Buhari overrules Osinbajo on "Merit vs Federal Character" remark

Buhari overrules Osinbajo on Merit vs Federal Character remark

Barely two days after Professor Yemi Osinbajo spoke out of turn that under Muhammadu Buhari's regime, merit will play more significant role than Federal Character practice he has been overruled by his boss. 

Federal Character is an abhorrent practice that favours mainly the Northern Nigeria where merit is jettisoned and mediocrity enthroned in guise of representing every part of the country. Under Federal Character for instance students from Biafra with up to 140 points have been denied admission into Federal Colleges, whereas there colleagues from the northern part of the country with 2 points were admitted. The Federal Character practice permeates every aspect of Nigeria's economy including the civil service.

In his Thursday’s keynote address at the 10th memorial anniversary of the first High Court judge of the defunct South Eastern State, Justice Peter Odo Effiong Bassey, in Calabar, Cross River State, Osinbajo was quoted to have said: “Let us de-emphasise this issue of federal character and place more emphasis on merit.

“Where you come from should not be a criterion. Merit should be the watchword. Employment and appointment should be based on merit, not where one comes from.”

However the statement may not have gone down well with Osinbajo's boss prompting his media office at the Presidential Villa, to come out with a lacklustre rebuttal.  Reacting to the reports, Osinbajo's media aides maintained on Friday that his remarks had not been accurately reflected.

In a sharp contrast, Osinbajo disclosed that he is not against the use of Federal Character Principle for employment and appointments into Federal Government positions as has been reported, but insists on the need to put merit first.

In a statement signed by Olusola Abiola of the media office of the vice-president entitled: “First merit, then affirmative action,” asserted that the vice president has not ruled out the continuous need of the Federal Character Principle in Nigeria, but believes that merit ought to come first, then such affirmative actions.