Braithwaite, Ofonagoro, Ogunlewe, Others Chew On Ministerial List
AS reactions continue to trail President Muhammadu Buhari’s list of ministerial nominees currently before the Senate, constitutional lawyer and elder statesman, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite has said the list as it is, does not represent gender equality, adding that senators should be allowed to screen the nominees based on the condition the Senate Committee on Ethics has set.
Also a former Minister of Information and Culture, Dr. Walter Ofonagoro noted that speculations about the personalities and characters of names on the ministerial list “would not help nor be very useful for now.”
The former minister said though the president must have his reasons for the delay, what is worrisome is that he has only sent 21 names to the Senate, even as he wondered why the remaining names are withheld when the constitution stipulated 36.
Another former minister, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe who was in charge of works during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo said, Mr. President must have been under severe pressure within the All Progressives Congress (APC) that eventually forced him to present the list he submitted to the Senate.
He said: “I suspect that he (President) must have had a different list of names in mind entirely to what he eventually presented to the Senate, otherwise I do not see anything new or spectacular about the names. They are regular people we all know ”
Meanwhile, National Secretary, Labour Party, Mr. Kayode Ajulo, faulted the list as “a huge disappointment, insisting that President Buhari owes Nigerian youth an explanation.”
In setting an agenda for the senate to screen the nominees, Braithwaite said, “The senators are reported to have set their own conditions that the nominees must meet; so I don’t know if it is right for me to set agenda for the Senate, more so when their Senate Ethics Committee have composed the conditions that they want the nominees to meet. I will therefore rather leave it at that.
On whether the list adequately represents all the geopolitical zones in the country, the elder statesman said, “if we deduct the 21 names from 36, we still have 15 left. Let us wait and see when the list is completed whether it will meet geopolitical representation of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The list as currently constituted does not reflect gender balance.”
On whether the ministerial nominees list is in tandem with the much emphasized character and integrity rhetoric, President Buhari has been stressing since he came to power, Braithwaite said: “I have said it before that Buhari has set himself a high standard of integrity and transparency that is a double edge sword, or is like a man riding the back of a tiger. The condition of Nigerians today is one of near hopelessness caused by many years of cruel oppression and deprivation that has made them to absorb all Buhari’s seemingly promised relief. The danger there is if they see Buhari not being able to meet the expectations, their pent up anger would be unleashed and justifiably so.”
But Ofonagoro argued that speculations alone would not be enough to disqualify anybody whose name appeared on the list adding that President Buhari must have his personal reasons for the delay. “Of course, which name would he have picked that would have justified the delay?”
He said issues of corruption, so far raised in some comments, are something that must be clarified and determined by law and not mere speculations. “What I think Nigerians should bother about is whether the characters nominated have the perquisites to be ministers or not, their background and necessary qualifications. We should also scrutinize the list whether it reflected federal character or not. I hope the Senate will do justice in their screening exercise.”
Reacting as to whether the names on the list favours or disfavours particular geopolitical sections in the country over another and gender equality, Dr. Ofonagoror said, “these and several other germane issues in the country are matters that needed to be thoroughly re-examined in the constitution.”
He noted that as long as the 1999 Constitution is still the document directing the system of governance “these issues would always resurface.”
Citing another critical issue of representation of each state in the federal cabinet, the former minister refrained from commenting, but rather said; “this is also another constitutional issue that needs to be discussed.”
Ofonagoro further remarked that it wouldn’t sound professional discussing the personality and character of individuals on the list on the pages of newspaper.
According to him, “Mr. President, being a former military Head of State knows what he is doing. He must have, in the first place submitted the names to the security/intelligence agency for vetting before sending same to the Senate; it is now the job of the senators to get their facts right about each person during the screening.”
What is of great importance to Nigerians now, he added, is to take Nigeria forward, make it a conducive nation where necessary infrastructure are in place for the benefit of the masses. “One of the essence of government is to satisfy the need of its people. We cannot begin to set agenda for the senators on how to screen the nominees. I think there is a lay down pattern on this. The Senate has also said it would welcome petitions and necessary information form the public about the nominees.”
He however frowned at situation where Nigerian leaders usually appoint people who do not have affinity to the state that they were appointed to represent apart from the fact that they were from that area either by birth or by marriage as is it at present. “It has always been of concern to me that in several instances people that were often or sometimes appointed to represent a particular area or state in the federal cabinet do not have any knowledge about the place they are to represent. Some of them do not even live or have never lived in that state. This is also an issue that must be examined constitutionally.”
To Ogunlewe, there is nothing actually in the list that justifies the delay, to the extent that members of the international community have to raise concern over it before Mr. President hurriedly sent it when he was out of the country. “But that notwithstanding; one cannot remove the fact that the names are those that have served this country in different capacities successfully. They also have the required experience to drive the country forward. It does not matter whether they may have been imposed on the President. In terms of personality and character, I am not in doubt of their ability to deliver because they are not going to be hustlers.
On the sentiments raised about the nomination of immediate past governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, the former minister urged the Senate to ensure that all the corruption allegations raised against Fashola are properly investigated before he is cleared, adding that: “this is not to say that the former governor cannot perform. He did excellently well in government and I am not in doubt of his ability to deliver. It is however important that records must be set straight for posterity sake.”
Ogunlewe however said the president couldn’t afford to violate the principle of the Nigerian Constitution, which says at least each of the state of the federation must be represented in the federal cabinet. “If he has sent 21 names let’s wait for the remaining 15 nominees.”
“On the issue of gender sensitivity it is obvious the number of women is far less than men, but that doesn’t mean that women are not represented or poorly represented until the final list is out.”
National Publicity Secretary Labour Party, Ajulo however described the list as “quite baffling”, as according to him, the nation had been put through so much tension and high expectations only to have those expectations dashed by the announced list.
Ajulo said: “It is very painful that our nation is again running around in circles in the name of ‘change’ even though Providence has granted us yet another opportunity to get it right. It is equally heartbreaking that the president has taken the citizens on a merry-go-round and a wild goose chase in the name of shopping for angels who will sanitize the nation.”
The Founder and Chairman of Egalitarian Mission, Africa (EMA) accused the president of going back on his word to seek and find credible technocrats to assign to ministerial positions, saying that the president was just recycling the old guard that thrust the nation into present circumstances.
Meanwhile, the Kwara South United Forum has praised the nomination of the National Publicity Secretary of APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. In a communiqué issued after a meeting in Omu-Aran, Kwara State and signed by retired Maj-Gen, Yemi Abidoye, the convener of the forum and Mr. Rotimi Ogunwuyi, the forum’s interim legal adviser, said that Alhaji Mohammed’s nomination has further underscored President Buhari’s commitment to merit, competence and fairness in political considerations.
The forum said that it has no doubt in the capacity of the APC’s spokesman in living up to the expectations of both the president, people of Kwara State and the entire Nigerians.
Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox every day of the week. Stay informed with the Guardian’s leading coverage of Nigerian and world news, business, technology and sports.
1 Comments
the list is less than inspiring.. its a shambles
We will review and take appropriate action.