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Many Nigerians have not hidden their displeasure with the ministerial list of the president. Although there seem to be mixed reactions trailing the list, but what is worrisome is the collaborative voice of dissent and the apparent mistrust of the capacity of the legislature and the judiciary to check the over bearing presidency in ensuring good governance for the wellbeing of Nigerians in the next four years.
By Goddy Ikeh
SOON after the list of 43 ministerial nominees was unveiled on Tuesday, July 23, after more than two months of waiting, it dawned on many Nigerians, especially the women, youth and professionals that they have apparently no place in the new cabinet. And they have therefore expressed their disappointment with the list of the nominees.
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party was the first to launch its attack, describing Buhari’s ministerial list as “uninspiring and waste of time”.
Reacting to the list of ministerial nominees, Kola Ologbondiyan, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, described President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial list as colourless, stagnant and uninspiring.
Ologbondiyan said in a statement issued after the list was presented to the Senate on Tuesday that the list did not convey any sense of hope or purposeful governance under the All Progressives Congress, APC
According to him, the list is “replete with incompetent individuals who failed in their erstwhile ministerial assignments and left their ministries in a shambles”.
“A committed and responsive leadership would have widely consulted with Nigerians before compiling a ministerial list, given the current situation in the country,” he said.
He blamed the government for not including youths in the list of nominees and maintained that “the only way to escape from the present economic and security challenges lies in the retrieval of Atiku Abubakar’s stolen Presidential mandate alleged to have been stolen by the APC”.
The Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth, and Advancement also known as YIAGA Africa in its reaction to the list of ministers, said that the absence of young people on Buhari’s ministerial nominees list was disappointing.
In the statement issued on Wednesday, July 24, and signed by the director of the group, Samson Itodo, said that it was disappointing that young Nigerians were omitted in the list despite their giant stride in politics and leadership.
“The conspicuous absence of young people under the age of 35 in the ministerial nominees read by Senate President Ahmed Lawan as sent to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari has to come us and the entire Nigerian youths as a big surprise.
“It is indeed disappointing to see that despite the giant strides made my young people especially in the area of politics and leadership, President Muhammadu Buhari has not seen any person below the age of 35 worthy of any ministerial position.
“Despite publicly proclaiming that young people of Nigeria are now set to leave their mark on the political space, just as they have done over the decades in entrepreneurship, sports, art, media entertainment, technology, and several other fields, we are surprised that President Muhammadu Buhari did not consider young people in his cabinet,” the statement said.
The group added that although portfolios are yet to be assigned to ministerial nominees, it is obvious that from the list that the minister of youth and sports will not be a youth.
YIAGA said this is because “none of the nominees is under the age 35 not to talk of the new National youth policy which classifies youth between 15 and 29 years old.
“This is in contrast with the faith President Buhari showed to young people when he signed the Not Too Young to Run bill into law.”
In the same vein, 168 women groups in the country kicked against the list and in a protest letter to the President of the Nigerian Senate, Ahmed Lawan, the women groups said that they viewed with ‘dismay and utter disappointment’ the 87% male dominated ministerial list presented to the Senate by Mr. President.
The groups wrote collaboratively as Nigerian women, professionals and experts representing different regions, ethnicities, social and political allegiances and organizations for youths and persons with disabilities.
In the letter the women groups said: “This list maintains and reinforces the historical exclusion of women in the country, ignores the youth and people living with disabilities and thus inhibits the critical goal of achieving meaningful, equitable and participatory national development.
“The list submitted by Mr. President reneges on the repeated campaign promises by his government and creates a crisis of confidence in the integrity of our elected political leadership.”
The groups noted the unavoidable consequences of failing to use the appointment exercise as a tool to steer the affairs of country towards a desirable and sustainable future.
According to them, such a future is as conceived by well received and established best practices and obligations arising from the 2030 Global Agenda of the United Nations.
The groups therefore request the following:
“You solemnly remind all the distinguished Senators charged with the responsibility of “screening” the nominees for ministers, that more than any other moment in our history, they have a responsibility to Nigerians to act diligently in terms of their engagement with these nominees.
“That you remind and require them to also serve as advocates and representatives of the millions of excluded groups as well as women of all ages who have a lot to contribute to the future of the country but are ignored and marginalized.
“That you remind our honorable senators to bear in mind that, what they say and do as leaders in chambers, can positively advance our collective existence which in actual reality should mirror the country’s demographics, with a focus on equitable gender representation as well as the inclusion of diverse skills, expertise and knowledge.
“That you encourage all senators to speak up and challenge government at all levels on the matter of women’s inclusion. Specifically, that they demand that equity is done in terms of the numbers, spread, roles and location in governance and government by female nominees (such that the few women on any list are not consigned to insignificance).
