A fortnight ago, one Alhaji Oloriegbe, a Public Policy Analyst, argued on
channels TV that people have not felt an inch of the torrents of economic,
social, political and value change promised the hopelessly poor and
mindlessly rich Nigerians by the All Progressives Congress (APC) through
its man Friday, Muhamadu Buhari because Mr. President had yet to
constitute his cabinet. Many social commentators have also attributed the
obvious lack of policy direction of the Buhari’s government to the absence
of a federal cabinet. However, after five months of twists and turns,
Nigerians now have Federal Ministers whom according to the APC, will help
President Buhari implement the change Nigerians have been anxiously
awaiting.
However, contrary to what President Buhari told Nigerians as per what
would be the idiosyncrasy of his Ministers, the new cabinet members whom
Mr. President had tagged “noisemakers” and declared expressly that not all
off them would have “portfolios”, unfortunately, are known to vast
majority of Nigerians. Those appointed by Buhari, a character elected to
distribute fruits of democratic governance to Nigerians based on his
branded and much printed, advertised, televised and packaged integrity and
zero tolerance for sleaze, corruption and indiscipline, are the same
bougoersies, rulers and suspected looters of our patrimony and treasury.
Today, Nigerians have a Minister whom while serving his people as
governor, spent N2.5billion on the beautification of his state capital,
yet, flowers reported to have been planted with the money are yet to
germinate, 3 years after the contract was awarded.
For five months, Nigerians waited to know the Ministers they thought most
of them would be technocrats as promised by President Buhari only to be
dangled with a fellow who served his state for eight years as the head of
parliamentary and another eight years as head of executive arms of
government, yet, left his people poorer than he met them and according to
his successor, sold all the investments and shares of his state in banks
and other financial institutions without remitting the proceeds made
through the sales to the state coffer. The furore and brouhaha that
erupted on the floor of the senate when confirming the nomination of this
character is a story to tell for another day.
Today, we have a Minister appointed by President Buhari whom while saddled
with the management of the country’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),
could not account for how she spent billions of taxpayers money.
The most abysmally appalling and shocking name among Buhari’s ministers is
Senator Henekein Lokopri who had served his people in Bayelsa State for
sixteen years as Speaker of the state House of Assembly and Senator of the
Federal Republic on the platform of the PDP and until July this year, was
a chieftain of the party. I am just curious and wondering the value
Senator Lokopri want to add to the Buhari’s government.
Also, as I write, there are avalanche of petitions on the desk of the EFCC
against the confirmed Minister of Finance? Kemi Adesoun. Adesoun, when
serving as Finance Commissioner in Ogun state allegedly bought a grade B
ten Armored Personnel Carrier for 500million, the highest in the world.
Before and during the 2015 general elections and even till now, Nigerians
were audaciously coaxed into believing that the deposed former ruling
party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ruined Nigeria in all
ramifications, however, today, we have Ministers whom surprisingly, 60% of
them were former members of the same PDP that Buhari and his people
claimed destroyed Nigeria
Nonetheless, either counterfeit or genuine, the bitter reality we must
face is Nigeria now have Ministers that will provide the much-publicized
promised change. Consequently, I say without any prejudice that there
should be no further excuse for failure of governance. I call on President
Buhari to terminate his honeymoon forthwith.
With all due respect, now that we have Ministers, Nigerians want to see
the policy direction of the Buhari led administration. Crestfallen and
disconsolate Nigerians are seriously waiting for the change the APC
promised to bring to Nigeria in all ramifications.
Nigerians are unwearyingly waiting for the Minister of Finance to work
assiduously to ensure that the fallen value of naira in the international
financial market is stabilized. Our frightening GDP must be improved. The
dangerously disquieting state of Nigeria capital market deserve the urgent
attention of our new finance minister. The massive retrenchment in the
banking industry must be curtailed by all means necessary.
Let me explicitly put it to the education Minister that Nigerians await
declaration of a free and qualitative education from primary to tertiary
level as promised by Buhari. I want to believe that one of our
universities will be ranked among the best 500 in the world on or before
May 2019. The new education Minister should please pursue with
sanctimonious attention, the comprehensive feeding of school children
promised by Buhari.
The Minister of Land and Housing Development should remember that poverty
ridden Nigerians are sleeplessly awaiting the 1million housing units
promised them by the APC during the electioneering campaign.
And to the Minister of Power, Sir, Nigerians want an end to presidential
body movement which has failed to revolutionize the power sector. We want
to see policy direction that will end the generational rout in the power
sector. I want to believe that Nigeria under Buhari Would have generated
40,000 tons of electricity megawatt by May 2019 as promised. We say no to
hike in electricity tariff. We reject the epileptic power supply that is
now booming like wave of pacific ocean in our country.
The new Minister of Works should ensure that Julius Berger and RCC returns
to site as they have disappeared from Lagos-Ibadan expressway which they
are being reconstructed before the new administration came on board.
Now that President Buhari has saddled himself with petroleum Ministry,
Nigerians are waiting for a liter of petrol to be slashed to forty five
naira. I stated thus because with the crash of oil price from $96 to $40
per barrel, Nigerians have no reason to be buying fuel @87 per a liter.
N87 per a liter is fraudulent. Also, I call on Buhari to ensure that the
country’s moldy refineries are repaired with new ones built.
The Ministers of Youths Development, Labour and Productivity, Finance and
National Planning should ensure that the 850, 000 jobs promised the
unemployed Nigerians per quater is religiously pursued. The minister of
Youths Development should also recall that twenty five million unemployed
Youths were promised payment of N5, 000 monthly by their party, the APC if
voted into power. The NYSC corps members are also waiting for their
monthly allowance to be increased to N45, 000 as promised.
For Nigeria to be transformed from a periphery to a core sovereign nation,
corruption must be well tackled. Hence, the new Attorney General and
Minister of Justice should pursue a war against corruption and not a war
against opposition. Those who had heartlessly and viciously governed
Nigeria from 1999 till date either in APC or PDP must be made to account
for their evil deeds against the masses.
I also wish to remind the new Justice Minister that we are now in a
democratic regime where rights to speech, expression, religion,
association and peaceful assembly are constitutionally protected.
Nigerians will not accept any attempt to intimidate, oppress and harass
them unduly for exercising their Fundamental Human Rights.
Nigerians are waiting for the reform that will ensure that Corruption in
the civil service is drastically reduced if not totally abolished. The
judiciary must be totally independent and sanitized. The Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) must continue to enjoy her freedom as
entrenched by the previous administration.
Nigerians are waiting for an end to insurgencies in the Northern Nigeria.
I want peace and tranquillity returned to Nigeria. Nigerians are anxiously
awaiting the return of the missing Chibok girls.
I wish all the new Ministers of the nation of Nigeria the wisdom of
Solomon to govern their people. Amen.
Adeleye writes from Magodo, Lagos.
Maxwell_adeleye@yahoo.com
@maxwelladeleye on Twitter.
+2347039168006 (SMS ONLY).