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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Wednesday assigned portfolios to his ministers who would be sworn-in on Monday, August 21. Expectedly, Nigerians are looking forward to what Tinubu’s best eleven will do differently from the previous ministers to fix the economy and tackle other challenges facing the African giant. After their inauguration next week, the ministers are expected to hit the ground running. There is no time to waste. It would be recalled that the hurried screening of the ministerial nominees did not go down well with many Nigerians, as take a bow took the centre stage during the screening exercise. At the same time, the screening was not as rigorous as it should be. Past governors, members of state and federal legislature and ministers were just asked to take a bow and go. Only the few commoners would be said to be thoroughly screened. Some were passed presidential intervention and profuse apologies on their past conducts were rendered to the Senate.
However, there are many questions to ask. How long does it take a president to form his cabinet? One month. Two months. Three months or four months. It surely depends on the leader. For me, one month is enough to carry out all the rituals involved in sending ministerial list to the Senate, screening and their inauguration. For someone who prepared for so long to be the president, he should have the list of his possible ministers even before or shortly after the election. There is nothing so special about Tinubu’s best eleven. Apart from a few new names, which are also ordinary, the list is nothing but a recycling of old buddies, aides, former governors, ministers and party loyalists. Perhaps, the list is meant to reward those who worked with Asiwaju. It is sad that only politicians and their aides and friends are the only Nigerians qualified to be ministers in a country of over 200 million people. Some made the list simply because of their membership of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC). The list is not our best eleven. It is not even our second or third best. We cannot build a new Nigeria in this way. We cannot renew any hope this way. We cannot move mountains this way. We cannot perform miracles this way. We cannot go to the moon this way. We cannot become another Dubai or Taiwan this way.
Maybe after one year or more, Tinubu will assemble his best eleven that will help him to fix the battered economy and other wobbling sectors that are crying for urgent attention. The current team, which is ‘a come and chop list,’ may not deliver on anything tangible. There are other Nigerians who should have been on that list that did not make it simply because they are not politicians or members of the ruling APC. The present list is a political list.
The delay in inaugurating the cabinet is telling on all sectors of the economy, it is telling on the welfare of all Nigerians. Buhari made a similar mistake. Why must Tinubu emulate Buhari on this score? It is expected that Tinubu and his 48 wise men should be different from Buhari’s team. Nigerians expect them to work differently and not follow Buhari’s template. The tasks ahead are enormous and achievable. Ruling Nigeria well is not a rocket science. It is doable. Tinubu needs a cabinet that will come up with well-articulated policies that will help him solve the country’s sundry problems. There is little or no time to waste any longer. Insecurity is staring all of us in the face. Millions of Nigerians are so poor and hungry. They need jobs and food. They also need shelter. They need security. They equally need steady electricity. They need potable water. They need social security. They need palliatives. Their children need sound education. They need functional school system and affordable health care services. They need mass housing and mass transportation system. Nigerians are not lazy. The fact is that there are no jobs for them.
The new government may have to revisit the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of the exchange rates, the two policies that have subjected Nigerians to untold hardship and suffering. There is nothing basically wrong in reviewing or revisiting a policy if it is not working well. A policy can be dropped or fine-tuned if it is subjecting the majority of the citizens to suffering and misery.
Since President Tinubu came up with these two hasty policies, Nigerians have seen hell on earth. Nigerians are daily facing the challenges of life without much hope. They are no longer sure of tomorrow. Many Nigerian youths have lost hope in the country. The so-called renewed hope is not for them. The so-called promise of a new tomorrow is not for them. They don’t believe in Nigerian leaders and their empty promises meant to catch votes. They are tired of broken promises and voting every election season and their votes would not count. The Nigerian youths see brighter lights and hope abroad. Nigeria is a country without a dream and nothing to look forward to. Unfortunately, Nigeria has failed its youths. Nigeria has failed the middle class. Nigeria has failed the elders. Nigeria has failed the physically challenged people. It has failed the masses. That is why they turn to God for rescue and deliverance. That is why the seek solace in churches and other worship centres where they pay tithes. That is why they search for miracles in every church and worship centre. That is also why they fast and pray always. That is why they bet a lot and seek for good luck everywhere. That is why the youths migrate to United Kingdom, United States and Canada. Some even go to China and any country. Just name it, they will troop there in droves in search of greener pastures. Our doctors don’t like working in Nigeria because of poor working conditions and dearth of equipment. Our nurses and midwives have joined the bandwagon. Who doesn’t like better thing?
Apart from rising cost of living and increasing prices of food items, Nigerians who are very mobile people, do not find the means of movement with rising transportation fares. Some institutions and companies ask their workers to work for three days in a week. Some workers literally live in their offices and go home at weekends. How can productivity be increased under the present excruciating work environment?
The ubiquitous Lagos traffic jam has disappeared following the removal of fuel subsidy. When the roads are empty in the morning, afternoon and evening, it is clear that many Nigerian workers now work from home, a euphemism for not working at all. How can the economy grow when millions of Nigerians are at home due to high cost of transportation? Let the government review the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of the exchange rates and come up with better alternatives. The subsidy removal in the face of continuous fuel importation is a ruse. It cannot work. Subsidy removal can only work when we can refine enough petroleum products for our domestic use and even for export. The slide in the value of the naira will only be addressed if we diversify the economy with more exports, manufactured goods and not mere agricultural raw materials. The government can grow the economy through agribusiness and exploitation of our solid minerals. Government should stop neglecting agribusiness and the solid mineral sectors.
