Replacing sacked ministers

IT is hardly surprising that President Goodluck Jonathan relieved nine of his ministers of their appointments last week in what is the first major cabinet shake-up since he came to office in 2011. His unwieldy team of 42 ministers had not really enjoyed public confidence because of its quotidian value. Among those given the boot were Ruqayyatu Rufa’i (Education); Gbenga Ashiru (Foreign Affairs); Shamsudeen Usman (National Planning) and Ama Pepple (Housing, Lands and Urban Development). Others were Hadiza Mailafia (Environment) and Okon Ewa-Bassey (Science and Technology). Three other persons were of the rank of Ministers of State from Defence, Agriculture and Power ministries. The President must ensure that merit and not politics determines the appointment of new ministers.  At least, this will give the citizens a glimmer of confidence that those best able to make the key decisions touching their lives would be in the position to do so.

The performance of his cabinet exposed the President to regular excoriation from the public who demanded an overhaul. A society where kidnappers and other bandits are no longer afraid of the State or the law is definitely one that is out of joint. It was not, therefore, shocking when he subjected the ministers to a performance contract in September 2012, more than one year after they assumed office. This stirred up public distrust or the feeling that the cabinet lacked direction, ab initio.  But justifying the performance bond, the President said it would ensure, “accelerated delivery of services to the citizenry through enhanced productivity, accountability and effective service delivery.” Nigerians are still waiting. The dangers of leaving 10.5 million Nigerian children out of school, (the highest globally) and the 23.9 per cent unemployment rate, among other dismaying data, should instil a sense of urgency and result consciousness in the federal cabinet in this last lap.

Since the removal of Rufa’i and company, thoughts have been running riot on what may have precipitated Jonathan’s action. The current political sparks in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and the need to assemble ministers with electoral value  to help the President face the 2015 battle rank high in public imagination. Whatever was the reason, it is clear that he has the power to hire anybody; and also the power to fire, with or without notice. The Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, who rationalised the dismissal, said, “… what the president has done is simply to address the issue of retooling his government to achieve service delivery.” Yet, many are not convinced.

Our concern, however, is public service and the quality of people entrusted with such privileged national responsibility. Regrettably, over the years, the appointment of ministers in Nigeria has not been governed by objective criteria or national interests; rather, reasons that range from patronage and selfishness to primordial considerations, determine who is picked. For instance, former President Olusegun Obasanjo once hinted that he knew only three ministers in the first cabinet he constituted in 1999, meaning that the rest were “donations” from party members and those who paved his way to the Presidency. Such a system throws up mediocrity and the country loses ultimately.

But if achieving service delivery for the remaining part of his tenure was why the nine ministers were sacked, then, the President should change the age-long selection process, which has not done the country any good.  Ministers are officers of “the Government of the Federation” and not servants of the ruling party. The tendency to appoint mostly party members as ministers and neglect well qualified citizens and tested hands from other parties should be reconsidered. The ideal should be to engage Nigerians with integrity and proven track record, wherever they may be found. Ominous challenges facing Nigeria demand that this practice of trifling with ministerial appointments by seeing them as spoils of war to be shared by party faithful should stop.

This tendency contrasts sharply with the practice in the United States of America where national interest takes the centre stage. This is why President Barack Obama appointed Robert Gates, a Republican from the George Bush government, to continue in office as Defence Secretary during his first term and another Republican, Chuck Hagel, as his current Defence Secretary.

Equally worrisome is the submission of ministerial nominees to the Senate for screening without attaching their portfolios. This practice is queer; it reduces the exercise to a mere ritual that serves no useful purpose. A situation where a nominee’s suitability is determined by how well he/she recites the national anthem/pledge, or answers a few current affairs questions negates the essence of the parliamentary inquest. Nominees must be grilled to determine their suitability and gauge their priorities in office.

The Senate should act in the national interest this time, by insisting that portfolios be attached to ministerial nominees. Time has come for the citizenry to demand performance from those who hold public positions. Making the right ministerial choices will go some way towards helping Nigerians regain an element of faith in this government. A strengthened cabinet could promote good governance as Jonathan government moves closer to the bay.