“We ask that Senate draws the attention of the President and governors to Nigeria’s commitment to several National and International obligations such as the United Nations SDGs – which specifically put an onus on Nigeria to dramatically improve on its embarrassing levels of inequality.
“We ask that Senate note in particular, that 30-35% has been reserved in some national policy documents, and that within our National laws, there are provisions that categorically call for the inclusion of youth (not too young to run) and persons with disabilities. We ask Senate to recall and operationalize the provisions of the 2006 National Gender Policy and the constitution of the ruling APC on these issues).
“We ask you and other distinguished Senators to send a clear message to the Executive that women and other groups excluded from fair representation are your political constituents. As responsible leaders/ representatives of the people, we ask you to object to any list by the Executive that significantly excludes your constituencies who have informed you of their desire to be fully involved in the issues that affect them.
“Lastly, we insist that the inclusion of constituents is actually an indispensable strategy for stemming the multi-faceted dimensions of political, social and economic crises facing Nigeria.”
The protest letter signed by the 168 groups, had Dr. Abiola Akiyode Afolabi, Executive Director, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Center, WARDC, Ms. Ebere Ifendu, Convener, Women in Politics Forum, WIPF, Felicia Onibon, Founder, 100 Women Lobby Group and Nkoyo Toyo, CEO, Gender and Development Action,GADA, as representatives.
Aside from the reactions of the organized groups, some Nigerians voiced their support and disappointment by taking to the Social media to express their views on the list of ministers.
For instance, Pastor Tunde Bakare, the General Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, Lagos State, said he wished the incoming ministers the best as they pilot the affairs of the country.
Bakare, who was once the vice-presidential candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change, CPC, and Buhari’s running mate in the 2011 general election also asked God to give the incoming ministers, the grace and wisdom to make the President’s second term better than the first.
Some other Nigerians took to the Social media to express their views on the list. A youth tweeted: “We were waiting as if something new is (sic) coming.”
“It’s all over. So this is the crack team you could come up with?”
I pray and hope that after Senate clear them, they help Mr. President in stabilizing the nation to put an end to all this killing here and there #MinisterialList
I’m happy BRF made the list….I’m sorry no apologies…very unapologetic…u may not like it…its ok. #MinisterialList
Oh Jesus! Thank u Father,@MBuhari obviously listened to somebody, whoever this vessel is my God continue to use you as a voice of reasoning for this govt…
I am so happy for Mrs. Sharon Ikeazor @sharon_ikeazor of Anambra State. She’d make a good minister. #TheList #MinisterialList
I am happy that Godswill Akpabio, Dr Ali Isa Ibrahim Pantami have made the #MinisterialList. Only 11 of his former Ministers came back.
Overjoyed that Mansur Dan Ali & Ibrahim Danbazau were purged
Aregbeshola who owed workers salary and insulted them with a 7-day birthday celebration is on #TheList
How many women made #thelist?
The president had promised Nigerian women a certain percentage in his cabinet if he wins a second term.
Nigeria needs “young cold blood” to overhaul her OLD & INEFFECTIVE system.
Not all these old wines#MinisterialList
For some other Nigerians, the list of ministers has cast a serious doubt on the legitimacy of the government, especially in its anti-corruption campaign since some of the nominees are known to have some pending cases with the anti-graft agencies.
Obviously, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, Ahmed Lawan Kuru, captured the nation’s dilemma in his recent address at the just concluded July 2019 edition of the Breakfast Meeting, organised by the Nigerian – American Chamber of Commerce , NACC, in Lagos on Wednesday, July 24, when he disclosed that the Corporation was working with other sister agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC, to produce a full length television documentary of notorious and recalcitrant obligors of AMCON.
Kuru said the idea was to document in a permanent format for generations yet unborn to know the so-called big men and women that are behind the over N5 trillion debt burden, which AMCON was battling to recover.
The worrisome aspect of the issue, he noted, unlike what happens in other clime is that these obligors still manipulate their way to emerge as members of the National Assembly, ministers, chairmen and women of big organisations and pro-chancellors of universities.
As if that was not bad enough, Kuru added, “Sadly, these are the calibre of people we respect in Nigeria, but these people are not role models. How can you be a role model when you cannot honour a simple obligation? That is why I have been consistent in the call for the return of the failed bank act. The way we are handling the issue in the country suggest that we are encouraging a lot of financial rascality. People have to be held accountable for their actions, which I believe would serve as deterrent to others.”
Perhaps, with the litany of security challenges confronting the country, the mistrust which Nigerians have expressed on the new cabinet and doubtful confidence on the judiciary and National Assembly, the next four years look bleak for a country that is still struggling with the basics in nation building.
– July 27, 2019 @ 15:40 GMT |
Tags: Ministerial List: Too late for Women National Champions youths
