The policy of departmental policy

Last Monday was a special day for the country as well as for some 45 anointed people who have been drafted into the central government as members of the Federal Executive Council of this great nation. It was marked by the investiture ceremony in the morning and numerous feasts, tastings and dinners in the evening. I have had the privilege of attending only one celebration, but I know governors and politicians who have attended about five such celebrations. There were speeches, rejoicings, dancing and rejoicings.

As I reflected on the future of the country and how some of the ministers might fare, I felt a mixture of hope and genuine adulation for some of the new ministers while for others, I still feel some apprehension.

In direct terms, I sincerely applaud many new men and women for their choices, but for others, my faith is shaky. One way or another, the question now arises as to how decisions and choices were made.

Those who know how such decisions are made know the varied processes involved. Many ways lead to the market, as they say. After winning an election as huge as ours, building a government is a real pot of fish that most of the time puts the president to the test. In the case of 2023, one can only sympathize with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

As elections approach, each state always has a leader or leader when the state is not an All Progressives Congress government in control.

Therefore, it is these big dogs that are grappling with the nomination of ministerial candidates. In one or two cases, these leaders have also been former governors. The President has the discretion to accept or reject such an appointment if he feels there are better choices among those he knows well.

However, in two cases, Kano and Sokoto, the President, I don't think, ever met more than one final candidate. Therefore, if these ministers fail or are ever found guilty of misconduct, you cannot blame the president but the so-called godfathers for submitting low-level candidates.

The nomination also becomes more complex when there are many other factors leading to victory. The case of Rivers State is a case in point where the Wike effect culminated in his appointment as cabinet minister, leaving behind gubernatorial candidate Tonye Cole, APC ally Senator Magnus Abe. The same can be said of Oyo State, where Makinde's contact left Oyo APC members and Senator Teslim Folarin hanging.

The media had taken former Lagos Governor Ambode to a ministerial dream country that did not materialize. The president is a president who makes tough decisions and I can imagine how difficult it was to leave out General Dambazau from Kano who worked tirelessly, Sen Abu Ibrahim from Katsina, Dimeji Bankole from State of Ogun and even his close friend Kashim Imam, National President, Kings College Old Boys Association. Even his former Nigeria Action Congress Secretary Sen Lawali Shuaibu and Dr Usman Bugaje are on the list. The same goes for Sen Kabiru Marafa and Dayo Adeyeye of the first campaign organ SWAGA, who mobilized the South West long before anyone else.

Many commenters have asked me, "So what happens to Fashola, Fayemi and co?" My response has always been, “There are many, like Bayo Onanuga and Dr. Danladi Bako, who don't work for cash. »

Sometimes the payment takes the form of "respect, glory, recognition and honour". Asiwaju has repeatedly said that his followers should do like him, "expect nothing" and "expect everything".

Whatever happens from this moment on, the responsibility falls on the table of the President. I firmly believe that as a listening leader, if one of the ministers is performing below average or is in a bad position, he will not hesitate to offload it. I firmly believe that he shouldn't be afraid of backlash or fallout in 2027.

Good works will outweigh evil. It might also be relevant to advise against Buhari's siddon look syndrome, in which some ministers were out of ideas and tired of their jobs themselves, while in other cases the public was simply fed up. .

However, I dare say that I have an implicit trust in certain ministers and I give them advice to give us a five-star performance. FCT Minister Wike is one, Wale Edun is another, Dele Alake has no choice. Professor Tahir has to show why Adamu Adamu was poor. Young people, Bosun Tijjani, Dr Betta Edu have the heavy task of proving to us that the Zee generation "we move" can really move. At least the EndSARS are quiet for now.

All in all, it's important for the president to accept that he can't please everyone on the first roll of the dice. The government is huge. There are parastatals whose budget and influence exceed that of their ministers. The monthly income of the Nigerian Television Authority exceeds what the Minister of Information gets his hands on each month. It is the same...