A former lawmaker and human rights activist, Senator Shehu Sani, has issued a strong warning to President Bola Tinubu, urging him to avoid the pitfalls of tribal favouritism in governance.
Speaking on recent criticisms aimed at the Tinubu-led government, Sani said this during a live broadcast on Channels TV’s “Politics Today” on Thursday.
He questioned the silence of many voices during what he said was a period of extreme insecurity and nepotism under Buhari.
He cautioned Tinubu, urging him not to fall into the same patterns of favouritism that have marred past governments.
“That will say that President Asiwaju should also be very careful. He shouldn’t toe that line because it has been in African political geography. So people who find themselves in power should see it as an opportunity to serve, not as all those who have conquered and as such have to please their people.”
“If you are going to talk about this government, I think you ask yourself, Where are we coming from? Why was he silent? With what was happening under Buhari, if you are talking of killings, which is insecurity, we had the highest form of insecurity under Buhari administration,” Sani stated.
He added that despite current challenges, especially in the areas of insecurity in parts of the country such as Plateau and Benue states, there has been noticeable improvement compared to the previous administration.
“I do not speak for the government. When last did you hear of any school in northern Nigeria that has been attacked as fears were kidnapped? What do we have? From Kaduna to Abuja, when last did you hear there were attacks on kidnappings, it doesn’t happen. It does not mean that the nation is safe with what is happening in in plateau and Benue,” he said. “But comparatively, we have moved away from the past. We have not reached where we are.”
Turning to the issue of federal appointments and accusations of favouritism under Tinubu, Sani pointed to what he described as a clear case of nepotism during Buhari’s presidency.
“In economic terms, what happened? What happened under the Buhari regime what was the profile of nepotism at that time? About 30 federal appointments were given to people of Katsina state that time and 50 board members,” he said.
He cautioned against using tribal or ethnic affiliations to justify criticisms only when power shifts hands.
“Two wrongs do not make a right. But let us know that when nepotism favoured a part of the country, you were silent, and now you raise it up because you have an issue with this government.”
Sani emphasized the importance of consistency in moral and political critique, especially among those who now speak up against the administration.
“I will appreciate the morality of your position if I can hear your voice, when your own man from your tribe, from your ethnic group and from your own tribal identity, while perpetrating that evil attitude against you. And when you keep quiet when it favoured you, and now you speak out when it doesn’t favour you, it means you have other attacking.”