President Muhammadu Buhari is expected soon to send the list of ministerial nominees to the Senate for consideration. Many factors will determine the choice of the ministers and special advisers. Many Nigerians believe that the pedigree, competence and character of the President’s team will shape the focus and direction of governance in the next four years, writes Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU.
Questions abound on the proposed ministerial nominations by President Muhammadu Buhari: will the selection unleash fresh crisis on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) like the contest for the Senate President and the Speaker of House of Representatives? Will the list meet popular expectations? Will the President set up a cabinet of talents? Will the team be able to fix Nigeria?
To many observers, the President’s team will determine the character of his government. Apart from constitutional provisions, which stipulate that each state should be represented in the Federal Executive Council (FCE), many factors will be taken to the consideration as the President assembles his team. These include experience, competence, professionalism, integrity, past record of probity and commitment to the vision of the President and the APC to transform the country.
However, according to party sources, partisan considerations cannot also be ruled out. “If geo-political considerations are taken care of, the composition of the ruling party will also be a big factor. The APC is made up of the defunct ACN, new PDP, CPC, ANPP and a section of APGA. There will the need to balance all the factors. I think the President must consult widely,” said senator from the Southwest, who added: “Judging by the nature of Nigeria, I mean the peculiar influence of ethnicity and religion, it is not a decision that can be made without sensitivity.”
The emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki from the Northcentral as the Senate President and Hon. Yakubu Dogara from the Northeast as the Speaker of the House of Representatives may have also alter the zoning of positions. The implication is that the President, Senate President and Speaker are from the North. Therefore, the South may expect to benefit from appointments into other critical offices.
According to the constitution, the President is expected to respect the geographical spread as dictated by the number of states. But, he is not at liberty to nominate only politicians for the positions. In 1999, when President Olusegun Obasanjo assumed the reins, many technocrats made the list. Some of them had no link with the ruling party. His successors-the late Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan-also appointed some technocrats as ministers. Prominent among them were Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Chief Kola Jamodu, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, Remi Babalola, Olusegun Aganga and Mr. Oloruntoba. But, legal luminary Chief Niyi Akintola cautioned against over-reliance on technocrats, who he described as the bailiffs of the western world committed to the collection of rents for the Paris Club, warning that it could be disastrous. “Technocrats should be made ministers in special ministries and their total number in the cabinet should not be more than five per cent,” he said.
The cabinet composition, many Nigerians have suggested, should reflect the genuine intention of the administration to maintain a clean break from the past. The challenges are overwhelming: the poor economy, failed budgets, insecurity, energy crisis, bad roads, rot in the aviation sector, soaring unemployment and corruption stare the beleaguered nation in the face. Cries of despondency are on the increase. The country is at a standstill and the future appears bleak. “The President knows the problem and he knows the people who can fix Nigeria,” said prominent politician Alhaji Balarabe Musa. “I will not comment until he makes the nominations,” he added.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain Chief Ebenezer Babatope, who described Buhari as a focussed leader, prayed that God should give him the wisdom to identify competent people for the portfolios. He said: “The choice of who becomes what in the Buhari Administration is the responsibility of Buhari and the APC. I am not in the same party with him. He will be circumspect. I hope Buhari will select those who will love Nigeria and promote the peace and prosperity of the country.”
In the opinion of the APC National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun, there is no scarcity of competent people in the ruling party. The party parade heavy weight and credible politicians across the six geo-political zones. Many of them are competent professionals, he said, assuring that the President will tap from these vast talents.
But, a party chieftain from the Southeast, Hon. Uche Onyeagucha, warned against recycling ministers, saying that it could be disastrous for the nation. “Those who have served in previous regimes should take a break,” he advised. Also, he said while the President is expected to pick ministers from each state of the federation, he should select the best from each state.
Onyeagucha, a former member of the House of Representatives, highlighted the challenges that will face the next Federal Executive Council. He said the next council of ministers should be able to build confidence and attract investment, adding that the first step is to exploit the potentials at home, in West Africa sub-region and Africa, before looking at the world. The former legislator said the cabinet should be people’s focused, deliver the dividends of democracy and live to expectation in character and implementation of policies and programmes, especially in the energy sector and job creation. “These are the two areas where Nigerians need miracles,” he added.
Onyeagucha said Nigerians may not be patient with the administration because they have suffered from long years of decay. “The ministers to be appointed must be practically responsive and proactive; people who can respond to local and international events rapidly as they unfold. They must reach out to the world to bring to Nigeria what is good and practicable within the limits of time,” he added.
Third Republic Senator Tony Adefuye, who shared the views expressed by Onyeagucha, urged the President to consult stakeholders before making nominations. He said there is the feeling in the APC that the windows of consultations have not been widely opened, advising the President to discuss with party leaders before taking actions.
Adefuye, an APC chieftain from Lagos State, advised the President to appoint good people into the Federal Executive Council. If the wrong person is appointed, he said it could dent the image of the administration and derail its vision for a better tomorrow. In fact, the eminent politician said if wrong persons are selected, they will later be thrown out of the team. “I hope he will consult with all the leadership before the nominations to avoid confusion and break down of confidence,” he said.
Adefuye also said that the nominations should reflect what he described as the components of Nigeria, adding that there must be need for balancing. He said the fact that the President, the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives are from the North makes balancing compelling. He said the South must be considered for more top appointments in the spirit of equity and justice. “The appointments should not be lopsided to avoid the repeat of what happened at the National Assembly. There is the need for equilibrium,” he stressed.
Akintola agreed that the lopsided distribution of appointment could generate nasty thoughts in the federation. He charged the President to demonstrate national outlook like Obasanjo, who ensured equity in the distribution of federal appointments. He said when a particular section is benefitting from appointments to the exclusion of other sections, there will be the fear of domination and marginalisation. “We need true Nigerians who believe the country, not a sectional agenda,” he emphasised.
Also, Akintola said the President must not make a mistake of over-reliance on technocrats, who he described as elements without the grassroots appeal. “I don’t belong to the school of thought that technocrats should dominate the cabinet. Most of them do not have value. They lack the connection with the grassroots. They came to operate voodoo economy. We want a cabinet that will boost productive activities to generate employment and the people will in turn pay taxes.
“We don’t want a cabinet that will pile up money and later, inflation will catch up with them. We have tested the technocrats and they have failed us,” he added.
The legal luminary warned against what he described as importation of ministers, stressing that “the states where there are problems today in the country are ruled by imported governors.”
Akintola, who is a former member of the Oyo State House of Assembly, said while the ministers can consider professionals for the ministries of justice and information, other patriotic Nigerians can fill other non-technical portfolios. He explained that while a technocrat is required to man the ministry of justice, the minister should be able to relate appropriately with the bar and the judiciary. He also said the minister of information should connect well with the media, adding that he should be conversant with the political arithmetic of Nigeria.
The legal luminary urged Buhari to learn from the mistakes of the party, recalling that, under the Jonathan Administration, the so-called technocrats could not deliver under the former President because they were far from the people. “Some of them were a disaster. Social illiterates should not be ministers. Somebody who lacks a national outlook should not be the Secretary to the Government of Federation (SGF). Look at the embarrassment suffered by former President Goodluck Jonathan. He visited the Southwest. A traditional ruler said the Southwest was marginalised. He tendered the proofs. The President said the list of appointment was compiled by the SGF. We need people who understand the Nigerian structure, Political and social illiterates are unfit. Ministers should be able to connect very well.”
Akintola also warned against nominations by godfathers. He said if godfathers succeed in imposing ministers on the President, they will only be loyal to their godfathers, and not to the President and the country. “The ministers must have the national outlook,” he maintained.
