Federal Character in Tatters: Tinubu’s CBN Appointments Are a Spit in Nigeria’s Face.

By George Omagbemi Sylvester
Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com

The recent appointments made by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu into the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have sparked a new wave of outrage across the country and rightly so. Out of 16 new directors appointed into the apex financial institution of Nigeria, 10 are of Yoruba extraction, while the rest of the over 300 ethnic groups in Nigeria are left scrambling for scraps from the national table. This is not only a blatant violation of the Federal Character Principle enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution, it is also a shameful display of ETHNIC CHAUVINISM, reminiscent of a TRIBAL MONARCHY not a DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC.

A Brazen Assault on Federal Balance. The Federal Character Principle, codified in Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), explicitly mandates that appointments into federal positions must reflect the diversity of the Nigerian federation. The law was not made for DECORATION or SYMBOLIC AFFIRMATION, it is a CONSTITUTIONAL OBLIGATION designed to hold the center of this volatile nation together.

Let us be clear: the Central Bank of Nigeria is not a STATE PARASTATAL. It is not a YORUBA HERITAGE INSTITUTION. It is a NATIONAL BODY, a symbol of Nigeria’s FINANCIAL SOVEREIGNTY, responsible for monetary stability, currency regulation and economic planning that affects every Nigerian from Sokoto to Calabar, from Maiduguri to Yenagoa. Yet, this is the shameful breakdown of the new appointments:

Dr. Olubukola Akinwunmi Akinniyi ~ Yoruba

Yusuf Rakiya Opeyemi ~ Yoruba

Aisha Isa-Olatinwo ~ Yoruba

Abdullahi Hamisu ~ North

Dr. OJumu Adenike Olubunmi ~ Yoruba

Mr. Makinde Kayode Olanrewaju ~ Yoruba

Mrs. Jide-Samuel Omoyemen Avbasowamen ~ Yoruba

Mrs. Sike Rita Ijeoma ~ Igbo

Dr. Victor Ugbem Oboh ~ South-South

Mr. Nakorji Musa ~ Middle Belt

Dr. Vincent Monsurat Modesola ~ Yoruba

Mr. Farouk Mujtaba Muhammad ~ North

Dr. Adetona Sikiru Adedeji ~ Yoruba

Mr. Hassan Ibrahim Umar ~ North

Mr. Solaja Mohammed-Jamiu Olayemi ~ Yoruba

Dr. Okpanachi Usman Mose ~ Middle Belt

When 10 out of 16 directors are from the president’s ethnic region, that is not coincidence; that is deliberate manipulation. This pattern mirrors other federal agencies, where appointments have heavily tilted toward Tinubu’s ethnic base, especially since 2023.

A Dangerous Pattern of Tribal Favoritism. Tinubu’s administration is rapidly setting a dangerous precedent: one in which ethnic loyalty is prized above competence, national unity or meritocracy. A presidency that was supposed to renew hope has instead renewed bitterness, ethnic suspicion and political exclusion.

If we cast our minds back, this is the same administration that:
Appointed Femi Gbajabiamila as Chief of Staff (Yoruba), Appointed Dele Alake as Minister of Solid Minerals (Yoruba), Appointed Wale Edun as Minister of Finance (Yoruba), Appointed Zacch Adedeji as Chairman of FIRS (Yoruba), And now packs the CBN board with mostly Yoruba names.

As Senator Shehu Sani once put it, “You can’t unite Nigeria by disuniting appointments.” If the South-East, South-South and the North-Central continue to be sidelined in these appointments, then what moral right does this administration have to preach unity?

The Constitution Is Not a Suggestion. It is crucial to stress that the Federal Character Commission Act is not optional. It is not a matter of presidential discretion, it is a legal obligation. Section 4(1) of the Act stipulates: “The Commission shall work out an equitable formula subject to the approval of the President for the distribution of all cadres of posts in the public service of the Federation and of the States…” but what we see under Tinubu is a total disregard for this fundamental constitutional principle. In a DEMOCRACY, the RULE-OF-LAW is SUPREME not the whims of any one man, no matter how politically powerful.

A Wake-Up Call for the Nigerian Masses. Let no one be deceived by political grammar or media propaganda. These appointments reveal exactly where Tinubu’s loyalty lies: with his tribe first, Nigeria last.

Nigerians must begin to ask the hard questions:

Why is there such a high concentration of Yoruba appointees in federal leadership under this government?

Is Nigeria truly one nation if one ethnic group dominates the financial and security architecture of the country?

Where is the equity? Where is the justice?

Nigeria is not Lagos and Lagos is not Nigeria. This country was not built by one tribe. It is the product of collective sacrifice; from the sweat of the Niger-Delta, to the farms of the North and the entrepreneurship of the South-East. As Chinua Achebe once said, “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.” This current failure is not just incompetence but a betrayal of the very soul of our nationhood.

We Must Reject Tribal Autocracy in 2027. Tinubu will come back in 2027, as expected, seeking re-election with a mouth full of promises and a track record full of ethnic favoritism. We must not forget. We must not be fooled by political jingles or ethnic sentiments. We must remember how he treated our diversity not with respect, but with contempt. Every appointment matters. Every director in CBN wields power, and when those appointments are skewed toward one region, it reflects an agenda; an agenda that must be rejected.

The Verdict: Tinubu’s pattern of appointments is unconstitutional, divisive and must be decisively rejected in 2027. NIGERIA BELONGS TO ALL OF US. We must remind this government and every future government that Nigeria does not belong to any tribe or region. IT BELONGS TO ALL OF US. Let it be known today that no tribe has the monopoly of intelligence or integrity. Excellence exists in every corner of this COUNTRY and the deliberate exclusion of non-Yoruba voices from key leadership positions is both UNCONSTITUTIONAL and MORALLY-REPUGNANT. 2027 is not far. We are watching. Name by name. Appointment by appointment. Nigeria must rise above TRIBALISM and RECLAIM its NATIONAL DIGNITY. If Tinubu cannot see the damage he’s doing, then we, the people, must open his eyes through the ballot box.

As Prof. Pat Utomi once said, “Nigeria’s future will be secured not by the tribe of the man at the top, but by the values he upholds.” It’s time to demand leadership that reflects those values.

Written by George Omagbemi Sylvester
Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com