By Tunde Abatan,08165660217, tunde2013abatan@gmail.com
Since his assumption of office in 2015 as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, General Muhammadu Buhari have hardly chastised nor openly rebuke any of his aides or Ministers. Neither has he subject any of them to public scrutiny even when citizens complain of one thing or the other or lack lustre performance.
But last week,after the Federal Executive Council meeting- a meeting where what Nigerians often heard after each weeks routine, was which contract has been awarded and to whom, citizens were told that two ministers,Mohammed Nanono for Agriculture and his Power counter part,Saleh Mamman have been sacked.
Curiously enough no reasons were given for their sudden removal from two strategic ministries.
In their stead,two other ministers- Environment,
Sacked Agric Minister
Saleh Mamman
Mohammed Abubakar was redeployed to Agriculture while Abubakar Aliyu minister of state for works is to take over Power.
The allocation of the ministries and their traditional occupants to the North is also an issue which has no explanation till date as it has become the pattern of this regime.
It is clear to all and sundry that the style of President Buhari in allocating office since he took over which borders on favoring the North probably justified the choice of those to replace the sacked ministers.
Though,the President failed to give reasons for the sudden sack,that one of them,Mamman Saleh,the Power minister suddenly collapsed on hearing news of his removal and had to convalesce in the hospital speaks volumes on why the favoured Ministers were hastily removed without fanfare in the first instance.
That the Power minister is said to be comfortable living in high brow Nicon Noga hotel for the past three months as a serving Minister, also calls to question the application of integrity in his office and how the federal government handles its avowed commitment not to condone corruption.
In his reaction to the ministers sack,Buharis known friend and supporter,Abdulmajid Kwamanda,threw caution to the wind and came out to ask the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,EFCC,to investigate the sacked agriculture minister,Nanono.
In other words, he is asking the EFCC to do what his friend and President failed to do. Definitely,there cannot be smoke without fire.
He did not stop at that,he also asked Buhari to remove Defence Minister,Salihi Magashi, adding that the defence ministers and his counter part in agriculture, who are picked from Kano,his home state, deserved to be removed.
His reasons-Magashi has failed to perform as defence Minister.
He cited the security situations in the country and declared ,”When President Buhari appointed the two ministers from Kano state,I said we would regret it in Kano because they would not deliver”.
Has he been proved wrong?
On the same vein,Femi Oke,chairman Lagos and South west chapter of All farmers Association of Nigeria re-echoed Kwamanda when he said the former minister failed to address farmers needs to ensure food security,farmers herders crisis and failed to take decisive action on issues adding”we are very delighted over the removal of the minister.”
He did not stop at that as he accused the agriculture minister of dabbling on issues which did not affect his ministry.
Will Buhari listen to his friend and do the needful knowing the low performance of the ministries in arresting the agriculture and security problems in the country especially the North.
Will President Buhari also put aside sentiments,walk his talk and allow the EFCC to open the books of the two ministries headed by the duo. If he can do this,he would have further confirmed his avowed determination in the pursuit of integrity in running his government.
Perhaps,this is the time for Buhari to jettison his clanishness,brush loyalty sentiments aside, redirect his government,arrest failing sectors and reinvent his integrity on which mantra he won election in 2015.
As for the defence ministry,the President has to bend backward,examine why the military failed to perform in the war against insurgency in the past four years and probe the role,connivance of the minister in contributing to the failure of former service chiefs who also failed to deliver on their mandate.
Is Magashi culpable in all defence inadequacies of the past two years since he took over ?
These are serious issues Buhari needs to resolve if he must reinvent his government for him to make a difference in next 20 months he has left to leave office.
Lagos Obas and Tinubu:
When traditional rulers in Lagos state rose up penultimate week to openly endorse former governor,Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu ,the All Progressive Congress,APC,leader to run for President in 2023, they have not surprised anybody.
But by their pronouncement which has passed mere body language as some would say, they have obviously divided their subjects most of who either belong to different political parties or are uninterested in how such candidate emerge.
While no one is questioning the capacity,competency and qualification of the former Lagos governor ,who has become a kingmaker of sorts in Nigeria’s politics, for traditional rulers joining the fray is conversely akin to belittling Tinubus reach and support across the broad spectrum of the nations political landscape.
While the traditional rulers as individuals have their inalienable rights to personally vote ,they fell short of their fatherly role the moment they throw their crown aside and jumped into the boat of campaigning for one of their subjects. Their role into partisanship may dent their royalty and father figure to all.
Although,the coveners of the retreat are not far from government influence and support judging by the theme, “The Role of traditional Rulers in Conflict Resolution and in Fostering Communal Peace and Economic Development”,yet the formers declaration of intent is contrary to peace making since they thus make themselves an interested party in a matter which involves all their subjects .
While it Is true that he who pays the piper dictates the tune, yet spirit of equity, justice and fair play without which peace can neither be built nor maintained is enough reason for traditional rulers to maintain their individual and collective neutrality in a matter involving their subjects.
Though in one breadth,declaration of support for Tinubu, who by inference was their former benefactor, is no crime, but doing that collectively and as a body within the context of partisanship is against spirit of fair play since their subjects are of diverse political interests and persuasion.
Furthermore,doing so under the umbrella of an institution which is supposed to harbor all divergences of thoughts and support is akin to dividing their roof which ultimately portends a threat to their survival should another son of the soil emerge the choice of the party.
Besides,since there are different contending political parties in the state peopled by their sons and daughters,declaring open partisanship is akin to willfully dividing their own house.
