AS BUHARI'S SHIP SETS SAIL: KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN

After about six months of delay, Nigeria’s ship of state under the captainship of President Muhammadu Buhari has finally set sail. On May 29 this year, the president was inaugurated into office following a pan-Nigeria mandate he secured from a slim victory over his predecessor and then incumbent, Goodluck Jonathan. A tumultuous euphoria greeted his victory and subsequent assumption of office. So also was a massive burden of expectations from a citizenry harangued by decades of inept leadership.

Nigerians looked to the coming of Buhari as the soothing balm to cure the aches and bruises of a dysfunctional society steeped in a paradox of wasted wealth. They expect him to rescue the country that has become characterised by a crumbling economy, widespread poverty, decaying public infrastructure, sunken social services, and a debased sense of self-worth abroad.

With the inauguration of ministers on Wednesday the challenge has indeed begun in full blast. At a somewhat subdued ceremony held at the presidential villa presided over by President Buhari, the ministers swore on oath to the oath of allegiance as demanded by the Constitution. The president pulled a masterstroke in the allocation of portfolios to all of the 36 ministers, effectively retracting what he had earlier told the nation. Buhari in faraway India where he had gone to attend the India-Africa Summit, told the world that Nigeria was too broke to afford 36 ministers. He therefore promised to run a lean cabinet to the extent that some of the ministerial appointees would not have portfolios but merely be attendees at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings to fulfill the notorious federal character requirement of the constitution. That position had generated a heated debate in the polity and drew consternation from a cross-section of the political class. The uncertainty of the president’s statement had threatened to overshadow the swearing-in ceremony as many waited to see which of the appointees would end up being ministers without portfolios. But at the end of the day, not only did all of them get ministries to man, the posting also showed a fair understanding of the capacities and limitations of the ministers and how they can help to discharge the task before the administration.

Technocrats seem to have been accorded their dues and posted to man sensitive ministries. Politicians as usual, have been identified for their talent and accordingly sent to areas where governance demands political correctness. And those with a blend of both technocratic and political backgrounds have been placed in positions where the balancing act is a needful skill in public policy implementation. Kemi Adeosun as Minister of Finance for instance appears to be a round peg in a round hole given her professional background as a trained and tested economist and financial expert who had hitherto served her home state in Ogun as Commissioner in similar capacity.

Having another professional in the person of Okechukwu Enelemah to oversee the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment as a manager in the Economic team of the administration is also a good indicator of President Buhari’s wisdom in the ministerial posting. And then to have Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma, a consummate politician before retiring into the corporate world, serve in the National Planning and Budget portfolio is a robust addition to the economic team. There are others like Amina Mohammed in the Environment ministry and Zainab Ahmed (Minister of State, National Planning and Budget) who can also help strengthen the team with their rich background and exposure in critical sectors of economic management. What is now expected from all of these distinguished individuals is synergy and singularity of purpose on a clear vision and direction to get Nigeria out of the woods as soon as possible. Or at least, put the country on the right footing towards navigating the dire economic situation it has presently found itself amidst an unfriendly global environment dictated by the sagging price of oil.

The world has waited long enough for the Buhari administration to define a direction for itself and there can be no justifiable reason to have top grade brains like some of these ministers and still remain ‘helpless’ as Pastor Tunde Bakare put it in a recent description of the president’s situation. However, what may well be an indication of an economic direction is the posting of Dr. Kayode Fayemi to the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development. A first class intellectual with renowned antecedence in democratic and public policy activism, Fayemi’s choice as minister in this portfolio tends to speak of a plan to pursue a vigorous diversification of the economy. And having served as governor of Ekiti State and a key strategist in the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign which delivered President Buhari at the polls, his political and administrative experience and acumen would count immensely in delivering the goods for a government in urgent need of alternative sources of income.

In the national security and intelligence sector, President Buhari’s choices especially in the person of Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazzau as Minister of Interior to coordinate the internal security apparati of government also syncs well with the administration’s determination to address pressing issues of internal security and safety. Many had expected him to serve as Minister of Defence but Buhari had other plans which appear to place him in a more strategic position with respect to managing internal security.

The ministerial assignments showed that the president had pruned down the number of ministries as had been speculated since the Ahmed Joda Transition Committee handed in its report. Incidentally, a day earlier before the inauguration of the ministers, the president had ordered a total overhaul of the federal civil service. The deployment of Permanent Secretaries following the retirement of 17 old hands and elevation of 18 others to the position of accounting officers indicated a reduction in the number of federal ministries from about 29 to 25.

In my October 10, 2015 piece on this column, I had stated thus: “The Muhammadu Buhari administration is almost set to engage the drive gear finally. In accordance with constitutional demands, a cabinet has been nominated after a four months long and worrisome wait. Nigerians and the global community can now expect to see a clear economic direction for the country in the coming days or at most a few weeks.” I had also stressed the fact that “a lot needs to be done in virtually all facets of our national life” even though the President had much earlier cautioned that he was no magician who would wave a wand and all the problems of Nigeria would vanish. He had called for patience and citizens although becoming restive about the slow motion mood of the president, had no choice but maintain hope that Baba Buhari would get things rolling. The reality is that though the Executive team has now been constituted, it would be unfair to expect the dividends of change promised by Buhari to knock on doors so soon. But it would also be unfair to offer any more excuses with regards to the economic direction of the administration and an articulation of a clear and achievable roadmap to deliverables.