Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo

Bassey Inyang in Calabar

Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, wants Nigeria to give precedence to merit instead the provisions of federal character in giving positions of responsibility to public servants.

His call is coming at a period Nigerians are eagerly awaiting the appointment of a new secretary to the federal government and ministers by President Muhammdu Buhari.

This is also at a period his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), is grappling with filling its positions in the leadership of the national assembly due to the contest over zoning of positions by its federal lawmakers.

Osibanjo made the call on Thursday while delivering the keynote address at the 10th Memorial Anniversary Lecture of Late Justice P. O. E. Bassey Foundation held at the International Conference Center of the University of Calabar.

Using the selection of players for Nigeria’s national football teams as an example, he said: “Nigerians expect the best to be chosen by the team manager or the coach in order to get the desired results. At that instance, nobody considers where a player or players are from. All they expect of the coach are players who merit it and can give result.”