FCT Minister, is not North’s birth right: group tells clerics opposing Wike

By Gambo Abubakar Kaduna

    A Northern group, Arewa Youth for Peaceful Coexistence (AYPC) has condemned the north clerics who are criticizing the appointment of former River State Governor, Barrister Nyesom Wike as the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    The group shun the cleric from dangerous ethno-religious politics, saying that, leadership of FCT Ministry is not birth right of Northern Nigeria.

   The called was made  during a world press conference signed by the union Chairman of Arewa Youths for Peaceful Coexistence, (AYPC), Comrade Haruna Bature, which  held at NUJ Secretariat recently in Kaduna.

  According to the Chairman, "despite Nigeria getting its petroleum resources from the South, over time, the Minister of Petroleum and current NNPC GMD were from the North, without anyone raising issue fro the South.

  Comrade Bature however said "what the North and the entire Nigeria should be talking about, is competence, charisma and capacity, not ethnicity that will not take the country anywhere. 

  “We are totally in disagreement with what some Islamic clerics are saying that, a Christian from the South cannot be Minister of FCT. The position of the FCT Minister is not an exclusive right of the North."

  He also explained that, "as much as we are not trying to join issues with the religious leaders, we need to let the world know that, the current FCT Minister, is a detribalized Nigerian and a tested performer. We must therefore stop using ethnic arithmetics in whatever we are doing in this country.

   He further noted that,"Aside Malam Nasir El-Rufai, what have the FCT Minister that have come before Wike who are Northerners done? So, we should be talking about competence, charisma and capacity, not ethnicity that will not take us anywhere. 

    The group  further urged the Northerners to support Wike regardless of his tribe, religion or ethnicity. We don’t agree with the argument that the FCT Minister must come from the North. We are in total support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his appointment of Barrister Nyesom Wike.

  The union belief that, His Excellency Nyeson Wike's appointment is great assets to the North, and the nation at large. His commitment to transparency, accountability and good governance is a breath of fresh air in Nigeria's political landscape.