ABUJA — Public Interest Advocate, Darlington Onyebuchi Agoha, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently review what he described as “lopsided” appointments to key federal revenue-generating, economic, regulatory and security institutions.
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Agoha made the call in an open letter addressed to President Tinubu, in which he expressed concern that the concentration of strategic positions in particular geopolitical and ethnic constituencies could undermine public confidence in the Federal Government and threaten national cohesion.
He argued that equitable representation in government was essential to sustaining citizens’ trust in Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
“A nation is only as strong as the trust its citizens place in its governance structures,” Agoha stated, warning that “when that trust is eroded by perceived systemic exclusion, the very foundations of national unity begin to fracture.”
The public interest advocate specifically cited institutions and agencies including the petroleum sector, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Ministry of Finance, Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), National Pension Commission (PenCom), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), NNPC Limited, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, NIPOST and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
Agoha alleged that leadership positions across several of these institutions were disproportionately concentrated in one geopolitical and ethnic bloc, describing the development as a troubling pattern that required presidential attention.
According to him, “while competence exists in every corner of this great country,” the perceived concentration of appointments “gives the distinct impression of a deliberate tribalization of federal economic leverage.”
He added: “When 95% of strategic socioeconomic gatekeepers share the same linguistic and regional background as the Commander-in-Chief, it shifts the narrative from ‘Renewed Hope’ to ‘Renewed Exclusion.’”
Agoha also invoked the Federal Character Principle, citing Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which provides for the composition of the Government of the Federation and its agencies in a manner that reflects the federal character of Nigeria and promotes national unity.
He maintained that the constitutional principle should not be treated as a political concession but as an important mechanism for ensuring inclusiveness in federal governance.
“Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians,” he said, stressing that the Federal Character Principle was “a mandatory constitutional guardrail designed to prevent the dominance of any state, ethnic, or sectional group in government.”
Agoha further cautioned that political considerations should not take precedence over national cohesion, arguing that perceived exclusion could fuel resentment and weaken citizens’ commitment to the Nigerian project.
He therefore urged the President to “immediately pause, review, and adjust these lopsided appointments” and undertake what he described as a deliberate restructuring of federal agencies to ensure broader representation.
“Broaden the table to accommodate national interest over regional comfort,” Agoha appealed.
He called on President Tinubu to use his administration to strengthen national unity and ensure that citizens from different regions and backgrounds feel adequately represented in the leadership of strategic federal institutions.
“Let history record your presidency as one that healed a fractured nation, rather than one that deepened its fault lines,” he concluded.
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