2012, she received
overwhelming support from all
Nigerians. An online publication even
claimed that some Northern Mallams
were praying for her success in the
mosques. Everyone at that period
believed that she were a detribalized
Nigerian with real-world experience
of policy-making.
The reason for writing this write-up
is to alert her to some disturbing
trends as regards some recent
appointments into top public offices
in Nigeria in view of their economic
and political implications. As the
most powerful minister and an Igbo
Princess from the Niger Delta by
virtue of being a daughter of Obi of
Ogwashi-Uku community in Delta
State, I believe she should continue to
live above board.
Recently the Yoruba Unity Forum
(YUF) made some disturbing
allegations of ethnic cleansing of
Yoruba in federal appointments by
the administration of President
Goodluck Jonathan. Wife of the sage,
Chief HID Awolowo and the retired
Bishop of Akure, Rt. Rev. Bolanle
Gbonigi in Ikenne Ogun State after
the meeting of the forum accused the
administration of systematically
excluding the Yoruba nation from the
federation in terms of appointments
without justification. They called on
the government to redress the
“systematic discrimination” against
the Yoruba nationality in federal
appointive positions without delay,
saying that the Yoruba have been
getting “crumbs” from the
administration.
No sooner than the Yoruba allegation
was made that the Northern Senators
Forum (NSF) also publicly lamented
gaping marginalization against the
North over appointments and
promotions in the military. According
to these distinguished Nigerians,
there are lopsidedness in employment
and postings in the Nigerian Army in
favour of the Igbos, which is clearly
in the breach of the principle of
Federal Character.
She should be aware that many
Nigerians are referring to a book,
‘Chinua Achebe Teacher of Light’
which she co-authored where she
expressed bitterness about how her
tribe was dealt with before, during
and after the civil war and insinuating
that now that she is in authority, she
is determined to correct all that she
perceived as injustice against her
people. Some even insist that what
she is doing now is promoting
regional and ethnic agenda to the
detriment of other groupings in
Nigeria by manipulating
appointments.
To drive the point home, her name
has been lately mentioned as
collaborating with another Igbo top
ranking appointee in government to
ensure the reinstallation of Ms
Arunma Oteh as Director General of
Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) despite the glaring allegations
against her and consistent calls by
the National Assembly for her
removal. Okonjo-Iweala stood her
ground, damning all and today, Oteh
remains in the position.
While the debate on Oteh’s saga was
yet to subside, a coalition of youths,
led by human rights activist and
President of Civil Rights Congress,
Shehu Sani, queried the rationale
behind the appointment of a new
Chairman for the Federal Inland
Revenue Service (FIRS) when a
northerner, Kabir Mashi was already
in the position and improving the
revenue base of the agency,
especially VAT collection for the
Federation Account. Under Mashi
FIRS has continued to record steady
increases in the collection of taxes
that it closed the 2012 financial year
with a total collection of N5 trillion
where N1.8 trillion (36.07 per cent)
came from non-oil taxes.
The group claimed that the committee
that Okonjo-Iweala set up was a
smokescreen just to give a semblance
of due process and fairness whereas
it was populated mainly by her Igbo
kinsmen. They added that “We don’t
believe there is transparency in the
process, and we caution the President
against the excessive ceding of his
own power to the finance minister.”
They publicly criticized her of playing
an ethnic game with many of the
appointments made in the country
since she returned to the saddle.
Some of the other positions, they
alleged, which were created and filled
during this period include those of
Asset Management Corporation of
Nigeria (AMCON), Sovereign Wealth
Fund, Nigeria Communication
Commission (NCC) and even the
recent appointment of a 40 year old
lady as Director General of National
Pension Commission (PENCOM).
People are wondering at the
coincidence of only Igbos beating
every other person at competitive
interviews conducted by her
nominated international consulting
groups. The only semblance of
federal character principle in some of
those institutions is the appointment
of ceremonious but temporary
chairmen who are merely figure-
heads, with mandates for mere
advisory roles.
The use of catchy phrases such as
“best brains,” “foreign trained,” and
“foreign-based” to deprived qualified,
competent and experienced Nigerians
to aspire to top positions is quite
inimical to the progress of our nation.
The erroneous impression that some
competitive and sensitive positions
can only be filled by unique
intelligent tribes must be corrected.
Experiences have shown that in
practical situations, some so-called
foreign trained and bookish first class
graduates could not do better than
other Nigerians who have the
competence and experience to prove
their worth in most difficulty terrains.
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala should also note
that blatant disregard to the
sensitivities and sensibilities of
others while arrogantly promoting
only people from her tribe may
expose them to hatred with
potentially explosive consequences
such as those experienced in the
1960s when most federal positions
were occupied by a particular tribal
group.
For those of us who still respect the
Hon Minister of Finance and
Economic Development, we strongly
believe she should dissociate herself
from current allegations of
‘biafranization’ of top public offices in
Nigeria. We are in democratic
government where policy issues
should not be done in dictatorial
manner of ‘we-are-now-in-
power’.
I therefore urge her to ensure that
appointments into important
positions should be done in credible
and transparent manners that can
withstand public scrutiny. I believe
strongly that only those that mean
well will dare to tell the truth on the
general feeling in the country.