Second Republic politician, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, has faulted the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev Fr. Matthew Hassan Kukah, over his analysis of President Muhammadu Buhari's administration even as he acknowledged that 99 percent of Buhari's appointments were not based on merit.
Mohammed noted that Buhari had been nepotic in his appointments, adding that every honest Nigerian knows that there was no way a non- Muslim president would have done half of the negative things Buhari had done in office.
He spoke in an interview with reporters in Kaduna on Friday.
Kukah had in his new year message to Nigerians two weeks ago, said there would have been a coup if a southern President had shown the sort of nepotism displayed by Buhari.
His words, “every honest Nigerian knows that there is no way any non-Northern Muslim President could have done a fraction of what President Buhari has done by his nepotism and got away with it. There would have been a military coup a long time ago or we would have been at war.
"The President may have concluded that Christians will do nothing and will live with these actions."
However, Mohammed who agreed with Kukah on Buhari's nepotism but said it was not based on religion or bribe
But Mohammed, while partly agreeing with Kukah, said Buhari’s nepotism was not purely based on religion or tribe but rather on nepotism.
Mohammed stressed that lopsided o appointments had never been the reason for any coup in the past, pointing out that even if a southern President did what Buhari was doing, it would not be enough to instigate a coup.
The former lawmaker who said that Kukah, had been his close friend for over 30 years, added that Kukah did not base his assertion on history.
His words, “I have no problem with part of his (Kukah’s) statement but I don’t believe he is historically accurate by saying that coups come about when Muslims or northerners find themselves being marginalised.
“But I have to admit that the core issue he raised about nepotism is real and of course marginalisation of some certain sections of the country is real and that nepotism is in favour of people that are close to Buhari, particularly his friends, cronies, relations and in-laws.
“Over 99 per cent of the appointments Buhari made were not based on merit.”
Answering a question on the Armed Forces Remembrance Day and the 56th anniversary of the first coup, Mohammed further said another civil war was not impossible in the country, adding that the popular belief that no country ever survives two civil wars was false.
According to him, many countries, including the United Kingdom, have witnessed more than one civil war.
His words, “Anybody who tells you that a nation cannot have more than one civil war is ignorant of history. Several countries including the English and the Scots as well as Russia, Italy and Germany have faced several wars. The French have gone through several civil wars.
“I know some otherwise respectable generals who say that no country has undergone civil war more than once. That is sheer nonsense. But going through a civil war more than once is not something to be proud of. It is something any sensible people should avoid.
“There must be a sense of justice among the people. If there is no justice, no matter how much you pray or no matter how much you try to convolute, the real reasons for the war will rear its ugly head and you will see yourself walking into another disaster.”
