Agenda for new ministers

Now that names of ministerial nominees have finally been submitted to the Senate, it has become imperative to set agen­da for them. I had done this on a few occasions and this time will not be dif­ferent. Even though the President must have briefed them adequately about his expectations of them, I still find it expe­dient to offer my humble admonitions and guidance to the incoming ministers.

Before I do so, it should be placed on record that waiting for the release of the names of the new ministers was like wait­ing for eternity. Unlike in the past, when it took less than two weeks on the aver­age to release names of ministerial nomi­nees, the wait this time lasted for 16 good weeks. This has left many Nigerians dis­traught, disillusioned and discomforted, leading to all kinds of negative insinu­ations by critics, commentators and ob­servers of politics events.

For me, it was nothing extraordinary since I decoded the long wait from the ut­terances and body language of the Presi­dent long before he was sworn in. The mild rift between the Ahmed Joda-led Transition Committee and the Goodluck Jonathan government over some critical issues gave vent to this argument.

Again, those familiar with President Buhari’s style of administration should have expected the suspense and anxiety generated by the inability to release the names of the nominees as early as expect­ed. As a very strong believer in transpar­ency and accountability it would not have taken him lesser time to send the list to the Senate. His reason for the delay was as cogent as it was expedient.

However, I must confess that I did not like the tantrums and invectives poured on the President for delaying the release of the list of ministers. After all, there was nowhere in the constitution where a timeline for him to submit the names of ministers is given. Therefore, he acted within the ambit of the law by taking his time to do a thorough job.

One of the mistakes by past adminis­trations in such circumstances was the hastiness in releasing the list of ministe­rial nominees without first conducting a thorough security search on them. Some past governments had the lists prepared ahead of the inauguration of the Presi­dent, with primordial and clannish senti­ments playing a major role in determin­ing who got nominated.

Though such sentiments cannot be totally divorced in the consideration of persons to be so appointed the need for the application of the federal character principle should not be downgraded. This fear was expressed by many of the critics of the Buhari seeming sluggishness and imperviousness. Many of them worry that the President might pander to eth­nocentric considerations as shown in the names of those already appointed to man sensitive offices as his personal aides.

In my thinking the parameter for choosing who to appoint minister this time round differs considerably, given the fact that the choice of ministers is purely a sensitive constitutional matter. And, therefore, cannot be overly politi­cized. The state of the nation requires that men and women of integrity be appointed ministers to assist the President in his res­toration programme.

There is no doubt whatsoever that President Buhari is determined to reengi­neer the democratic process to eliminate slothfulness, malfeasance, red tape, cor­ruption and other negative acts that had slowed governance and enthroned the re­gime of impunity in our public life. This is why it has become imperative to tread cautiously in the choice of those that will administer the ministries for efficiency and effectiveness.

For those opposed to the style of Buhari, they should pause to reflect on other benefits of his action. For example, within the past 16 weeks, the nation must have saved some money that hitherto would have gone into the maintenance of these ministers. Imagine what their emol­uments and other allowances would have been! The period also revealed the criti­cal role the permanent secretaries play in the service. By holding fort efficiently in the period under review they have also demonstrated competence and acuity in the management of their ministries.

Nonetheless, this should not make the President not appoint ministers for this long since the constitution prescribes the appointment of one minister per state of the federation. The non-appointment of the ministers, no matter what the nation stands to gain, created lacuna that needed to be filled. It would not have bothered anybody if the constitution did not make it mandatory that ministers be appointed to assist the President run his administra­tion.

Now that the ministers have been shortlisted; what next? This question is very important, because the times in which we live are perilous and critical. We cannot afford to appoint men and women that lack the resilience, candour and integrity to drive the economy and rebuild collapsed infrastructure. This is why it is exigent that only tested and trusted persons be so appointed and cleared by the Senate.

For the new ministers to succeed, they must do the following: Ensure they are deeply convinced to serve as ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, bear­ing in mind the peculiar circumstances of their appointment. They must not allow their selfish interest to becloud their sense of duty, especially now that our nation is in dire need of redemption. In this con­nection, therefore, there is the need to do proper introspection to understand what their call at this time of our national life entails. There is nothing extraordinary in serving as a minister since their choice was predicated on their personal records of achievements. This presupposes that their choice is rather a privilege, which ultimately adds to their individual value and public respect.

For them to succeed, they must be ready to make personal sacrifices. This is required to portray them as good admin­istrators committed to the goals for which they have been called to serve. It will be a monumental catastrophe if they see their appointment as a way to amass wealth, because the Buhari administration will not tolerate any acts of indiscipline or profligacy in any form or coloration. This increases the challenges before them and puts them constantly under the klieg-light. It will therefore be stupid for any of them to try to cut corners as all loop­holes to loot have been plugged. Rather I advise whoever thinks he cannot subject himself to the demands of the office to pull out now before it is too late.

