Guardian

THE Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) has raised alarm that the federal government is discriminating against the Yoruba.

The group has also noted that the federal government is returning the country to the debt club, with the country’s current foreign debt profile standing at $9 billion, adding that this figure is projected to jump to $25 billion (local debt inclusive) in 2015.

These obsevations were made at the weekend by ARG National Chairman, Mr. Wale Oshun, in a statement made available to The Guardian.

To prove his allegation of discrimination against the Yoruba, Mr. Oshun made reference to the recent 792 officers recruited for training at the Custom Training College, Kano, where the whole six South-west states of the Yorubas were allocated only 45 officers, representing 5.8 per cent while the North-west alone had 263 nominees, representing 33.1 per cent.

In the same exercise, the North-Central zone got 168, North-East 157, South-South 91 and South-East 68.

The Afenifere leader also made reference to the new appointments and sacking of workers at the Ministry of Aviation, where he claimed that majority of those laid off were of the Yoruba ethnic group. He further claimed that out of the 75 new appointments made, 49 were from the South-east zone.

His words: “Report of ethnic cleansing going on in the Aviation Ministry is fast reaching alarming proportion. We got reports that most of the key people sacked at the Ministry are of Yoruba extraction. Findings have also indicated that out of the 75 appointments made (at the Ministry), 49 of them are from the South-East zone alone. Our younger generation is now asking us to re-define for them the meaning of ‘Federal Character’ when appointments and recruitments at the federal level are now being made to favour some geopolitical zones to the exclusion of the Yoruba.”

The Afenifere Chief said it was an irony and of great concern that it is the same Dr. Okonjo-Iweala as Minister of Finance under former President Olusegun Obasanjo who supervised Nigeria’s exit from the debt club after a $30 billion debt buy-back, that is now in the saddle when the country is now being led back to a new debt club.

In his view, returning Nigeria to the debt club was an indication that either Okonjo-Iweala is fatigued and had no fresh idea and strength to continue as Finance Minister, or she is not honest with the Jonathan administration and may be hoarding genuine advise that may make the administration succeed.

“Nigeria’s rising debt profile is a source of concern to most Nigerians, especially, having just exited the Paris Club barely six years ago. Sadly, the minister then in the Obasanjo cabinet who negotiated the $30 billion debt buy-back, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is the same person spear-heading Nigeria’s re-entry into another foreign debt trap,” he lamented.