Nigerians expect the incoming ministers to hit the ground running by executing the policies of the Buhari administration in their respective ministries. The expectations from the administration are very high. Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI and Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN highlight some of the challenges that would confront the new ministers.
GIVEN the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari rode to power on the waves of the ‘change’ agenda, there is high expectation among the populace that it is not going to be business as usual. Indeed, since the administration came into power on May 29, Nigerians have challenged President Buhari to fashion out a broader vision that would truly transform the economy to start creating jobs for the teeming youth population.
Against the background of the expectations, the President reiterated that part of the reason why he did not appoint ministers immediately he took office was to put new rules of conduct and good governance in place before they come on board. He read out what could be termed the rules of engagement during the two-day retreat for the incoming ministers, when he told that they are expected to drive the change agenda the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) promised Nigerians during the electioneering campaign.
But, what manner of change should Nigerians expect in the coming months? Stakeholders have tried to chart the way forward, by setting an agenda for the new cabinet.
Need for clear road map
A United Stated States-based Nigerian, Dr. Kole Odutola, wants the new administration to first prepare a clear road map that will guide its journey. Odutola, a lecturer at the University of Florida, said: “A nation on its knees needs all hands on deck. The most important agenda is the road map for Nigeria. A quick period of stock taking is imperative to determine how to get to the next destination with the lean resources at our disposal.
“Our thinkers need to decide how to fashion out a workable, sustainable development plan that can be applied from the community level to the national level. As we think about production at the national level, we also need to work on creating an integrated system that can kick start economic development without compromising our environment.
“In short, cottage industries must be assisted to produce items that can feed into what industries may need. Tourism must be designed around the culture of local areas. Regional targets must be set for agriculture based on ecology of the place. I see a concentric circle of urgent activities revolving around security, economy and re-education of the generality of the people.”
Odutola wants the APC-led administration to adopt the crisis-management approach, by asking the following questions: “Where are we now? Where do we want to be? What resources do we need to get us to the Nigeria of our dream?” He said the Nigeria of his dream is one where the citizenry would live in an environment where they can fully realize their potentials; a society that creates room for citizens to pursue their personal, intellectual and spiritual growth.
Health
Due to the fact that it has been neglected over the years, the health sector is almost comatose. It is a sad commentary about the affairs in the sector that political office holders are usually flown abroad each time they catch cold. This is mainly because they failed to make provisions for equipping the nation’s hospitals and making them what they should be.
Public office holders and other Nigerians who travel overseas for medical checkup and treatments annually do so because of lack of confidence in the system in place at home. During the ministerial screening, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan and one of the new ministers, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said about one to three billion dollars is spent yearly on medical tourism abroad by Nigerians, because of the dearth of medical facilities in Nigeria. Adewole said the missing link in the country’s health sector is poor funding and infrastructure. He said would have been cheaper getting treatment in Nigeria, if the country had standardised and well-equipped hospitals. The irony is that many Nigerians who travel abroad end up being treated by their compatriots working in foreign hospitals. Given the dwindling resources available to the various tiers of government, including the Federal Government, how is the country going to develop the much-needed infrastructure in this sector?
Petroleum resources
Under the former ruling party, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was described as a cesspool of corruption. It would be interesting to see the company chart a new direction under the present administration. This is particularly at a time when the collapse of the price of oil in the international market has put Nigeria’s economy in dire straits, because over 70 per cent of the country’s revenue comes from that sector.
The charge that the country does not know how much of its oil is produced daily by the multinational oil companies and has to rely on the same multinational joint venture partners to come up with a figure at the point of export leaves much to be desired. The incoming minister must come to terms with the above, which borders on the corruption within the system. The administration must also come to terms with the reality of the country’s dwindling revenue from sale of crude oil, by proffering long-lasting solutions, which would include diversification of the economy from crude oil resources.
President Buhari has hinted in an interview in the United States that the NNPC will be divided into two successor entities under his administration. The President, who stated this in an interview in Washington DC during his four-day visit to the country, explained that the decision would form one of the key steps of his reform of the country’s oil and gas sector.
Security
The biggest security challenge facing the nation at the moment is the Boko Haram insurgency. In this regard, experts say the administration must begin to fashion out how to support the communities, to keep them away from Boko Haram. It is also expected to work towards providing jobs and economic growth, to stabilize the region in the long run.
Beyond security, legal luminary, Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN) said all eyes are on the new ministers particularly those that will be posted to the ministries of Works and Transport; Education and Justice.
Works
According to Akintola, the Minister of Works will be judged by the way and manner he quickly fixes deplorable highways like Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway and the Onitsha-Owerri-Port Harcourt Highway.
Akintola said: “The Abuja roads are in state of disrepair. If nothing is done it will be difficult to move freely in the Federal Capital Territory in the next five years. If you see the traffic gridlock in Apo, Nyanya and Gwagwalada, you will think all Nigerians are living in Abuja. I suggest the Buhari administration should embark on underground rail system in Abuja to minimise the traffic jam in the city. The Minister of Works has a lot to do; he has a job caught out for him.”
