By Afolabi Aribigbola
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The long awaited Federal Executive Council FEC that many Nigerians have been waiting for since the 16th Executive President of Nigeria was inaugurated on May 29, 2023 have been constituted with fanfare on Monday the August 21. Almost three months after the swearing of the President. Many have seen this delay though not as long as that of the 15th President of the country as a mark of lack of sufficient preparation on the part of the new President and his team. This plank of position notwithstanding the cabinet has been constituted and inaugurated and therefore what do citizens of the country expect from the new cabinet.
The new executive council was inaugurated at a critical time when every sector in the country is undergoing crisis of different dimensions and seeming inability or unwillingness of past administrations to find solutions to the myriads of the problems facing the country. Indeed it would not be out of place to place before the members of the council that nothing seems to be working in the country.
Put different, the Nigerian society is engulfed with a myriad of problems that require quick surgery to remove the damage that have been visited on the country in the last few years and which was by act of omission or commission reached a dangerous proportion in the last three months. Of course following the inaugural speech of the President, where he emphatically stated that the subsidy has gone and immediately went further to merge the existing two parallel foreign exchange markets, the country has witnessed the highest level of devaluation of the national currency as well as inflation in history. Therefore, the unprecedented economic crisis prevailing in the country has been giving people sleepless nights about the instigators of the crisis and the urgent need for the new administration to quickly find realistic solution to the mounting crisis.
Also, many have asked of whether the new administration have what it take to address the humongous problems bedeviling the country or not. This is why we are discussing these problems and their instigating factors including the contributions of past cabinet members to the multifarious problems facing the country and what the present cabinet can put in place to make necessary impact as well as difference towards improving the precarious conditions of the people.
All these are essential because Nigerians put a high premium on the present government to reverse the lackluster and poor performance of the country over the years. While it is an incontrovertible fact that the new cabinet members are coming into office against a bad situation, they can solve the problem if they are determined and adopt the right approaches and strategies that will be geared towards creative tendencies to create wealth that will transform the country rather than focus on contract awards and appropriating the resources of the country to themselves, families and cronies as the usual practice in all parts of the country.
The reality in Nigeria at the moment is that virtually all the sectors of the economy of Nigeria are facing one form of crisis or the other. None is excepted, that implies that all the new ministers have a lot of work to do and that the resources of the country are dwindling while her population is rising exponentially. The economy is in bad shape while insecurity is widespread in the country. Public infrastructure and services are either none existent or in a very bad state. In education and health sectors for instance, there is serious migration of senior experienced workers and lack of facilities. Of course these problems emanate from poor funding as well as poor leadership at all levels in the country.
This made some individuals to argue that they were instigated by politicians though nepotism and other unacceptable practices visited on these sectors by politicians and their cohorts. The issue of corruption that has been recognised are the most critical must be faced headlong with the required serious, forthrightness and sincerity required. The new ministers must lead in the fight against corruption by example. And not in the past approaches of do what I say and not what I do.
This presupposes that the new Ministers must be prepared to lead by example by doing things right. They will need to desist from profligacy and expensive life style associated with those in public offices in Nigeria. Of course one of the missing gaps in the administration of the country is lack of agenda to guide and direct their activities. Often in the past in the country many cabinet members were appointed without a mission and agenda for their ministries neither do they have targets. It was a sad commentary for instance that the past Minister of Education at the twilight of last administration confessed that he knew nothing about education when he was appointed to be Minister of Education for the country and he occupied this important office for eight years.
No wonder the sector was embroiled in crisis during his tenure as Minister. These are some of the tendencies creating problems and retarding the progress of the country when neovite, incompetent and people devoid of the right knowledge and ability for personal selfish reasons are permitted to occupy positions they could not cope with the rogues required to function effectively in such office or positions. Thus, Cabinet members must as a matter of necessity prepare agenda to solving problems in the area under their jurisdiction. The new Ministers must not be contended by the usual concern with the award of over inflated contract to take kickbacks. They must devise creative measures to ensure sustainable development of the country. The practice of feigning ignorance and raw incompetence must be a thing of the past. Performance monitoring and periodic review has been lacking in governance generally in the country and especially by cabinet Ministers that should create targets and ensure adherence to assignments and tasks accomplishments.
The new Ministers must correct this and must be made to present their accomplishments and record of performance to the President and members of the public periodically. This will give the public and the President opportunity to review their activities, monitor developments in specific areas and make necessary corrections and adjustment. Those that cannot cope can easily be identified and can be easily be eased out to create opportunity for better competent individuals imbued with right attributes or competences to move the country forward. This is not time to keep indolent and people of lack of initiatives and drives in public office if the country is to move forward like countries in similar positions.
The country cannot afford to keep demigod, untouchable and people lacking in creative ability to continue to occupy public offices as was the practice in the past. Individuals that do what they like and not what the country approve must not be allowed again to hold important offices that have influence in shaping the lifes and prosperity of the country. Issuing out orders in a military fashion should be permitted in governance in the country. The Federal Executive Council recently inaugurated must imbibe better culture and approach to running government affairs. They need to generate plans and proposals to take the country out of the woods and must collectively come with programmes and activities that will address the economic quagmire into which the country has been thrown, find solution the insecurity that is destroying the very basis of the country.
What should be paramount to them should be how to solve problems in education, health, energy, water, housing and other sectors of the country that are really depressed bringing suffering to the people. They should just not be contented with the pecks of office and the allure of long convoy of vehicles to impress and oppress the people. The Federal Executive Council this time must be alive to its responsibilities and be prepared to create and break new grounds to move the country forward.
