As President Muhammadu Buhari begins an unprecedented initiative to remove non-performing ministers from his cabinet, more heads will undoubtedly roll. It was found out.
during the Federal Executive Council, President Odom dismissed the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, and also the Minister of Power, Engr Sale Mamman (NEC).
President Buhari, who assumed power in 2015, will be the first Nigerian leader to exert the “big stick” on any of his ministers before the end of their terms. When he was re-elected in 2015, he reinstated most of the ministers who had served in his first tenure and placed them in the same ministries.
It was said that Nanono and Mamman have worked alongside the president for some time.
Dr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar and Mr. Engr. Abubakar D. Aliyu, the two dismissed ministers, were respectively replaced by the Minister of Environment, Mr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, and the Minister of State, Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Engr. Abubakar D. Aliyu.
According to people with knowledge of the situation, who shared their insights with reporters yesterday, those penciled down to be eliminated are more than the two that have been eliminated and many more ministers will soon be shown the door.
During the FEC meeting, President Buhari announced his decision to the cabinet members. He stated that the cabinet reshuffle would be “continuous.”
In a recent presentation, he made reference to the changes he has made to the team since August 21, 2019, which he claims are sequel to a long-standing practice of holding project and program implementation to external and critical self-review at retreats and during Cabinet meetings. Sources who are familiar with the matter say that Buhari’s statement, though hidden, was a clear reference to a Cabinet Office review that he ordered with the goal of examining all ministries, their outreach before the FEC, and ministerial contributions as individuals in determining government policies and decision-making within the council.
There are no details about why the ministers were fired, but according to administration sources, the ministers were not sufficiently aware of important issues in their ministries.
According to an aide who chose to remain anonymous, the president was “disappointed” with the two ministers because he placed a higher value on the two ministries.
There was thought put into whom the president put in charge of the portfolios. According to information received, Mamman, who was from Taraba State, was supposed to have gotten the Mambilla Power Project (which is in his home state) up and running. Thus far, no progress has been made in that regard.
The same principal underlay Nanono’s selection to oversee the agriculture ministry. Although he was from Kano, a source said he was expected to shift the farming sector as well as help the country’s diversification strategy.
He should separate the good performers from the bad ones — CSOs
Commenting on the situation, Idayat Hassan, the president’s decision is supposed to be in the nation’s best interest.
It is better to be too late than too early.” We welcome the fact that the president has woken up to his responsibilities. We want to see this happen more, and most importantly, the replacement of poor appointees with better ones. Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the head of TI-Nigeria and the CISLAC Executive Director, told the media that citizens are disappointed that the president will not act on ministers who have demonstrated, he believes, by their lack of significant contributions to his government’s dismal performance, lack of assertiveness, and responsiveness in administering good governance.
He believes if the sackings of the two ministers were the result of valid complaints and proven corruption-related issues, the president should let the public know so that other officials can recognize that.
The citizens of Nigeria have time and again spoken out about a range of issues ranging from abysmal ministerial performance to allegations of corruption, but the president did not pay attention to their concerns and instead reappointed them for the second time. A few of the ministers are physically and mentally exhausted, but because of political interests, they accepted the positions, which means they are failing to meet expectations.
In order to measure the performance of each minister, there should be a mechanism in place that evaluates whether or not the expectations have been met. The minister who fails to meet expectations should be removed. According to Rafsanjani, if there is a corruption allegation, it must be investigated and if found guilty, the individual must be held accountable, but not just fired.
Avoid covering up your failures by using PDPs
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Members of the National Assembly have used the term “infective attempt” to describe the dismissal of the two ministers.
According to a statement issued by the party’s spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party also conducted an investigation into the real reasons for their dismissal, and they found that President Buhari made an open approach to fighting corruption by “eliminating” the culprits.
“Nonetheless, the Coalition emphasizes that the president’s myopic and divisive approach to governance as well as the APC’s systemic corruption and impunity are primarily responsible for the current inefficiency of the government.”
swiftly reorganize cabinet—CNPP
President Goodluck Jonathan is applauded by the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) for relieving two federal cabinet ministers of their assignments, with the organization urging him to assign young, talented technocrats to vacant positions.
Chief Willy Ezugwu, secretary general of the CNPP, called on President Buhari to “get moving with his cabinet overhaul, as several underperforming ministers and agency and parastatal heads remain in power.”
Since we’ve frequently advised the president to replace nonperforming members of his cabinet, we likewise encourage him to replace nonperformers in his administration.
The CNPP believes that if the President urgently replaces his cabinet, he may still be able to salvage some of his administration’s performance by putting square poles in square holes.
Further, in addition to redeploying ministers who had already been spent, the CNPP urged President Buhari to source young technocrats and other innovative citizens to find new appointees to ensure that he completes his term.
Nanon’s period of stay and ‘sins’
Perhaps, the most substantial wave Nanono has made as a minister since his appointment two years ago was when he made a major blunder during a radio interview and publicly stated that a N30 meal was enough for an adult Nigerian. His administration has been the subject of much scrutiny since taking office as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development on August 21, 2019, as Alhaji Mohammed Sabo Nanono.
His first misstep was alienating All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) by trying to dictate their leadership. While a case regarding the leadership faction is still in progress, Nanono continued to recognize members of that faction.
There was also talk that Nanono was fingered in a number of separate infractions, including the controversial awarding of N30 million for the construction of a mosque that was thought to be unjustified.
Additionally, the minister was also accused of awarding contracts to two shadowy companies that were valued at several billion dollars each, and were bought in order to purchase large quantities of grains when the market was highly volatile, causing a rise in prices.
Another accusation against Nanono was that he spent over N1 billion to renovate the old headquarters of the ministry that they bought for over N7 billion.
He was tasked with monitoring the ongoing investigation conducted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, which implicated the ministry in allegations of N16 billion misappropriation (ICPC)
In an open display of opposition, the Minister had publicly criticized the Central Bank of Nigeria’s stance on the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, urging that it be moved to the Ministry of Agriculture.
Despite saying the minister had spoken of importing tractors in partnership with the Brazilian government for mechanization for over two years, no such deal was concluded. Despite this, the president’s proclamation to recruit more than 50,000 agricultural extension workers has not been a success.
South-South farmers have complained that the minister is failing to follow up on agric policies and programmes in their region.
The team leaders reported that he had no concrete policy stances regarding tree crops. Since becoming the federal ministry, it has been difficult to drive the administration’s success initiative because most of the initiatives are located with other government agencies elsewhere in the federal bureaucracy.
The biggest advantage of Nanono’s achievement is his advocacy of the National Fertilizer Quality Control Act 2019, which is critical to the current administration’s agricultural policy and bid to shift Nigeria’s fertilizer industry and agro-economy away from oil and gas.
At the start of the RUGA project, Nanono, under the supervision of SSAGA, took responsibility for the launch of the RUGA project, where he awarded the construction and rehabilitation of facilities in grazing reserves in Borno, Gombe, Niger, Nasarawa, and other places, thus beginning the RUGA project.
To help the farmers, the government procured fertilizers, seeds, and a number of farm implements after the start of the COVID-19 lockdown.
