Mr. President, no justification for bloated cabinet

Despite pleas and admonitions for a lean government to reflect the distressed state of the economy, reduce recurrent expenditure and associated cost of governance, President Bola Tinubu has gone ahead to nominate a 70-man Federal Cabinet, made up of 48 minister-nominees, 45 of whom have been screened and confirmed by the National Assembly, and in fact, awarded portfolios by the president. These are in addition to more than 20 Special Advisers, who are reckoned to be of cabinet status. There are other advisers as well. By the time the government is fully formed, with agencies and departments of government fully constituted, Nigerians might be welcoming the largest bureaucracy yet since 1999. And that will be a big disappointment.

While it is a fact that Nigeria operates a presidential system that is traditionally bogus and unwieldy in appointments and patronage, it was reasonably expected that Tinubu would accord special consideration to the size of his government not just to make it portable and smart, but particularly to reduce cost of governance that over the years has drained the public purse and constrained spending for public capital projects including critical infrastructure. But in the course of political campaigns prior to elections, candidates make promises to the electorate in return for political support. It is not unlikely, as happened in the past, that political ‘IOUs’ are signed and upon winning, they are to be redeemed. For instance, in the buildup to the last elections, particularly the party primaries, alliances were forged and there was a lot of political manoeuvrings to realise candidate Tinubu’s political dream.

Apart from obligations the President owes to certain party members, there is also a warped sense of entitlement on the part of others, such that when exigencies do not support a profligate and expansive administration as the current mood prescribes, the system is wired to admit over indulgence. In addition, the 1999 Constitution in Sections 14(3) and 147(3) unfortunately, allows the President to nominate at least one minister per state, which is a perfect alibi to exercise unconscionable discretion. But these are not tenable excuses.

Tinubu ought to know better. Everyone is aware that the country’s debt-to-revenue ratio in 2022 was 80.6 per cent whereas the World Bank recommended 22.5 per cent for low-income countries like Nigeria. With a substantial part of scarce revenues expended on debt-servicing while more is borrowed for recurrent, there is barely anything left to take care of capital expenses, such as fixing dilapidated infrastructure, building sustainable health and education as well as having savings for tomorrow.

While it is acknowledged that this government has made revenue collection and taxation its priority, it is wise that whatever is collected is well applied for citizens to benefit. It cannot be business as usual.This is the time to revisit the Oronsanye Panel’s Report on managing size of the country’s bloated public service. It bears repetition that the era of waste in public service is over and the earlier politicians and others in the service realised this the better.

The Steve Oronsaye panel, set up by former president Goodluck Jonathan in 2011, was mandated to restructure and rationalise Federal Government parastatals, commissions, and agencies.Upon completion of the exercise, the panel submitted an 800-page report on April 16, 2012, which recommended merger, abolition, and merger of 102 agencies, with others to be self-funding. A WhitePaper on the panel’s report was commissioned and the Paper ready by March 2014. Two months later, an Implementation Committee was put together. But nothing has happened to those far-reaching recommendations that, if adopted, could make a huge difference between waste and gain for the country.

Well-meaning Nigerians expected Tinubu to consider these antecedents and the country’s peculiar economic crisis to show example in public accountability. He was even challenged to collate all the reports and recommendations geared towards reducing public expenditure. And he was equally encouraged to demonstrate the political will to implement those recommendations and be a shining example. His actions, however, signify wasted opportunities.

It appears that the President didn’t listen and had gone ahead to do it the way others did: business as usual. In a recent engagement with Labour, the President likened the appointment of more political aides to creating employment, a response that does not show a reciprocal understanding of the challenges of the moment.

The idea of critical employment, which we recommend to this government is one that will enhance and fast-track productivity and boost the economy. What expertise are some of these appointees bringing to the table, we ask, especially as many of them have been in and out of government since 1999 and had failed to deliver in their previous appointments? Many also have appointments with anti-graft agencies over sundry corruption charges, a development that diminishes the level of citizens’ trust in government. Nigerians have not seen much intellectual content in previous weekly meetings of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) other than the announcement of contract awards, many of which were neither funded nor executed.

In time past, the Federal Cabinet used to be a moderate-sized think-tank of thorough-bred and hard-nosed professionals who dissect and debate policies before they are unveiled. The FEC should not be turned into a retirement forum for former governors and former ministers. It shouldn’t be job for the boys either. There are other places where politicians can be rewarded for loyalty and relevance at elections.

There is dire need for a retooling of the technical capacity of the various agencies in the ministries to boost productivity and support economic and developmental blueprints; and a lot depends on the leadership acumen of the man at the head of the table. Behind-the-scene, experts should be on hand to advise on what is doable, necessary and expedient.

Going forward, it is not too late for Tinubu to embark on deliberate actions to reduce the size of public service and peg unrealistic public expenditure.