FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SET TO SWEAR IN MINISTERS.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SET TO SWEAR IN MINISTERS.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SET TO SWEAR IN MINISTERS.
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President Muhammadu Buhari’s slow-going, if odd-sounding, leadership style, which has been the favourite target of critics since May 29, faced a new barrage of reproach in the last few days. Critics took Buhari to task over his comment that his government could not support 36 ministries, though it will abide by the constitutional specification of at least 36 ministers – one for each state. Many insinuated that the president meant several ministers would be without portfolio.

They tried to highlight the menacing implications of such executive structure.
Misgivings regarding the worth and effectiveness of the incoming executive council have raged almost since the inauguration of the Buhari government on May 29. This followed the long delay in the announcement of the cabinet members and the president’s comment that civil servants were the ones who really did the job while ministers merely made noise.

Responding to a question on whether his government was not affected by the absence of a finance minister, during an interview with the French television station, France 24, in France in September, Buhari had stated, “No…The civil service provides the continuity, the technocrats. And in any case, they are those that do most of the work. The ministers are there, I think, to make a lot of noise; for the politicians to make a lot of noise. But the work is being done by the technocrats…

“So I think this question of ministers is political. People from different constituencies want to see their people directly in government, and see what they can get out of it.”

Add this to Tuesday’s statement by the president, while receiving the list of the 36 confirmed ministerial nominees from Senate President Bukola Saraki, “There is some enthusiasm in some parts of the presidency today that portfolios are to be given to the 36. The constitution certainly said there must be one minister of the cabinet from all the states, but the constitution did not say I must have 36 ministries.” What you get is a groundswell of opinion that Buhari is more comfortable as a sole administrator, that he is appointing ministers just to fulfil all righteousness, and that he may not value the ministers’ contribution to governance.

The ministerial nominees, who ended a two-day retreat at the Presidential Villa on Friday preparatory to their induction into the federal executive council, have a chance to disprove the negative sentiments regarding their status. The new ministers must be on their mettle for the big task of dealing with the country’s myriad development challenges. They must show confidence in their abilities and prove that they have something worthwhile for Nigeria.

The onus is on the president to show that the insinuations regarding his mind-set towards his incoming cabinet are wrong. He is at liberty to take the complement of ministers he requires for the job. This liberty comes with the responsibility to provide result-oriented governance and deliver the change his All Progressives Congress has promised Nigeria. The government has a responsibility to create an environment in which laws are obeyed, peace and security are guaranteed, and services are provided promptly and efficiently.

There is no doubt that the administration is under a lot of fiscal pressure in the face of dwindling crude oil prices. The attempt to prune down the number of ministries could turn out to be good news for the economy. But this is if it is done with caution and the generality of the people own to a feeling of its worthwhileness.

Buhari should strive to ensure that no minister is rendered redundant and no part of the country is alienated in the governance process or made to just complete the number.

The federal character principle enshrined in the constitution is a worthy integrative mechanism intended to make the country’s diverse peoples participants – rather than spectators – in the Nigerian project. Upholding the integrative spirit is a sound idea. It will help national development and the success of the government. Things went wrong not because of the integrative mechanisms that try to bring every state of the federation actively on board, but because of the unbridled corruption by individuals in the system. So to fix the broken system, it won’t be right to encourage inequity and alienation, which could result in a potentially more dangerous situation.

The president has said all 36 minister-nominees will sit in the cabinet, but there is need to ensure that none is made a mere benchwarmer.

The benefits of any cost-saving measure that sidesteps or hinders the spirit of national integration and inclusiveness are, without doubt, vastly outweighed by the potential risks.

There are a number of possible remedies to the fiscal problem Nigeria is facing, and none is simple. But an excellent way of improving the difficult financial situation remains a deliberate effort to increase non-oil revenues and reduce waste. Jettisoning the spirit of inclusiveness is, definitely, not an option.