Education
On education, the legal practitioner described the decay in education infrastructure in public schools as unprecedented. He said the over centralisation of education system in the country is responsible for the decay.” It is wrong to centralise education; the Federal Government should only set standard. Every state should be allowed to operate the system that is convenient to them. There should be devolution of power. Education is in shambles.” He advised the Minister of Education to come up with measures that will restore the old glory of education in the country.
Judicial reforms
Experts believe that there is need for judicial reforms to drive the change agenda, because efficient justice delivery is central to the nation’s economic growth and development. Continuing to do things the same way and expecting a different outcome, they say, amounts to wishful thinking.
The justice machinery, reputed to be the last hope of the common man, is squeaking under the weight of the growing number of cases yet to be sorted out and other problems. The criminal justice system has endured prolonged delay in the administration of justice, congestion of courts, inadequate infrastructure and lack of access to justice by the poor, a majority of who cannot afford the services of lawyers, the congestion of prisons with the daily influx of accused persons or suspects awaiting trial, the persistent issue of the holding charge, arrest of suspects’ relatives in place of suspects, the use of torture by the police to extort extra judicial confessions and allegations of corruption against judicial officers.
In addition, some of the country’s laws are outdated and out of tune with modern trends. Some of them are nothing but mere relics of colonial legislation that ought to have been reformed long time ago. Most of the laws brim with anachronistic provisions that take no cognizance of the changes and developments that have occurred over the years.
The experts say the envisaged judicial reform requires both cultural and systematic change in the delivery of justice. This, they added, should include repealing/amendment of antiquated laws, enactment of modern laws to meet the needs of ever changing socio-economic conditions, court modernization and restructuring, legal reforms and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, training of judges, court personnel, and lawyers, students and civil society; and improved access to justice. The starting point for these programmes should be a clear plan that focuses on activities that have a high probability of success and that provide immediate benefits.
Although justice is most of the time, a matter of finding the appropriate rules for settling disputes, resolving grievances and trying the accused persons with basic fairness, no justice system can be worthy of that name unless it provides for judges who are independent of the state which appoints them and operate without any pressure to decide cases in favour of government.
In addition, certain offences like corruption, terrorism, kidnapping, election fraud, etc., should be designated as serious crimes and should attract severe punishment without option of fine. There should also be a time limit of 12 months for criminal trials to ensure speedy dispensation of justice. In cases where the accused does not have counsel when a matter is called, the state should appoint a counsel to represent him before the adjourned date. It is further suggested that various tactics employed by parties to judicial proceedings to delay and undermine the justice system, should be sternly deprecated.
Former Chairman, Nigeria Bar Association, Ikeja Branch, Mr Monday Ubani, and Akintola emphasized the need for reforms in the judiciary. They called on the new Minister of Justice to introduce policies that will transform the sector.
Finance
Ubani wants the Minister of Finance to give diversification of the economy a priority. He said the fall in oil price has proved that it is dangerous to run mono-economy. “We should invest on agriculture which was the main stay of the Nigerian economy before the discovery of oil. We should embark on exploitation of solid minerals. Nigeria is endowed with solid minerals like bitumen, coal, gold which have not been tapped. The multiplying effects of economic diversification include more revenue for the government and job opportunities for the unemployed graduates.
Ubani said liberal industrialisation policy will attract both local and foreign investors to invest in the economy. According to him, security and power supply situation must be assuring for the investors to make Nigeria their destination. With the establishment of small and medium scale industries, the problem of unemployment that is responsible for high level of crime will be addressed.
He advised President Buhari to assemble a crack economic team that will come up with policies to rejuvenate the economy, improve the standard of living and put food on the peoples’ table.
The new ministers are: Chris Ngige (Anambra); Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers); Babatunde Fashola (Lagos); Abdulrahman Dambazau (Kano); Aisha Alhassan (Taraba); Ogbonaya Onu (Ebonyi); Kemi Adeosun (Ogun); Abubakar Malami (Kebbi); Hadi Sirika (Katsina); Adebayo Shittu (Oyo); Suleiman Adam (Jigawa); Solomon Dalong (Plateau); Ibe Kachikwu (Delta); and Osagie Ehanire (Edo). Others are: Audu Ogbeh (Benue); Udo Udo Udoma (Akwa Ibom); Lai Mohammed (Kwara); Amina Mohammed (Gombe); Ibrahim Jibril (Nasarawa); Khadija Bukar Ibrahim (Yobe); Omoleye Daramola (Ondo); Anthony Onwuka (Imo); Geoffrey Onyema (Enugu); Dan Ali (Zamfara); James Ocholi (Kogi); Zainab Ahmed (Kaduna); Okechukwu Enelamah (Abia); Muhammadu Bello (Adamawa); Mustapha Baba Shehuri (Borno); Aisha Abubakar (Sokoto); Heineken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa); Adamu Adamu (Bauchi); Isaac Adewole (Osun); Abubakar Bwari (Niger); and Pastor Usani Uguru (Cross River).
