As with his immediate predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, Bola Tinubu has demonstrated nepotism in its raw form, through his appointments so far. Buhari had ensured that most Federal Government agencies and parastatals, especially those that generate revenue or earn fat budgetary allocation from the national budget, were an exclusive preserve of his Fulani brothers, whether or not they were qualified to hold the office.
Tinubu did not waste time in following Buhari’s footsteps in this direction. Hence, in Tinubu government, most juicy positions have been reserved for Yoruba indigenes.
At the last count, juicy agencies such as the Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigerian Immigration Service, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigeria Police Force among others, are all headed by Yoruba indigenes.
But Tinubu is still eyeing other agencies he want to corner their leadership to the Yoruba. That is why he quickly sacked the immediate out gone Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Bashir Jamoh, and promptly replaced him with another Yoruba man.
Jamoh actually played into Tinubu hands when he began to focus on acquiring illicit wealth as the DG NIMASA. Jamoh was accused of allegedly enriching himself through fictitious contracts as NIMASA boss. So, last week precisely on Monday, March 11, 2024, Tinubu found Dr Jamoh wanting and unfit to lead NIMASA for another four years.
Instructively, on the day Jamoh was said to be celebrating his second appointment thinking he had won Tinubu’s heart, the same day Tinubu fired him.
In this edition, aside the Cover Story of the Senate scandalous budget padding, we serve you in part a diary of the alleged corrupt practices of Dr Jamoh while he superintended over the affairs of NIMASA.
