Once again, Nigeria’s ethnic contradictions have been laid bare, this time over President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s appointment of Bayo Ojulari as the new MD/CEO of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL). The moment the news broke, a predictable chorus of wailing and manufactured outrage erupted from familiar quarters the same groups that constantly shift narratives to suit their ethnic and political biases.
The irony is staggering. The same Igbo commentators who never tire of mocking the Yoruba over Kwara State, claiming that it is no longer Yoruba land, are suddenly screaming that Tinubu has appointed a “Yoruba man.” How convenient! For years, these same voices have peddled the absurd narrative that Fulani hegemony has taken Kwara from the Yoruba, yet when a Kwara-born professional is appointed, they suddenly remember the state’s Yoruba roots. If hypocrisy had a face, it would look just like this reaction.
Then, there are the Hausa-Fulani who have always insisted that Kwara is part of the North. They brandish this claim whenever it suits their agenda, often using it as a political bargaining tool. But now, because the NNPCL CEO appointment didn’t go their way, they’ve flipped the script, suddenly declaring that Kwara is no longer Northern. The inconsistency is laughable, yet entirely predictable. These are the same people who remained silent when NNPCL was under the exclusive grip of Northern leadership for years. Where was this outrage then? Now that the balance is shifting, their hypocrisy is exposed for all to see.
This selective outrage over Tinubu’s appointment must be called out for what it is ethnic bitterness fueled by a deep-seated sense of entitlement. These groups have enjoyed a monopoly over Nigeria’s key institutions for decades, and the moment someone from another bloc gets a shot, they throw tantrums like spoiled children denied their favorite toy.
For the record, Bayo Ojulari is an experienced and competent professional. His appointment is based on merit, unlike the era when certain positions were handed out like family heirlooms to a select few ethnic groups without any noise from the same wailers now crying foul. Where were these voices when NNPC was being run as an extension of a regional cabal? Nowhere. They were silent because the system favored them.
The ethnic bigots shouting today should get used to a new Nigeria one where competence trumps entitlement, and where appointments reflect the nation’s diversity, not the monopoly of one region. This era of hypocrisy, where some people believe they have the exclusive right to certain positions while others must “wait their turn,” is coming to an end. Tinubu is reshaping the system, and the wailers can either adapt or keep crying it changes nothing.
Nigeria must move forward. Those who built their political relevance on ethnic grievances should find another hobby because the game has changed. The rest of us have work to do.
