The Ministers Nigeria Needs...

''President Tinubu should pay attention not just to Federal Character, in selecting the best and the brightest, he must ensure inclusion, equity, and gender justice. He must look beyond party affiliations and select only those who can serve with distinction, across party lines, locally and from among the rich human resource that Nigeria has in the diaspora.

 

 He must include young persons, and also persons living with disability who are often discriminated against most unfairly in this country. The size of the cabinet is another issue. The Constitution already prescribes that all the 36 states must be represented, and if you add the FCT as is being canvassed, that gives us a total of 37 Ministers. But is it compulsory that a Minister must head a Ministry?

 Is it possible to tweak the designations in such a way that some Ministers can be Minister in charge of Departments and Agencies and still be Cabinet members? It is something that can be given some thought. The objective is to have a compact, effective team, and reduce the cost of governance. The Tinubu administration in this regard would have to visit the Oronsaye Report. Nigeria’s Federal Government is over-bloated. It needs to be trimmed down to cut away fat, wastages and leakages, and thereby reduce cost. 

Tinubu has shown so far that he can summon the courage to take hard decisions. This is one more hard decision that he needs to take for the people’s benefit. At the sub-national level, state houses of assembly must discourage Governors seeking to appoint hundreds of aides.

Not everyone can be appointed a Minister. Those who would eventually make the final list must see the opportunity to serve their country at the Ministerial level as a major recognition and must then devote themselves strictly to serving Nigeria.''