Federal Character: What you should know about ministerial positions and how they are appointed
Due to Nigeria’s rich cultural and religious diversity, appointments to political positions are done in a manner that tends to appease the country’s diversities. Critical positions are often filled in a way that balances the religious and ethnic equations, aiming to avoid a feeling of political exclusion or marginalisation.
During the run-up to the 2023 Presidential elections, there was outrage, particularly from Christians, when Bola Tinubu chose Kashim Shettima, a Northern Muslim, as his running mate. The Muslim-Muslim ticket became one of the most contentious conversations in Nigerian politics but slowly faded away as the February 25, 2023, presidential elections approached. However, while President Bola Tinubu is expected to name his ministers in the coming weeks, the discussion of ensuring an evenly spread across the ethnic groups has resurfaced in political discussions.
How Federal Character became a major factor in Nigeria
The Federal Character Commission was established to address the occasional feelings of marginalization, which is believed to have given rise to separatist movements in the South East. The Commission was established by the Nigerian government in Act No 34 of 1996, consolidating the provisions of the 1999 Constitution in Sections 14 and 153 (c).
Section 14 (3) states, “the composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.”
On Tinubu’s ministerial appointment, although the number of ministers he will appoint remains uncertain, many pundits expect him to cut down the number as debates about cost of governance amidst dwindling economic resources continue to dominate national conversation. When former President Muhammadu Buhari announced his Ministers in November 2015, he announced a reduction in the number of ministries from 29 to 24 and appointed a total of 35 Ministers, which drew reactions from those who felt some states were left out. During his second term in office, he appointed a total of 44 Ministers. However, based on Tinubu’s inaugural promise on May 29, to “govern on behalf of the people without ruling over them, consult and dialogue without dictating, and to reach out to all individuals,” many Nigerians hope that his appointments will reflect the diversity of Nigeria more than the Muslim-Muslim ticket he ran on to become the country’s 16th President.
Nevertheless, there are concerns that, in an effort to honour the Federal Character principle, ministerial appointments have become a means of rewarding politicians who played crucial roles during campaigns, with little consideration given to merit and expertise.
“The idea of federal character was initiated in Nigeria to enable the inclusion of persons across states and regions in governance. While the intentions are noble, it has often sparked debates about merit and fairness,” says Robert Ekat, Ph.D., Neusroom political analyst.
In 2015, former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, a lawyer who played a crucial role during Buhari’s election campaign, was appointed Minister of Power, Works, and Housing. Again, former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, without any known prior knowledge of Nigeria’s transportation industry, was appointed to head the Transport Ministry, a sector which contributed nearly 3% to Nominal GDP in the second quarter of 2022 according to data from National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). From Chris Ngige, a medical doctor who was appointed Minister of Labor and Employment, to Adamu Adamu, a former Deputy Editor of the New Nigerian newspaper, whose tenure as Nigeria’s Minister of Education saw public universities closed down for a cumulative period of one year and eight months, ministerial positions appear to have become political rewards rather than based on merit.
“One is inclined to state that the federal character principle negates progressivism and meritocracy, but the social dynamics in Nigeria show that the people have very strong attachments to their tribes and states of origin, and thus may be difficult to lead if they do not feel included in governance,” Ekat said.
He added, “Having said the above, both objectives of representation and merit can be achieved with honesty in governance. The problem, however, is that presidents would rather seek out their friends in different states for appointments, even when there are better-qualified people in those states.”
