The new ministers

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ON Monday, the ministers newly appointed by President Bola Tinubu assumed office, laying out plans for their respective ministries. For instance, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike, expressed a determination to pull down all illegal buildings and structures in the territory as part of efforts to restore the oft-trumpeted Abuja Master Plan. He said: “We have the mandate of Mr. President and the Vice President to give a different narrative as far as FCT is concerned.” On her part, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Ms. Beta Edu, unveiled her plan to create 10 million jobs over the next four years. Hear her: “We will be creating those opportunities for those Nigerians, young people, to build their CVs, among other things.”

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, also pledged to minimise the pains that would accompany the ongoing economic reforms in the country, while the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN), said that his administration would continue with the implementation of the ‘aviation road map’ developed by the immediate past minister, Hadi Sirika. Similarly, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring food security in the country. According to him, there is a big challenge to food security which, however, is surmountable. His words: “Our target is not only to secure food and feed the country but also to export food, which we have the potential to do.” A similar note of optimism was struck by the Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, who assured that the Federal Government would empower Nigerians through stable and accessible power, adding that the ministry would leverage the Nigerian Electricity Act 2023 to boost power supply in the country.

On his own part, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, disclosed plans to revamp transport on Nigeria’s inland waterways. He said: “We must come up with practicable ways of ensuring that our inland rivers, lakes and waterways are well utilised, both in terms of cargo shipment and passenger transport. This can be done by embarking on a holistic dredging campaign for most of our strategically important inland waterways so as to make them navigable for the passage of goods and people.” The ministry is expected to harness the potentials within the maritime sector for the growth of the industry and the economy of the country at large.

If talk was all that was needed to turn things around in the country, then Nigerians would be well within their rights to repose so much confidence in the new federal cabinet. But the totality of the political situation and the context of their emergence as ministers provide little cause for cheer. While a few of them indeed boast of impressive CVs, the majority are members of the same clique of politicians that have run the country aground. The optics of persons suspected to have committed grievous economic crimes emerging as ministers while the man that sought to prosecute them is himself being held in detention for alleged economic offences, and beyond the bounds permitted by law, is a bad one. The ex-governors nominated as ministers were not necessarily fantastic as governors. This is, of course, not to talk of their shambolic screening at the Senate where many of them answered no serious questions, and were simply asked to take a bow and leave.

Besides, it is a fact, and a sad one at that, that Nigerians have on the whole not had a pleasant experience with ministers since the return to civil rule in 1999, which is why many saw the inauguration of new ministers as just another hollow ritual. To such groups of Nigerians, the fact that a minister allegedly wasted billions on a phantom airline project without any recompense by the state still rankles. However, the foregoing does not necessarily suggest that all hope is lost. For one thing, the ministers, coming to power at a time when the mood in the country is decidedly sore, have an opportunity to redeem themselves and cause the majority of Nigerians to become quite excited about them. There is nothing at the moment that suggests that they do not mean to work extremely hard, if only to redeem the unflattering image that members of the federal cabinet whom former President Muhammadu Buhari (in)famously dubbed “noisemakers” have among the Nigerian public.

Again, given their public pronouncements, most of the ministers seem to be aware that the task before them is an arduous one, and may go ahead to address some of the core issues that require urgent attention in their respective ministries, provided that they are given a free hand to do their jobs. Nigerians will be hoping that they mean business, and will address the pervasive corruption and lack of accountability in their respective ministries while implementing policies that will enhance their (Nigerians’) standard of living. Nigerians were calling for a slimmer cabinet while the president gave a considerably expanded one. The new ministers and the president must ensure that this translates into expanded opportunities for Nigerians.

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