Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who represents Abia South Senatorial district, has criticized the current practice of appointing people based on federal character instead of merit. 

He said this policy hinders the country’s economic growth and development and allows more unqualified people to loot public resources. He also said this policy violates the principle of fairness and equity in the distribution of positions and opportunities.

The senator made these remarks at the 41st annual Olumide Memorial Lecture organised by the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors in Abuja on Thursday. Speaking at the event, he expressed his displeasure with how some public officeholders have abused the federal character principle to advance their selfish interests and disregard merit.

“It is baffling that the beautiful concept of Federal Character seems to have been corrupted in our country by some kind of convoluted reasoning, at least given its couching in our statutes and even its practice expectations.

“As it stands now the Federal Character principle comes out in practice to give incompetence an audacious ride against merit using geo-tribal watermarks and glass ceilings. If the Federal Character initiative intends to carry every polity along, it should not be corrupted by disproportionate assessment modules that discount merit.

“It should rather be that when equities are equal and opportunities fixed, all sections of the country should get relatively equal chances in the fixed opportunity. That way the people who are not qualified don’t get placements in the fixed opportunities merely because they come from somewhere and for that matter displace people with merit,” he remarked.

Speaking further, he also cited the example of catchment area admission policies in federal institutions as a form of discrimination that should be challenged by the courts. 

He said, “Catchment area admission policies are discriminatory and ought to be struck down by the courts not just because of the fact of it being discriminatory but also of the fact that it discounts merit.”