Almost three weeks into his tenure, President Muhammadu Buhari is virtually in a world of his own while the nation eagerly awaits his choice of ministers and myriad of aides that will help deliver the change he promised Nigerians.
The appointment of ministers is a constitutional requirement which must be honoured. President Buhari, against all expectations has not hit the ground running although his party , the All Progressives Congress[APC] came out smoking during the campaigns, promising to offer to the people, something different from what the Peoples Democratic Party[PDP] had on the table.
The task of managing Africa’s largest economy is enormous. It requires all the experience a leader could gather. President Buhari is not new to the zenith of power even if he is coming for the first time as a democratically elected President. That is why there is growing concern about the slow pace of his administration.
The President presented himself to the electorate as one who, having failed in several electoral attempts, knew exactly the quickest ways to bring Nigeria back to life, if given the opportunity. He has the opportunity now and compatriots are expecting much. For voters who were wooed with the change slogan, they are also in a hurry for that change to begin.
So far, a few appointments have been made by the President. His media team is in place, with seasoned journalists calling the shots. The duo of Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu, can stand tall anywhere in the world. As past presidents of the Nigeria Guild of Editors[NGE], it will be right to assume that the president is in safe hands. However, it is taking much longer to add to the team.
The appointment of ministers may need input from the party and other stake holders. The Senate and the House of Representatives needed to be inaugurated. That has been done, so the next line of action should be ministerial nominations to be submitted for screening. If President Buhari has to wait for advise from the APC and a properly constituted National assembly before picking his ministerial team, the same does not affect the appointment of key personal staff, beyond his media aides.
The very first appointment should have been his Chief of Staff. He does not also have to wait any longer to appoint a Secretary to the Government of the Federation [SGF]. Failure to have some of these key aides around him was obvious in a recent television interview where he referred to Germany as West Germany and labelled Chancellor Angela Merkel as President Michelle.
The international community would not have raised an eyebrow if President Buhari had not returned from the same country where he attended the G-7 Summit on the invitation of Merkel. It would be wrong to say that age failed President Buhari. It was a mistake which should not have been in the first place, if he was properly briefed. German President Joachim Gauck ,certainly was not on Buhari’s radar during the summit, the mix up does not explain the slip.
The president of Africa’s largest economy should be at home with the name of the president of Europe’s leading economy. It is also worrying that President Buhari is still not in a hurry to put his cabinet in place. Earlier in the week, while in South Africa for the AU Summit, he put up what did not stand firm, as an excuse.”I do not know why people are so anxious about ministers.
But eventually, we will have them,” he told journalists. In being meticulous, the president must understand that government does not operate in a vacuum. He does not have to keep waiting forever until he gets the best . Wherever, however the ministers will come, what the people need is quick intervention.
The country is too big to keep waiting until so many stakeholders are appeased, before action is taken. President Buhari also added, “and since I have to have ministers from politicians and technocrats, I wouldn’t like to make the mistake of getting somebody, who has been involved on account of accountability”.
This sounds like keeping the country waiting much longer. Whatever transpired with the transition committee should be past tense now, there is a new regime in place and responsibility must be taken. In choosing ministers, President Buhari must not see it as a reflection of his Spartan lifestyle.
There are constitutional guarantees. Section 147 of the 1999 Constitution stipulates that each of the 36 states that make up the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, must be given a ministerial slot.
It is a perfect way of ensuring balance, which other elections and appointments may not accommodate. President Buhari cannot be saving resources for the nation by going for a lean cabinet.
That will amount to hurting the constitution. And since some parts of the country, especially the South-East and the South-South geo political zones are asking for a fair share of federal positions, this is not the best time to place personal consideration above constitutional requirements.
