Federal Character Should be Based On Merit Not On Ethnicity -Emir Sanusi

Worried by misapplication of the federal character principle, the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, said on Thursday that the principle should be based strictly on merit rather than on ethnicity.

Mr. Sanusi spoke at the 10th memorial lecture of Kehinde Sofola with the theme: “The Role of the Legal Profession in Nation Building: the Nigerian Context.”

The emir, who chaired the lecture, said the government should only ensure that representatives of the people in political, legal, or economic institutions in the country were drawn from suitably qualified individuals and not on ethnic considerations.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal Character Commission Act was promulgated in 1995 and later fused into the 1999 Constitution in the wake of agitations for fair share of political positions across the country.

In the guiding principles and formula for the distribution of all cadres of posts across the country, the Act stipulates in its Part 1 that (1) “Each state of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory shall be equitably represented in all national institutions and in public enterprises and organisations. (2) The best and the most competent persons shall be recruited from each state of the federation to fill positions reserved for the indigenes of the FCT.”

It was introduced to promote national unity and foster national loyalty instead of regional interests and eventually give every Nigerian a sense of belonging no matter anyone’s religion, language or ethnic group.

Mr. Sanusi said: “The issue of federal character should not be an excuse for nepotism; it should be based strictly on merit and not on family or ethnic sentiments.”

According to him, a true application of the federal character principle will help to preserve the rule of law in the country.

“As we live today, we must understand that it is our duty to respect the various institutions of our country.

“We cannot sit and watch as spectators as our institutions are being destroyed; to be a true Nigerian we must learn to look at our leadership and tell them where they are going wrong,” Mr. Sanusi said.

-PT