Nigerians waited for so long. The suspense was killing and the drama
was unprecedented. For the political class whose survival depends on
government patronage, they ‘died but rose’ again. No one could tell when
the names of the ‘saints’ would be forwarded to the National Assembly
for screening and confirmation.
Anxious and not-so-busy senators who wanted to kick off their
committees’ oversight functions could not wait. Not even President
Muhammadu Buhari’s kitchen cabinet gave a clue. For many, it was like
waiting for eternity. Just when everyone had given up hope, including
the anxious senators who could not wait to perform their first major
task as lawmakers, President Buhari sneaked hurriedly into the Red
Chamber to submit the names of the awaited ‘saints’ to Dr. Bukola
Saraki, President of Senate.
List of controversy
Since the submission of the names, his supporters, as well as his
critics have been throwing punches at one another. For instance, Yinka
Odumakin of Afenifefe released the first missile at the weekend when he
lampooned the president. “There is no excitement or surprise in the
list. They are mostly the run of the mill people that do not warrant the
four-month wait. Those names could have been submitted at the Eagles
Square on May 29.”
President Buhari had on July 20 revealed in an article he authored and
entitled, “Nigeria committed to good governance and fighting terror,”
promised to release names of ministers in September. In the article, he
did not give a time-frame within which the names would be released in
September. Buhari had revealed that it was pertinent for him to take his
time to select the right persons to work him in order for him to put in
rules of conduct and good governance. He had noted that it would not
have been prudent nor served the interests of sound government to have
appointed ministers immediately after he was sworn in.
He had said: “Already there are voices saying these changes are taking
too long — even though only six weeks have passed since my inauguration.
I hear such calls, but this task cannot and should not be rushed. When
cabinet ministers are appointed in September, it will be some months
after I took the oath of office. In Nigeria’s case, it would neither be
prudent nor serve the interests of sound government to have made these
appointments immediately on my elevation to the presidency; instead,
Nigeria must first put new rules of conduct and good governance in
place.
“I cannot stress how important it is to ensure that this process is
carried out correctly, just as it has been crucial to first install the
correct leadership of the military and security services before we fully
take the fight to Boko Haram.”
Wasted time waiting
Disappointedly, many Nigerians believe that the long wait was
unnecessary since the president was only going to recycle the same old
politicians who have dominated the political space since 1999. Some of
the names on the list submitted to Saraki are former political office
holders. Contrary to popular expectations, there are no saints on the
list.
Some of the reported names on the ministerial list sent to the Senate
are Dr. Chris Ngige (Anambra) Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Rotimi Amaechi
(Rivers), Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Abdurrahman Dambazau (rtd) (Kano),
Aisha AlHassan (Taraba), Ogbonaya Onu (Ebonyi), Kemi Adeosun (Ogun),
Abubakar Malami SAN (Kebbi), Senator Sirika Hadi (Katsina) and Barrister
Adebayo Shittu (Oyo).
Others are Sulaiman Adamu (Jigawa), Solomon Dalong (Plateau), Ibe
Kachikwu (Delta), Osagie Ehanire (Edo), Udoma Udo-Udoma (Akwa Ibom),
Ahmed Isa Ibeto (Niger), Ibrahim Jibril, Audu Ogbeh (Benue) and Amina
Mohammed (Kaduna).
Another list awaited
There are 11 other names said to have to have been sent to the Senate.
Among all the names said to be on the first list, those who have not
held political offices since 1999 are in the extreme minority. Unlike
the president’s earlier promise that his nominees will be people of
unquestionable character, the reverse appears to be the case. According
to law, everyone is innocent until proven guilty by a competent court of
law.
However, some former governors believed to be on the list have been in
the news of late for the wrong reasons. For instance, Amaechi is still
locked in battle with his estranged political ally and successor, Nyesom
Wike. Recent revelations made by a commission of enquiry in Rivers
state have alleged that the former governor, Amaechi misappropriated the
state funds.
The commission has also alleged that some projects embarked upon by
Amaechi’s administration did not see the light of the day. The
Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission
(ICPC) is said to be investigating the former governor. Many critics of
Amaechi have therefore called to doubt, President Buhari’s promise to
tackle corruption and appoint people of unquestionable character as
ministers.
Stained saints
Fayemi of Ekiti state who is on the list is reportedly under
investigation by ICPC. The anti-graft agency has neither denied, nor
claimed that an investigation into the former governor’s tenure was not
ongoing. Fayemi’s successor, Ayo Fayose, has equally alleged that the
former governor misappropriated fund belonging to the state government.
