President Muhammadu Buhari has said that most of the appointees in his administration were selected purely on merit and their proven track records.
Amid allegations of lopsidedness in his appointments, President Buhari maintained that he always considered what was best for Nigeria in his decisions.
“Some of the people holding high positions in the government, like my ministers, will tell you that I didn’t know them from Adam,” he said on Tuesday night at a dinner in Abakiliki, the Ebonyi State capital.
“I just came across their names from the records and I worked with the records. I thank God that I have a very good team.”
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, the President commended Governor David Umahi for his development strides in Ebonyi State.
He said, “the absolute commitment of the governor to his position is very remarkable and I am very impressed.”
President Buhari, who also thanked God and the people of Ebonyi for recognising his modest contribution to the country, described Nigeria as a great country with incredible resources and highly talented people.
“We should continue to pray to God that the elites that will be in-charge of the country in the future fear God,” he said.
This statement comes barely two weeks after the Presidency rejected claims that President Buhari’s appointments were lopsided and favoured the northerners.
In a statement issued on November 4 by Mr Adesina, the Presidency condemned a report published by Business Day on October 29, in which 81 of 100 of the President’s appointees were identified as northerners.
The presidential aide, however, the report contained inaccuracies which were either as a result of ignorance or a mischievous attempt to mislead the public and portray the Buhari administration in bad light.
“It is, indeed, false for anyone to say that President Buhari’s appointments are lopsided. From all records, majority of the President’s appointees across different portfolios are not from the North,” Adesina had said in the statement.
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