BUHARI, HIS SYCOPHANTS AND THE POLITICS OF THROWING THE BABY OUT WITH BATHWATER. Written by Saint-Olawale Jimoh

   We cannot be doing same thing and expect a different result. We cannot build a great nation if all we do is seeing nothing wrong with everything our government do. We must be ready to praise Mr President's hits and not condole his misses if we want him to achieve. This is why I give kudos to Dele Momodu, the Ovation publisher, who managed to hit the nail on the head in his open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Regretablly, we live in a nation of sycophants. In fact, it's almost becoming a tradition that when people benefit from a government, they will never see anything wrong done by their benefactors, others are perpetual praise-singers because of what they hope to get. Sycophancy, like someone rightly observed is what will make you see everything wrong with PDP and nothing wrong with APC. We must right the wrong to have a nation of our dream. The recent activities of Mr President showed he might not make any genuine headway if he doesn't change his pattern. His aides and supporters are equally making matter worst. We shun best hands because they're not in our party and we are paying dearly for these and we shall continue to pay unless we espouse merit over mediocrity.

    It is a pity how we allow talents to waste away in Nigeria because of short-sightedness, tribalism, and sycophancy. It is still disheartening to know our own Tony Elemelu was introduced to President Barack Obama by Uhuru Kenyatta. Not only was he appreciated by Obama, this Nigerian banking guru and philantrophist, Tony Elemelu CON is equally billed to speak at a White House event hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama this Monday to celebrate emerging entrepreneurs around the globe.

    Arunma Oteh who was widely condemned by die-hard Buharists has been appointed Vice President and Treasurer of the World Bank. Arunma was most recently the Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Nigeria.  As Vice President and Treasurer, Arunma will manage and lead a large and diverse team responsible for managing more than $150 billion in assets and she was selected to this position through an international competitive search. Her appointment is effective on September 28, 2015.

     Bad as the previous administration was pictured by some sections of the Nigeria's media, there are still few brilliant minds who worked assiduously for this country and such cannot be ignored because they worked for the previous government of Goodluck Jonathan. Diezani Allison Maduekwe was appointed President of OPEC despite the negatives news in Nigeria's media about her.
Akinwunmi Adesina, a Former Agriculture Minister is now the President of the African Development Bank. All from the widely-condemned Goodluck Jonathan-led government.

     The message is simple and clear. Buhari should look beyond his camp and party in terms of appointing those to work with him. That Amechi and others sponsored his campaign doesn't automatically imply they must be appointed into where they are not needed. The earlier he starts tapping into the intelligence of people like Tony Elemelu, Mike Adenuga, Aliko Dangote and others, the better for him instead of surrounding himself with a ragtag who cannot differentiate between governance and economy. He should ensure our sensitive positions are not manned by misfits who do not merit the offices by all standards.