Task before the ministers

Ministers’ appointment is a herculean task as the president must carefully chose those he trusted to implement his government policies and work towards the success of his administration. It is akin to a summer transfer period in football where players can be bought and sold and team strengthens their squads ahead of the new season. A period when notable players and unknown players with incredible potential are signed. 

For a complex country like Nigeria, no president can single-handedly run the affairs of the country without delegation; he must delegate a measure of authority for him to be efficient. The president has finally cleared the tangle of red tape that slowed his pace in his first tenure and now for the ministers appointed it is on your mark set go… How successful they are will ultimately determine how successful the present tenure pans out.

Our new season started on May 29, 2019 where teeming fans expected the president to announce some record shattering political players but it was hurray when 43 new ministers were sworn in on August 21, 2019, in Abuja.

In a soccer game, it takes process to sign a player during the opening market, let’s look at it more closely, the team who want to sign a player during the summer must have tagged such player during the spring, build a database of knowledge on the footballer, move in when the time is ripe and tidy the grey areas of the contract and complete the transaction. At the beginning of the new season, they start firing together on all cylinders but that is football and not politics.

In politics, however, the process is more complex as the appointments had to cut across the six geopolitical zones, the party interest, the influencers and those who are loyal to the president. Subsequently, these interests are given prime seats in the cabinets. But for the masses what is paramount now that the cabinet has been inaugurated includes:

a formidable team who will work with the president to save our country from the incessant security challenges and curtail the growing racial strife in the land; a political player who will pedal his bicycle up the track by ensuring that youths don’t idle softly in the town when they are supposed to be gainfully engaged;

a highly committed minister who will offer a lasting solution to the myriads of problems plaguing electricity in Nigeria; a cabinet member who would help the President to deliver on his campaign promises;

a person with talent and competence who will affirm the fact that the afternoon sun has not slanted and the sunburn is scorching millions of Nigerians on the head and will provide shade for her people; a minister of impeccable character and integrity who would not brood at the leaden skies but look at what’s compatible with it.

The directives of President Muhammadu Buhari for the ministers to come up with key performance Indicators for parastatals and agencies under their ministries which would be evaluated monthly is a welcome development. However, it should be stressed that the cabinet members are the president essential instrument for the translation of his vision into concrete goals and policies. As an individual, we can only offer our earnest prayers and support for our political players and hope they will move us to Eldorado as soon as possible.

Olusanya Anjorin

+ 234 803 282 6650

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