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As the countdown to the inauguration of the ministers begins, Nigerians are hopeful that they will strive to meet the expectations of the larger majority, which include, but not limited to dedicated service which will translate to improvement in power supply, job creation, improved security, poverty reduction and infrastructural development
By Anayo Ezugwu
AS President Muhammadu Buhari gets ready to swear in the new ministers on Wednesday, August 21, Nigerians are hoping that the mirage of challenges confronting the nation would be addressed. Expectations are high that the constituting of the ministers will address issues of poverty, insecurity, unemployment, inadequate power supply, among other outstanding national issues.
But President Buhari has assured Nigerians that his new ministers will perform in accordance with the manifesto of the All Progressives Congress, APC. Buhari on Wednesday, August 14, posted on his Twitter handle, @MBuhari that the ministers will receive clear implementation targets tied to their portfolios. “We will ensure these targets are complied with; performance will be monitored by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.”
Beyond this promise, the performance of the ministers during the first tenure of his administration showed that the president has a lot of work to do beyond monitoring of the ministers.
To many analysts in Nigeria, the performance of the ministers in the first term of which 14 of them are coming back again, was below average. For cynical observers of this administration, the adverse effect of lack of ministers in the last two months has had on Nigeria’s economy and security is huge.
To them, the nation’s security sector is in poor shape; abductions and terror attacks are becoming commonplace. There seems to be no end in sight to the Fulani/herdsmen crisis either. The economy is still being supported by foreign loans, and there have been grim prognostications from the likes of the International Monetary Fund. There is a very real risk of recession.
The question remains, what manner of ministers do Nigerians expect at this tragically dangerous time of Nigeria’s dysfunctional growth and regression? Buhari’s ministers must combat the fact that going or staying seem equally dangerous with kidnapping, Fulani/farmers crisis, banditry already destroying the nation’s peace and stability. South Africa, a great beneficial of Nigerian support against apartheid and Ghana now harass Nigerian citizens, good and bad.
With, Gold at a six-year high, crude oil prices selling below $60 per barrel and economies like Germany, Switzerland and US under anxiety of recession, many analysts fear that this strange signals portend a global recession. And many economies struggling to get to grips with uncertainty in the global market, Nigeria needs ministers that can drive this fragile economy.
The incoming minister of finance needs strong fiscal policies to enable this economy to create jobs for the youths. Likewise the minister of power should collaborate with the finance minister to address the issues of power supply. They must find a way to ensure that the Nigerian economy is no longer run by ‘generators’.
The economy needs jobs and wealth creation. This can only be achieved by a cabinet led with a clear focus. Recently, Buhari promised Nigerians that he has plans to pull 100 million people out of poverty in 10 years. “China has done it. India has done it. Indonesia has done it. Nigeria can do it. These are all countries characterised by huge burdens of population. We can do it.”
This vision cannot be driven by mere aspiration, but by a policy agenda that will open up the economy. The truth remains that, the economy is still crawling and being funded with borrowings. The International Monetary Fund and other development institutions had before now, warned of the risk of relapsing into recession. The IMF’s latest growth rate forecast of 2.3 percent for the year, is too low; inflation is at 11.4 percent, unemployment at 23.9 percent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics; the real sector is still finding access to credit cumbrous, with interest rates very high and electricity supply ever epileptic.
Based on the foregoing, analysts believe that the ministers have a huge task ahead in order to meet the expectations and desires of Nigerians. Osazuwa Job, political analyst, said the ministers must put Nigeria first in all their considerations. “I advise the new ministers to be loyal to Nigerians irrespective of religious, political and ethnic affiliations. They are elected to serve the people not the president, who chose them. They need to approach their duties differently from the normal. They are expected to be dynamic and innovative in addressing the economic and political challenges of the country.
“They must hit the ground running, leaving no room for excuses. Abandoned or ongoing projects of the past administration should be speedily completed. Ministries are the engine rooms of any administration. How effectively they are run or otherwise, will determine the economic and social fate of over 200 million Nigerians. President Buhari should give them a marching order to perform or be replaced. He should be able to put in place a monitoring mechanism to assess their level of performance. The ministers should be selfless and be open to constructive criticisms from members of the public. And they must wear the garment of servant-leadership,” he said.
Faith Nwadishi, executive director, Centre for Transparency Initiative, in a television interview, said the Nigerian economy is in emergency and needs a professional to head the finance ministry. “Our economy is in emergency and we need to sit-up to address this issue. The debt profile is increasing because the revenue is dwindling.
“When this happens, the government will now depend on borrowing to fund budgets and capital projects. We are in a situation where the sector that finances the economy is not properly managed. This is an indication that the economy is in crisis and needs an expert as finance minister to drive it,” she said.
On his part, Steve Aluko, public affairs analyst, urged Nigerians to set agenda for new ministers. He urged the people to set development and progressive agenda for the incoming ministers to enable them perform optimally when they assume office.
Aluko, who made the call in press interview, said such move would place the country on the path of growth and development. “Nigerians must prepare a template; a national, developmental and progressive agenda to engage the incoming ministers and track them on daily basis so that they can perform. In a nutshell, this crop of incoming ministers, looking at their previous antecedents will not perform without the guidance of the people,” he said.
Likewise, the United Nations agency on labour, International Labour Organisation, ILO, has advised the incoming cabinet to concentrate on implementing existing policies and plans rather than rushing to draw up new ones. Although the body does not want to be seen as meddling in the lingering negotiation for the implementation of the new minimum wage, it advised the federal government to try and establish a national advisory council on labour in order to ease tension and build better understanding among the bodies in labour administration.
Guy Ryder, director general, ILO, who spoke at a press conference marking the end of a three-day Global Youth Employment Forum, said a lot depends on the ability of the incoming ministers and the level of political will by government leadership to execute right policies needed to generate employment and create peaceful labour relations.
As the inauguration of the ministers draw closer, it is expected that in their first 100 days in office, the ministers should begin to make impact or at least flash a sense of purpose in their areas of assignments. Nigerians want improvement in electricity generation, transmission and distribution, job creation, security, poverty reduction and infrastructural development.
– Aug. 16, 2019 @ 19:29 GMT |
Tags: Setting agenda for new ministers
