By Lukman Olabiyi

EMIR of Kano, Muham­madu Sanusi, yesterday, urged Federal Government to make competence its priority, rather than federal character, in appointing public officials.

The former Central Bank governor said giving prior­ity to Federal Character in appointing public officials has more negative effect than positive, stressing that the policy had made the nation move backward in­stead of forward.

Sanusi, who was the chairman of the occasion, at the 30 years anniversa­ry of University of Lagos Muslim Alumni (UMA) and N150 million scholar­ship endowment fund, held in Lagos, said the factor of federal character in giv­ing appointment to people is what led the nation to where it is now.

He said the genesis of corruption in the country could be traced to federal character, for the fact that many leaders who were ap­pointed to manage the af­fair of the country were not competent, but were cho­sen based on their ethnic, region or tribe.

“I’m not against federal character, but it should not be our priority in giving ap­pointment to people.

“The problem with our country today is that we al­ways saddle people with re­sponsibility beyond them, all in the name of federal character,” he said.

Guest speaker of the occasion and Minister of Works, Power and Hous­ing, Mr. Babatunde Fasho­la, said where the country found itself now, was the making of past administra­tion.

Fashola, who was rep­resented by Commissioner for Work in the state, Oba­femi Hamzat, spoke on the topic: ‘Nigeria: Strategies for a sustainable econo­my’, said former president Goodluck Jonathan had the best opportunity to fix the nation’s power sector but traded it for politics.

He said many things went wrong during the last administration including the sale of power company which, he said, was wrong­ly done and the conse­quences of that transaction is what is manifesting now.

He said there was no way the country could develop with a decay infrastruc­ture, and that’s why the current administration is investing heavily on infra­structure development to boost the economy.

UMA President, Al­haji Akeeb Oadokun, in his speech, commended Federal Government’s unrelenting effort to fi­nally crush and dismantle all the strongholds of the Boko Haram insurgents in the county.

He urged the govern­ment to restore and re­settle all the Internally Displaced People (IDP) into normal life and also have security of lives and property restored in their various primary places of abode, as quickly as pos­sible.