• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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BusinessDay

PMB’s cabinet: Guide him O God!

Implications of Buhari Victory

As President Muhammadu Buhari prepares for the start of his second term of four years, he has a singular task that will make or mar his last chance of having a remarkable legacy. It is a very important task, a task that will determine the future of about 180 million human beings, old and young, male and female, Christian and Muslim, North and South, employed and unemployed, disabled and abled, mothers, youths, children and unborn generation. It is a serious task with inestimable impacts and as such I earnestly pray that God will guide PMB as he tries to complete the task in about a month’s time. Even though he has done the task before, the lamentable state of our country clearly indicates that a deep retrospection is required if we are interested in rescuing Nigeria from the rapidly escalating failures and crisis. While effective performance of the task will save us, ineffective approach will most unfortunately exacerbate our already very perilous and sad situation.

That very important and singular task is the duty of assembling a very competent and committed team of Nigerians to help in rescuing our country through effective and patriotic governance. The challenges are numerous and complex and as such, it has to be a first class team, thoroughly, painstakingly, strategically and most importantly patriotically selected. As PMB pencils down the names as he is currently doing, I pray that utmost in his mind will be about the state and future of Nigeria. May God help him to appreciate that he is assembling a team that will deeply understand and realize what it means to be poor and that Nigeria is rated as the poverty capital of the world with over 90 million brethren classified as extremely poor. A team that will be driven by their deep dissatisfaction that our dear country is the 6th most miserable country in the world and ranked together with Pakistan, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen as the most insecure countries in the world. A team that will be pained that over 150 Nigerians are now violently killed almost every week with pervasive signs of genocide in many towns and villages of our dear country.

A team that will love Nigeria and work as a true team to create jobs for over 21 million unemployed Nigerians through effective formulation and implementation of robust fiscal, monetary and supply-side policies. A team that will be truthful to themselves, to the President and Nigeria! A team that will disagree and agree among themselves and with the President and determined to stand for the truth and good of the country including the overwhelming need to restructure Nigeria. A team that will genuinely serve with all their heart, mind and body for a progressive Nigeria!

As the list will hopefully be compiled in Aso Rock which is fine and acceptable, I implore PMB to possibly review the list outside Aso Rock. For instance, in selecting the Minister of Internal Affairs, National Security Adviser, the Service Chiefs and the heads of all the security agencies, it might be helpful to review the list in the killing mountains and valleys, villages and farmlands of Plateau, Benue, Borno and Taraba states. After this initial review, the second review should be done in Maro, Kajuru Local Government of Kaduna State, Wonaka, Ruwan Baure, Takoda and Tudun Maijatau villages of Zamfara State and in Abonnema, Kalabari and other killing areas of Rivers state. As the list is reviewed while moving round these villages of horror and anguish, a key question that should be asked is if the listed candidates can really do the job of securing and keeping Nigeria safe and peaceful or if a new and more capable hands will be required.

In selecting the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, the first question is if these three key sectors that are separately very important and central to the growth and development of Nigeria should be coupled together and headed by one person. As I have done these reviews, my findings suggest that having one person heading these very important sectors might not be the best for Nigeria in terms of speed, productivity and delivery. As we continue to generate only about 4,000MW, with about 16 million housing units deficit and majority of our roads unsafe and almost impassable, it might be important to rethink if the three important sectors should continue to be headed by one person. A good place to review the current situation in these key areas will be a night flight into any of our cities, a visit to any of our populated neighborhoods and a road trip across Nigeria.

As all the ministries and agencies are all important and should work in synergy for the good of the country, all appointment especially that of ministers should pass through the diligent process described above. After identifying all the potential appointees, they should all travel as one group by road from Abuja to Lagos and spend reasonable time and days in Mile 12 market, Oshodi, Apapa and Tincan sea ports, Okokomaiko, Balogun Market, Idi iroko, Badore and Epe from where they will move to Benin by road via Ijebu Ode. While in Benin, they should visit Okomu Palm Plantation and other places and then take a short lecture on the link between infrastructure development and economic growth before they depart Benin for Onitsha and then to Ogoni, Ikot Abasi from where they will move to Taraba, Kano and back to Abuja.

As most of the people that will be selected might not have recently travelled across and properly interacted with Nigerians, the above trips will help them to get first hand information on the state of the nation. They will be able to see the hardships, poverty, infrastructural decay, insecurity and of course the abundant resources and opportunities that we endowed with. Nigeria is in serious crisis and failing in all measurements of human existence! For any change in our current situation, things must be done differently and urgently also. As the buck starts and ends with the office of the President, I deeply implore PMB to use this his last term to rescue Nigeria from the escalating but avoidable crisis.

 

Franklin Ngwu

Dr. Ngwu is a Senior Lecturer in Strategy, Finance and Risk Management, Lagos Business School and a Member, Expert Network, World Economic Forum. E-mail: [email protected]