The President’s recent appointments

SIR: Of recent, there has been a rash of new appointments (with some sackings) by President Goodluck Jonathan, ranging from a new Inspector General of Police to members of Governing Council of universities, executive secretaries of Federal Government agencies, to the Nigerian Stock Exchange and many others.

We all agree the President would and should be at his desk until May 29. But it should be remembered that not everything possible is expedient. There could be more than meets the eye with all these frenetic late appointments, just a few days to the end of his tenure. A lot of unsavoury inferences and interpretations could be made there from.

First it smacks of tardiness on the part of the President by not making all these changes all these past months and years. It’s a case of not doing the right thing at the right time, like the Boko Haram war which was allowed to fester over the years, only for us to re-discover our muscles just a few months ago.

Secondly, these late appointments of President Jonathan’s loyalists can be seen as a subtle spreading of peddles, thorns, hurdles along the path of the incoming administration. To who would these appointees owe allegiance? Their hearts and minds could be for Jonathan while working under Buhari. After all, 2019 is not too far and a comeback can always be attempted and staged.

Thirdly, there could be a tincture of blackmail to these late appointments. If tomorrow Buhari sacks any of these late Jonathan appointees, will he not be branded all sorts of names from heartless, to wicked and vindictive?

For one thing, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari might find the presence of these Jonathan loyalists disconcerting. They may not share his goals, ideals, philosophy and methods. That could create distrust, mistrust, suspicion and an eventual case of the falcons not hearing the falconer.

President Jonathan has lived all these past years and months without making these appointments. He can as well manage to live the remaining two weeks in office without them. Once the result of the election was known, the President should have started the all-important process of winding down, de-acceleration and disengagement instead of revving up the engine of governance by encumbering the incoming administration with his loyalists. You cannot press the throttles and brakes at the same time. Can you?

Therefore, let President Jonathan not allow any blemish on the accolades he has garnered (rightly or wrongly) by conceding defeat. Buhari must be allowed and helped to take off unhindered, unfettered and unencumbered. This would be in the interest of all, including the President and supporters.

• Sir (Chief) Azaniah Ngozi Nwoke,

Wokens2014@gmail.com