A former federal lawmaker, who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the Eighth National Assembly, Shehu Sani has warned President Bola Tinubu not to make the same mistake as his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.
He advised the president to prioritise competence in his appointments.
Sani stated this during an interview with Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
The former lawmaker claimed that during Buhari’s eight-year administration between May 2015 and May 2023, nepotism was at its peak.
Sani said, “I will advise President Tinubu to be careful not to make the mistakes of President Buhari, and I believe he is experienced to understand this.
“Under Presdient Buhari, you have ministers that were appointed into office for the whole of eight years; they were with him for the first tenure and the second tenure, and there was no cabinet reshuffle, no removal. Even if there was a removal, it takes three to four months to replace a minister. That was the way the country was governed.
“Under Buhari, we have seen nepotism at its peak where people were appointed into office and left there even if they did nothing.
“Service chiefs were retained in office despite their failures, and by retaining them, you destroyed the careers of those behind them. For many years, many officers were retired to appoint one person.”
He said if Tinubu is interested in results, competence should be his watchword.
“If this country has to move forward, we must treat the issue of competency as the qualification for appointment,” he said.