President Bola Tinubu has assigned portfolios to his ministers bringing an end to weeks-long speculation, but also bringing to the fore, new discussions and analyses on the ministers’ portfolios and the new ministries created. A journalist and an editor, Jaafar Jaafar, said, ‘The North-west has many ministers but no weight’. While a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adamu Garba, said it is one of the most balanced ministerial portfolio allocations in recent history. Adamu said President Tinubu dedicated infrastructure and finance to the South while agriculture and security are to the North. Health and education to the North, and humanitarian and innovation to the South. Productivity and job creation in the North. The North needs more security and agricultural productivity to grow and industrialise, while the South is good with services and infrastructure.
In Tinubu’s ministerial portfolios, there are surprises, and there were no surprises, so to speak.
Most Nigerians expect Tinubu’s ministers to add value to governance; they must be propellers for greater equality of opportunity for all Nigerians. They must be able to build a system that will swing the government away from the traditional methodology of concentrating on only the ‘off-the-shelf way of improving society.
Some Nigerians are complaining that Tinubu’s cabinet has too many politicians. However, the truth is, a right-thinking president brings on board top-notch grassroots politicians to hold the political front for him when the need arises. President Tinubu and Abdullahi Ganduje-led APC should maintain and ‘oil’ that area. This is where the synergy between the executive and party supremacy comes into play.
President Tinubu and the APC, as a matter of policy and politics, should ensure that ministers know what is expected of them. Ministers not restrict themselves to their portfolios but also be team players that will bring feasible ideas and be at par with local and global realities. Nigeria will be keen to see new ideas for fighting poverty, tackling inflation, improving electricity supply, and finding fighting insecurity.
Besides supporting the president, ministers should see themselves as the ‘faces’ of the APC in their respective communities; their political presence and contact with locals are very important. For example, during the 2019 presidential elections, most of Buhari’s first-term appointees, especially from the north, became mere spectators in their states due to their weak link with the grassroots. Tinubu’s ministers may find themselves in such situations if they operate with weak links with the grassroots and poor rapport with the public. In this regard, in the weeks to come, many eyes will be on Nyesom Wike, FCT minister whether he will remain ‘a PDP’ or crossover to the APC.
There are some young people in Tinubu’s cabinet many eyes will be on. Their performance or underperformance will greatly impact youths’ participation in governance and politics, as well as give the Tinubu government the ‘strength’ to boast that youths are adequately represented in the government. This will also create a strong link between the government and the youth, who form more than half of Nigerian voters. This would also serve as an impetus for a good image and a sound political strategy for APC because young people’s political participation and engagement in governance are essential at this moment.
Lastly, President Tinubu should be firm in assessing every member of his cabinet. Non-performing ministers should be replaced quickly so as not to lose time, and also keep others on their toes.
Zayyad I. Muhammad,
Abuja
08036070980, zaymohd@yahoo.com