Politics of Nepotism and National Integration in Nigeria: A Critical Analysis of Federal Appointments under President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration

Abstract

In the background to this study, it was established that primordial sentiments based on ethnic bigotry always define social relations in any society with multi-regional, multi-tribal, multi-lingual, and multi-religious diversities. The study further noted that typical of the Nigerian situation, political office holders exploit the avenues of nepotism to secure discriminatory socio-political benefits for their various constituencies, with a view to sustaining their electoral value and relevance. This study specifically appraised the impact of politics of nepotism on national integration in Nigeria, using the federal appointments under President Buhari’s administration as the study’s specific focus. This study was anchored on the theory of distributive justice. Data were predominantly obtained through the secondary source and supplemented by interviews, while content analysis and logical deductions were used in data interpretation. Through several literature reviewed, this study revealed that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, since its inception in 2015 made several lopsided federal appointments, to the advantage of the northern region, but to the obvious marginalisation of other ethnic nationalities. The study further revealed that the nepotistic administrative style of President Muhammadu Buhari in the appointment of persons into public service positions has over time, created ethnic disharmony, propelled divisive perception, and promoted the growth of secessionist agitations. In conclusion, this study recommended among other things, for a constitutional overhaul that would henceforth, incorporate a section that will emphatically spell out the compulsory application of federal character principle in the determination of appointments into public service positions in Nigeria.