There is another important point I would want the minister-designates to appreciate. And that is the need to watch who they do business with. It is not all that glitters is gold. Some of the people that are going to work with them may not have the same disposition as them. They should bear in mind always that as our faces differ, so do our problems. This calls for proper scrutiny and screening of their aides and associates to ensure they meet certain criteria. If they surround themselves with corrupt people, definite­ly they will influence them negatively. Remember: tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are.

It is almost certain the President will give them some guidelines on how to op­erate. This does not preclude them from designing their own operational frame­work that is in tandem with the Presi­dent’s expectations. The first leg they put forward will determine how far they can go. It is for this reason that I expect them to plan properly, because to fail to plan is to plan to fail. Former President Goodluck Jonathan made his ministers give periodic performance assessment re­ports which determined, to a large extent, how long they served at any given time. I know that President Buhari would have a more stringent assessment plan, consider­ing the tasks ahead of his government and the little time left to accomplish them.

The failure of some ministers in the past was caused by corruption and other acts of misdemeanour. The need to com­ply with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) becomes more imperative. It will be a grievous mistake for any minister to be caught circumventing this all-impor­tant government policy. Corruption is a very serious canker in any society, and it destroys the foundation on which that society is built. It diminishes self-worth and disorients and retards the course of development. I do not want to mention the agony whoever is caught in corrupt practices goes through.

It is a critical demand that those select­ed to serve as ministers should endeavour to acquaint themselves with the modus operandi of their respective ministries to ensure they are abreast with the day-to-day happenings. Some ministers in the past had depended solely on their aides or civil servants in their job delivery. This is dangerous as they could easily be manipulated. My suggestion has noth­ing to do with trust or no trust. It has to do more with the ministers having deep knowledge about the intricacies and com­plexities of their ministries to place them in a better stead to discharge their duties creditably and efficiently.

Added to this is the compelling need to work closely with their permanent sec­retaries and directors in policy formula­tion and implementation. They need not be reminded how important it is to run an open-door policy, which grants people strategic assess to them to quicken infor­mation gathering and delivery by their staff and critical stakeholders. Distanc­ing himself from these people will spell doom for them.

Loyalty is significant if they want to succeed. And loyalty is 100%. It is either they are loyal or they are not loyal. If any of them thinks he will not be able to maintain his loyalty the most honourable thing to do is to resign now before he or she is found out. A disloyal person is very dangerous to any decent system. Such a person influences other people negatively and contaminates the same system. This is where the President needs to exercise some caution to be able to detect early signs of those of them who are wolves in sheep’s clothing. No amount of security investigation can detect a disloyal person or somebody with hidden agenda. It will be disastrous that after the long wait such persons are still allowed to find their way into the government.

Now on the part of the government, it is its duty to provide the enabling en­vironment for the ministers to perform their duties unhindered. Too much heck­ling and close marking will erode their confidence in the system and make them work under intense pressure. They should be given free hands to do their jobs, while at the same time monitoring their perfor­mance to detect early signs of retardation and inefficiency.

There is also a need to ensure the new ministers are adequately oriented and, if need be, trained to get them properly at­tuned to their responsibilities. Such ori­entation should be localized to suit our peculiar circumstances. The orientation should be a periodic exercise and targeted at capacity-building and knowledge ac­quisition. This is where constant briefing and debriefing comes in.

The work plan designed by the bu­reaucracy will expedite the process of service-delivery, if applied religiously.

Proper funding of the ministries is of great importance. Agreed, the present administration is committed to prudence and probity in the management of scarce financial resources, however it has to en­sure that adequate funds are made avail­able to finance key projects for the good of the people. Provision and reactivation of infrastructure should be given some priority. It is painful that despite huge money budgeted in the past for projects little was achieved. Our roads are still in deplorable condition. The same situa­tion is obtainable in other critical sectors such as electricity, education, water, and health.

Government must ensure that key Ministries such as Works, Education, Health, Agriculture, Labour and Power receive proper attention. These ministries are central to whatever success the Bu­hari Government intends to achieve. It is the expectation of the people that in the next three and half years these ministries will have reached over 70 per cent of their performance target.

In any case, the capacity of the Buhari-led administration to achieve its overall goal is dependent on how firm it is with the implementation of polices. It will end up a lame duck if it allows the mistakes of the past to recur, especially now that the expectations of the people are very high.

I have no modicum of doubt that Bu­hari will succeed because he is passionate about what he does, having gone through the crucibles to be where he is today. The only worry I have is if detractors and insider-saboteurs will allow him to suc­ceed. I know, nonetheless, that he has the capability to detect who is for him and who is against him. The experience he has garnered as a former Head of State and Minister will guide him in all that he does, hoping that, all things being equal, he will excel in the end.

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