Again, the former governor’s critics are shocked that while the
allegations are yet to be cleared, President Buhari submitted his name
as a ministerial nominee in a government that has promised not to
entertain any form of corruption.
Fashola is not exempted from the orgy of attacks since he exited office
as governor of Lagos State. Although Fashola is touted to be one of the
finest governors to have presided over any state in Nigeria, his records
have been called to question. It is unclear if any of the
anti-corruption agencies was investigating his tenure in office. The
torrent of attacks may have abated, but questions raised about the
alleged mismanagement of funds as Lagos State governor still abound and
yet to be cleared.
Fury over vain saints
Following the backlash from the submission of the ministerial nominees
to the Nigerian Senate, the presidency has come under attacks. It has
been making frantic efforts to fence off criticisms and the president’s
spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina has been leading the defensive campaigns. He
has appeared at several fora and has explained the president’s
position. Although his points have been valid, critics who are quick to
find fault in every action of the president are not willing to give up.
In one of the recent interviews, Adesina defended the president’s
action, saying, “We also need to mind the process and the procedure. Our
federal lawmakers would be the first people to kick if the president
just reeled out the names of the ministers and their portfolios. That
would not be in order. What he does is to nominate and send to the
Senate and after clearance, the ministers begin to work. At any given
time, procedure must be followed.
“The President himself was clear about that, he said the first batch but
nobody knows how many is in the batch. It has been addressed to the
Senate President. Well, it depends on the president. There are certain
prerogatives that the President has. Ministers are one of them. He has
said that this is the first batch. I think that we should wait and see
who are those in the first batch and after that we know how many
remains, because the constitution already states that there must be a
minister in each of the states. We have 36 states in the country, so
when the list is unfolded, we know how many remains.”
Adesina’s defence
Defending the choice of President Buhari in picking career politicians
who held public offices during the 16-year reign of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP)-led government, Adesina said: “I think the
question, we will ask ourselves is: What would the president be bringing
to the table, if he is going to supervise the petroleum ministry? He
was Minister of Petroleum about 32 years ago. That is a lot of
experience. Those were years that things were done fairly properly in
this country.
“What is wrong with recycling if that person has something he is
bringing to the table? Recycling would be wrong if that person is adding
no value. But if he is adding value, what is wrong with recycling? I
tell you that this is one appointment, if you can call it so, that will
bring a lot of value to that ministry.
“Don’t forget that the buck stops at the President’s table. At the end
of his administration, it is going to be called the Buhari
administration and not the name of any minister. Therefore, it is very
important that what the President feels would make a difference in the
country is what he does. At the end of the day, that administration
would be rated with his name and not any other name.”
Senators’ game plan
Meanwhile, Senators have been expressing their views on what lies ahead
as the screening of the ministerial nominees kicks off. In their
separate interviews with Abuja Metro, the senators agreed on one thing
that the screening will not be business as usual.
Senator Clifford Ordia from Edo State in his reaction, revealed that the
Senate was yet to take an official position on the method members will
adopt when it reconvenes next Tuesday to consider the list of the
ministerial nominees. Senator Ordia cautioned that it was too early to
criticize or pick holes, adding that the lawmakers will however not
leave anything to chance. He said only the best and qualified will sail
through.
“We have not agreed on what we are going to do. But one thing I know is
that it would not be business as usual. Before somebody can be appointed
to head a ministry, we must know if he or she is qualified. I do not
want to start criticising right now. But one thing is sure and that is
the fact that we will ensure the best comes out at the end of the day,”
Senator Ordia noted.
Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe from Abia State did not give any specifics on
what to expect when the screening begins. He maintained that the Senate
adhoc committee chairman on Media and Public Affairs had already given a
glimpse as to what to expect.
He said: “We have the list already and by Tuesday we will begin the
discussion on it. The chairman of the Senate adhoc committee has already
spoken on how we will go about it. So I believe that will be the
position of the Senate. He spoke on behalf of the Senate President and
that is it for now.
Senator David Umaru from Niger State in his submission, said due process
will be followed. He also promised that lawmakers would exercise high
diligence and care during the consideration of the names of ministerial
nominees.
“Officially, I am not aware of the list of ministerial nominees sent to
the Senate. But if you recall, the Senate President, Dr. Saraki stated
during his address when Senators reconvened that we are going to be very
diligent this time. We will screen the nominees and ensure that we
follow due process. We have been waiting for this list. But I can assure
you that things will be different this time,” he explained
The drama will very likely start today as the screening might get underway.
No comments:
Post a Comment