- By Kayode Adebiyi
Following Senate’s screening of ministerial nominees President Bola Tinubu on Aug. 21, inaugurated 45 new ministers as members of the Federal Executive Council.
Over the years, Nigerians’ expectations from democracy have not been largely realised as insecurity remains a major challenge. From its enclave in the northeastern part of the country some eight years ago, it has spread to the northwest and other parts of the country.
There is also the issue of flooding and attendant implications for the environment and socio-economic wellbeing of affected communities.
Although it the Lagdo dam in the Republic of Cameroon has largely been blamed for this, environmentalists say its root cause is in climate change. Nigeria has already signed to international agreements to mitigate it.
Other areas of concern include food security, access to quality education and universal health care coverage; spiraling inflation and youth employment. The challenges are enormous.
While inaugurating the new cabinet, President Bola Tinubu acknowledged that solving the problems will not be a walk in the park.
The fuel subsidy removal has been acknowledged in many quarters to have exacerbated the plight of Nigerians hence the move by the federal and state governments to work out palliatives for the Nigerians.
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Tinubu therefore challenged the new ministers to prioritise the interests of all Nigerians in the performance of their assigned responsibilities.
Tinubu urged them to carry all parts of the country along while discharging their duties, famously adding, “You are not a minister of a particular state, colony, region, or ethnic nationality.
“You are a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”, said Tinubu who threatened to sack any minister that underperforms.
As expected, some of the ministers have been talking tough.
Prominent among them is former Rivers Governor and incumbent Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike who has vowed to demolish any building that it sitting on an approved location.
On his part, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, under his watch Nigeria would compete with other countries digitally.
Prof. Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, pledged his commitment to ensuring the effective implementation of policies that would enhance the standard of the sector and improve the lives of Nigerians.
The Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, promised to drive Nigeria’s economy to the next level, with an immediate focus on cushioning the impact of fuel subsidy removal.
With the appointment of his cabinet, the president is expected to hit the ground running and deliver on the promises he made to the electorate during the 2023 elections.
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However, while some sections of the country welcome both the appointment and portfolios assigned to the new ministers, some stakeholders are not so optimistic about the choice of designation of others.
In his article, Ministerial portfolios of ‘square pegs in round holes’, Ehichioya Ezomon wondered why the president did not assign portfolios to nominees before the list got to the Senate.
“Many had hoped Tinubu would bring his famed pedigree of selecting ‘A-List’ administrators in Lagos State to bear at the federal level to tackle the myriad socio-economic problems challenging Nigerians in his under three-month-old government,” he said.
Supporters of the new cabinet argue that ministers are heads of ministries whose role is to inspire leadership and direction to career public servants who implement government policies.
They further say ministerial positions that strictly require technocrats, such as in health, justice and digital economy, were properly assigned by the president.
Others also welcome the portfolios assigned to some former governors in the cabinet, arguing that people who showed competence as state executives for eight years should be expected to have the requisite experience to superintend federal ministries.
A Development Consultant, Jide Ojo, told Arise TV that the eight former governors who made the list as ministers are nothing short of technocrats.
“There are so many people who have this misconception that technocrats are only people who are brought aboard from the private sector. No; it is a misconception.
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“All of these people are technocrats in their own right; some are lawyers, some are architects, some are engineers, some are medical doctors, they belong to different fields”, he said.
There is a third group, mostly among ordinary Nigerians, who do not really care about the new ministers’ backgrounds but what they will achieve while in office.
Indeed, it is the ordinary people to whom these new ministers owe commitment, responsibility, accountability, and sincerity of purpose in the discharge of their functions.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, told Channels TV that the president would not permit any failure of any of his new ministers.
He, however, said it would be an illusion to think that all Nigeria’s challenges as a nation will vanish overnight.
Therefore, it is important for the ministers to have a clear sense of direction, key into the president’s agenda, and understand how their ministries will contribute to its successful implementation.
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Under each minister, ministries are also expected to have their own clear agenda embedded in the overarching federal government agenda under President Tinubu.
Collaboration based on both whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches should be adopted vertically and horizontally.
A whole-of-government approach refers to the joint activities performed by diverse ministries, departments, and agencies in order to provide a common solution to particular problems or issues.
A whole-of-society approach to public integrity requires companies, civil society organisations and individuals to ensure that their engagement with the public sector respects the shared ethical norms, principles and values of society.
Ordinary Nigerians believe that massive corruption and bureaucratic bottlenecks that bend and complicate rules and procedures and cause long delays in policy implementation should be stemmed by the ministers if they want to succeed.
For many, the only way the president can justify the size, choices of ministers, and their portfolios is if they translate into collective growth and prosperity for the nation. (NANFeatures)