By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor

The deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, has called for a reform of the federal character principle in public sector recruitments if the country is to move forward.

Ekweremadu, in a new book due for public presentation this month, said the fears of marginalisation that have suppressed meritocracy in the recruitments into the public service were largely unfounded, as he affirmed that qualified Nigerians could be found in every part of the country.

In the book entitled, Who Will Love My Country: Ideas of Building the Nigeria of Our Dreams, Ekweremadu argued that champions of the use of federal character have rather used the principle to uplift mostly their kith and kin at the expense of the larger population.

The 159-page book also has commentaries on the electoral process, party politics, revamping of public institutions, corruption, poverty reduction, among others.

While noting that federal character had played an important role in fostering national unity and promoting cross cultural interactions, he, however, alleged that it had over time been abused and exploited to put mediocrity at the expense of merit in the leadership recruitment process.