• Friday, March 29, 2024
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How weak synergy threatens Buhari’s administration – Experts

Buhari-villa

Economic experts have said that the absence of synergy amongst government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and among individual appointees of government has impacted negatively on President Muhammadu Buhari’s promises to deliver on his three-prong agenda.

This is coming on the heels of the recent impasse between the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and that of the Chief of Staff to the President.

A document that was stumbled onto by an online medium revealed that “a lucrative contract for the procurement of defence equipment for the Nigeria Police Force appeared to have triggered the raging confrontation at the highest levels of the Buhari administration.”

According to the report, the “freshly obtained documents showed how the NSA, Babagana Monguno tackled the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, for allegedly overriding a previous directive of the president in a contract to procure equipment for the police from the United Arab Emirates.”

The report also went on to say that Monguno, described Kyari’s action as “reckless and irresponsible”, warning that it was capable of ridiculing Nigeria as an unserious nation before a reliable international partner.

For so long, there has been that perception that there is lack of cooperation and unity of purpose among government officials, which many believe may have constituted an impediment in the expected deliverables.

When for instance after constituting his cabinet, the President ordered his ministers to access him through Abba Kyari, many people grumbled, saying that such a directive could buccaneer efforts of some ministers with burning zeal to excel on their beats.

There were at that time reports that Kyari was not enjoying a robust relationship with some of the returnee-ministers. Sources say that although the ministers have been doing their job in line with the President’s directives, it has been peace of the graveyard.

Recall that Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State recently painted a picture of disorderliness among those saddled with the responsibility of protecting the lives and property of Nigerians.

Zulum spoke on the possible reasons the insecurity, particularly the Boko Haram insurgency, is festering. He said that too much lies and half-truths was being peddled by those who should speak the truth about the situation of things and also the unwillingness of the powers that be to hear the truth. So, because those who should hear the truth do not want to hear or be told the truth, those who should say things as they are, are now telling government only what it wants to hear.

Also, following the recent massacre of over 20 people in Auno, in Borno State by the Islamist sect, Zulum blamed the military, saying although he was not undermining the capacity of the military, his government had repeatedly appealed to the military to establish their unit in Auno owing to the continuous attacks by insurgents, but his appeal had not been considered.

At the inception of his administration in 2015, President Buhari had said his administration would focus on delivering on the three-pronged promises of securing the lives and property of Nigerians, halting the pillage of the common wealth by corrupt public officials, and creating employment opportunities for the youth.

But years after, experts believe that lack of synergy is negatively impacting the management of the nation’s economic policies, as well as lack of strong national economic focus/plans, thus derailing some of the well-intended actions.

Experts therefore, believe that the absence of synergy which has been the bane of effective policy implementation and service delivery assumed a new height under the current administration.

Nigeria’s synergy challenge affects every facet, including security, as many of the current security challenges have also been linked to agencies working at cross purposes, refusing data sharing, confusion over who gives orders and whose orders should be obeyed, even in situations of joint security operations.

The Economic Advisory Committee (ECA) exposed the rots in the system when they observed the lack of synergy between ministries and other government agencies, when they presented their report to the President.

The President, in his response, directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), to intervene and address the issue immediately.

It was also observed that these challenges made it possible for as many as 265 government agencies to dodge submission of audited accounts since 2017, a situation that has continued to allow for leakages in the nation’s financial system.

The infighting, sidelining and marginalisation created room for the absence of synergy creating more frictions between some ministers and heads of government parastatals.

BDSUNDAY gathered that some of the Agencies rely on laws establishing the organisations as basis for refusing to obey directives

But Junaid Mohammed, a renowned academic, blames “leadership incompetence” and “greed” for some of the frictions.

He said it was inconceivable that the security agencies have failed to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency several years after President Buhari took a public vow to end the crisis.

“They said they have pushed them to the fringes of the Lake Chad, but how are they able to come back to Maiduguri and its environs so easily? Why do you think the people are not cooperating with the government? For some people in Borno to boo the President is a sign of frustration,” he said.

According to Mohammed, “Every leader must take decision to ensure that they are faithfully implemented. They should be told to sit up and work together.”

Mohammed said the President must address differences where they exist, adding that “where there is no effective supervision, people will go about to have their way. It is the problem of the entire country. We must achieve national consensus”.

“After the election, the process of governance takes over. It is the responsibility of the leader to put party differences aside and ensure that the best amongst the citizens are engaged to drive policies,” he further observed.

Mohammed however, called on the Economic team to avail the President of their best advice on how to tackle the challenges.

“They must come out with specific policies to address the issues and the President himself must understand what he needs to do to drive the implementation process and their implications,” he said.

Emmanuel Onyeama, a public affairs analyst, described the issue as a “national challenge”

Onyeama, who noted that the President has not demonstrated control, said: “A leader must be totally in control; it does not mean that you cannot delegate responsibilities; your body language will determine how fast your appointees can deliver.”

He further said: “If you are perceived to have that thoroughness, those working for you will act likewise.”

Speaking further on leadership recruitment policy, he noted that “Permanent secretaries are the bureaucrats, but the ministers appointed must be competent to manage whatever portfolios assigned to them.

“There is what you call policy truncation. Government is a continuum. While party manifestos are good, policies are generated by bureaucrats for the purpose of good governance. There must therefore, be continuity in governance. Policies are generated by the bureaucrats based on needs assessments.

“There is also need for strong national plans which everyone must understand and commit to. Other challenges we are facing in our national life include loss of values and that is why the system is heavily monetised.”

According to him, “Everyone knows that in Nigeria of today, you cannot be headship of any organisation without paying heavily and those who pay to get there, must recoup their investment. This is the belief that this is our time to make it. Much money is spent to win elections; even executive appointments are also monetised. You pay to get appointed. So, once you are there, you must recoup your money. They are also servicing their political godfathers,” he pointed out.

“So, irrespective of the policies they want to implement, they must first look at the immediate pecuniary gain. Have you asked how much a minister pays to get nominated and scales screening processes? So, he or she must do something to recover what they have spent. The question is, can the SGF ratify this? It will depend on his leadership capacity to persuade people.

“He must be an astute politician, a persuader. His closeness to the President and how he is able to marry their differences will mater. If he uses his interpersonal relationship well, he can succeed. He has not been a very loud person, but his success will depend on his astuteness,” he said.

Jude Ohanele, executive director of Development Dynamics, an Abuja-based public policy advocacy and Civil Society group, described the synergy challenge as “a major challenge.”

According to Ohanele, all government agencies are supposed to work cooperatively to achieve results, but they rather exert energy on unnecessary competitive activities.

“The President needs to stamp his feet on the ground to enforce compliance, if we must get out of this problem,” he suggested.

Ohanele traced the issues of duplicity in budget and lack of performance to the unbridled competition and lack of cooperation.

“The long term solution lies in developing the need for understanding higher ability for critical reasoning which is a bit difficult currently; because of our historical experience from the poor quality of education we inherited.

“We weren’t taught empty, critical thinking; our thinking is very shallow. That is why we think only about self and fail to understand the need for cooperation. I am happy it is being called out now and hoped that it will be escalated. We must understand the need for clarity of purpose and synergy to move the country forward.”

He also called on society to address the use of money to buy positions

“The more anybody spend a kobo to get to a position, the more we are in a mess, because they will recoup that money once they assume office,’ he said.

He noted that it was difficult for the current lawmakers to legislate against the issue, because they are benefiting from the system.

He also seeks legal pronouncements to ensure that those convicted of occupying offices illegally pay back all monies earned while fraudulently holding office, either as legislators or as governors.

 

Tony Ailemen, Abuja