At long last we now have a cabinet. After months of endless waiting with some Nigerians not sure whether President Buhari was now a democrat as he appeared bent on ruling like a sole administrator, he finally unveiled the list of his ministers. The lack of a cabinet made some pundits believe was responsible for some crisis in the capital market as operators were in the dark as to the direction of the economic thrust of the PMB administration. They were proven wrong as the inauguration which held last week Wednesday did little to shore up the fortunes of the ailing market.
It is now no news that an unconstitutional improvise has been given to Babatunde Fashola who is now referred to as the nation’s de facto Prime Minister. This is the first time a mortal would handle the power, works and housing ministries and since Buhari is in charge of the petroleum sector, he is unarguably the most powerful minister in the cabinet. Works and Housing used to be together before the split by Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003. The power sector has witnessed a privatization and so the duty of Fashola would be more or less supervisory. The real work would reside in the works and housing portfolio. It is speculated that Former President Goodluck Jonathan built 30,000 kilometres of roads. BRF as he is fondly called must do far more to surpass the record. The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is a death trap and must urgently get fixed. Millions of people ply through the popular road which has the status of a gateway path and government presence is urgently needed to redress the anomaly. Road accidents as a result of our terrible roads should be a source of serious concern and he must think up winning strategies that can critically address this. One reason why there is so much corruption especially in the public sector is because of the lack of a mortgage system. It’s scary to work your head off and then retire as a mere tenant with an uncertain pension because of the prohibitive cost of acquiring a house. There must be a system in place to reward honesty whereby workers can purchase houses and pay back over a ten, twenty or even thirty year plan. Shelter is one of the three most basic needs of man according to the Psychologist Abraham Maslow. BRF must do something to make this a reality for millions of workers in the now near extinct middle class.
Rotimi Amaechi performed creditably well during his first term as the governor of Rivers state. He made education and infrastructure a core priority of his administration. However, he got distracted in a needless fight with former President Jonathan and the people of the state bore the brunt of it. The aviation ministry is now under his watch and he is effectively in charge of the railways and maritime as transport minister. He can also be described as a super minister perhaps arguably second in responsibility to Fashola. He has promised to continue the railway developments started by Jonathan. We thank God he didn’t allow emotion get in the way of his reasoning. The conditions of the airports especially the international one in Port Harcourt which was ranked as the worst in the world is sure cause for concern. Public transportation is terrible in the country. No wonder Senator Ben Murray-Bruce asked him to use it once a month to feel the pulse of the people. There must be a sturdy policy document for the rail, road, maritime and aviation modes of transportation which is worse than a national disaster. This is not the time for any needless nationalistic sentiments in the rumoured plan to bring back the national carrier.
I would have preferred Okechukwu Enelamah as Finance minister with his wealth of experience both at home and abroad. As the founder of the largest private equity fund in Nigeria, he is clearly no pushover. I expected a thorough investigation of the mind boggling petitions against Kemi Adeosun that she plunged Ogun state into unimaginable debt. A strange twist emerged in the removal of the budget function from that ministry and its transfer to that of national planning. Will it be safe to say that she may be weakest finance minister this country has ever witnessed so far as a core function has been removed?
Professor Isaac Adewole and Osagie Enahire seem to be round pegs in round holes as they are both experienced in the healthcare sector. We expect crack policies that would stop the incessant strikes and brain drain. The moribund national health insurance scheme needs a total overhaul; we hope for change in this area.
Professor Anthony Anwuka’s role as Minister of State for Education is a big letdown. He had his postgraduate in the United States, been a professor for over two decades and has been an erstwhile vice-chancellor. His profile towers greatly over that of Adamu Adamu, his boss. One would have expected him to be given full control of the ministry to tap from his gargantuan wealth of experience.
Many supporters of Kayode Fayemi expressed a deep disappointment in the portfolio given to him. They were expecting him to handle the foreign affairs ministry because of his training – a doctorate in civil-military relations from the prestigious Kings College London and his antecedent as a civil rights activist which made him get greatly exposed to leaders of countries around the world. At a time when our international image is so bad, one thought that his input would be greatly appreciated in shoring it up. When he was interviewed by a Channels correspondent after the swearing in, he openly betrayed his ignorance when he said he would have to understudy the solid minerals ministry. After wasting six months in the cabinet constitution, does it now make any sense to have him still waste more time in trying to learn the ropes?
As usual the sports and youth ministry didn’t get a technocrat in that sector to man it. Sports especially football is the greatest unifier in the country and we thought that the change mantra which brought the Buhari government into power would witness the dawn of a new era in the much troubled sector. It was the same old thing as it was a mere compensation for political patronage. A country like Brazil saw the ascent of the popular Pele as its sports minister. Its high time sports became a revenue generation earner in the country and we are blessed with abundant talents. We just need a well-grounded visionary to hit the ground running. The appointment there was far from a master stroke.
Many pundits expected Abdulrahman Dambazzau to be defence minister given his pedigree and experience as a former Chief of Army Staff but the appointment of Brig-Gen Mohammed Dan Ali is also not bad because of his vast experience in the army. I am skeptical of the reality of the December end date for the end of the boko haram insurgency and we expect him to come up with a pragmatic counter terrorism insurgency plan to rout out the murderers by at least next year.
Audu Ogbeh has a large farm in his native Benue state and his appointment as agriculture minister is arguably a move in the right direction. However we hope he can adjust to the realities of the digital times.
Abubakar Malemi (SAN) may not have had a rock star performance during the ministerial screening but his antecedent as legal adviser to the defunct Congress for Progressive Change may be confidence of his abilities by Buhari. We hope he initiates judicial reforms and gives a helping hand in the prosecution of criminal cases especially by forming a solid partnership with the EFCC.
We hope the team act as servant leaders and not as noise makers as PMB had contemptuously expressed. We wish them the best of luck with Nigerians being the ultimate hirers.
TONY ADEMILUYI
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