The waiting game is on. Nigerians since May 29 inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari for a second in office have been looking forward to having the list of ministers that would join him to deliver dividends of democracy to their doorsteps.
Last week, Senate President Ahmad Lawan said they were expecting the list of ministerial nominees which was likely to get to them before the end of the week encouraging his colleagues to expect the list and in another way urging them to be ready to shelve their holiday until the lists comes, so that Nigerians would not be kept waiting while the Senate is on their annual recess. In the first term, it was for six harrowing months.
Nigerians were, however, shocked when the following day President Muhammadu Buhari came out to say that he will not rush to make appointments, signaling a possible further delay before he comes up with the appointments. He said “I will not appoint as ministers individuals I do not know, only tested and capable individuals who can deliver on their mandates will make his ministerial list. I had to accept the names and recommendations from the party and other individuals in my first term.”
What this means is that; the last set of ministers was imposed on him. There are many people who claim to have supported the President for his election and as such put him under intense pressure to take up their nominees for the ministerial list. Understandably, the party organ also places the president under intense pressure to take up persons they believe worked for the success of the party in the various states as ministers. But this should be with minimal delays.
Part of the problem of appointing ministers into the federal cabinet is the constitutional provision that mandates such appointments to cover all the federating states. It implies that the federal executive council (FEC) has to be made up of at least 36 members.
In his first term, as it were, President Buhari barely knew some of the ministers in his cabinet. In his words: “ most of them, the majority of them I didn’t know them. I worked with them for three and half years at least – meeting twice or two weeks in a month.” That was what may have been responsible for the shortfall these past years. It is therefore my considered opinion this time around that Mr. President needs to go round the states to get 36 loyal, credible and honest persons so that at the end of the day, he takes full responsibility for the performance of his administration.
He has said that this time around, he will pick people he personally knows and that is welcomed. But what I hear Nigerians saying is that picking your choice candidates shouldn’t take too long a time to do. President Buhari needs to save the nation, the agony of going for months again without ministers. It is about exercising his powers to hire and fire. He should send the list to the National Assembly regardless of what some pressuring interests have to say. If anyone of them is not performing up to expectations of Nigerians, he reserves the right to fire such a Minister and replace immediately.
The urgency Nigerians want the president to release the ministerial list is anchored on a number of reasons. At the moment, the economy is suffering. Insecurity is heightening, and it is as though the nation is at a crossroads and Buhari alone cannot deliver on the mandate given him. He sure needs men and women who would join him to deliver on the mandate given to him by Nigerians. Nigerians expect that his experience of the last four years should be called to play in picking his ministers without any further delay.
Although there is the cliché that government is a continuum, but the reality on ground is that there is a limit to which permanent secretaries currently in charge of ministries can take decisions on major projects without the approval of the Federal Executive Council which is yet to be constituted.
Already, some key ministries are affected by the lack of ministers, some of which are Health, Defense, Budget and National Planning as well as and Education. In some of the ministries, government businesses have been almost brought to its knees as a result of the absence of ministers. President Buhari needs to move quickly to send the list to the National Assembly that is now pro-APC.
It is also important that the lawmakers should partner with the executive arm of government in leaving appreciable legacies for the country as he begins the second term.
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Mr. Dan Owegie is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Edo State.
