- Nigerians rate 70% below average
- Seek urgent cabinet rejig
Prominent Nigerians have x-rayed the performance of President Bola Tinubu’s ministers in one year and described it as below average, saying it is high time the president got rid of non-performing individuals in his cabinet.
The 45 ministers were sworn in by President Tinubu on August 21, 2023, at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.
During the inauguration, the President had charged them to prioritise the interests and welfare of the entire nation and its diverse population above any regional state-specific considerations.
When the government clocked a year on May 29 this year, he threatened to sack any non-performing cabinet members.
Addressing members of the Arewa Consultative Forum at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, recently, Tinubu said, “I thank the cabinet members for their efforts, but I will relieve any of them of their duties anytime I feel that they are failing Nigerians.”
Last week, some ministers listed their achievements to mark their first anniversary in office.
“They have not been found to have been outstanding in performance. They have been between average and below average. They have not shown any spectacular understanding of the economic problem we have.”
However, many Nigerians disagreed with the ministers on their alleged performance in their respective ministries, saying they have failed the masses and deserved to be relieved of their appointments.
They said Tinubu as the Minister of Petroleum erred and urged him to hand off the critical ministry for a capable hand who would manage it better.
Nigerians who spoke to The Point in their separate interviews, including former presidential appointees, scholars, public affairs analysts and politicians, said President Tinubu should make good his threat of dismissing ministers who could not perform and rejig the cabinet.
They listed some politicians who had been trying to turnaround their ministries and make life more productive for fellow citizens, but noted that their efforts had yet to translate into a solid economy and security of lives and property for the teeming masses.
A former Nigerian Ambassador to the Philippines, Dr. Yemi Farounbi, said almost all the ministers’ names were unpopular and unknown because they had not done any landmark achievements in their purse.
Farounbi said, “The cabinet, otherwise called the Federal Executive Council, collectively, they have brought us to the point in which we are and when Nigerians assess them, they conclude that they have not been brought to the right position. That means that collectively as a cabinet, they have not performed right. Part of the problems we have is that almost all of the ministers are unknown. You almost will not remember the names of the cabinet members because they have not been particularly outstanding, either as individuals or in their collectivity.
“We have not found those involved in the running of the economy either as finance or as economy or development or those who can be called members of the management team. They have not been found to have been outstanding in performance. They have been between average and below average. They have not shown any spectacular understanding of the economic problem we have.
“The President has said that he is not talking of structural or political reform because he is more bothered about economic reform, but we have not seen the sign in all these being put together that we are really on the path to progress in terms of economic reforms or economic transformation.
“However, there have been one or two ministers that appear to have been able to stand out. One of them would be the Minister of Interior, particularly with regard to the issuance of passports, the ease of getting it, the timeliness involved, and we are now told that very soon; such passports would be delivered at home. Although, the little minus is that he has also increased the price of acquiring the passport.
“We can also say that the minister of Works, David Umahi has been in the news, sometimes for the wrong reason. Like the coastal road that people believe cannot be subjected to due process and people believe that the cost per kilometre is so excessive. But, talking about his campaign of using concrete roads, he has also been in the news. But, beyond that, we also could not say anything else.
“But, generally as a group, they have not performed as excellently as we want and it has made it difficult for people to remember who they are.
“So, there is a need for him to rejig his cabinet because he said he would not do a government of national unity, but that he would do a government of national excellence. Perhaps, we are waiting to see that excellence in the individual performance of his ministers.
“The ministry of Foreign Affairs that started wrongly with the Niger Republic issue and almost led the ECOWAS into a war that was not necessary did not show true knowledge of the political and social texture of West Africa and our relationship with other West African countries. In our one year, we have managed our foreign affairs in such a way that ECOWAS has split into two. That cannot be a plus.”
A Professor in the Department of Budget History, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Tunji Ogunyemi, called on President Tinubu to appoint a new Minister of Petroleum and ensure that his present cabinet members are not more than 20.
“I will just select four Ministers and then give my assessment. The reason is that the roles of these ministers are particularly critical.
“First is the Minister of Petroleum, I think the Minister of Petroleum who is actually the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has not done well. He has not done well in that area with the volatility in the pump price of petrol at the filling stations. Some level of stability is needed if any reasonable investor will be trusted to reasonably invest in the economy. It is not the high price that is the issue; the issue is the stability in the pricing system. A system in which you buy fuel for N650 and suddenly now about N900 cannot be said to be investor-friendly.
“I think it is high time that the Minister of Petroleum, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu did something about this. The second minister is the Minister in charge of Aviation, Festus Keyamo. With all honest assessment and I do use Nigerian Airports very well, at least domestically, I fly virtually every month, I have seen that there is a significant improvement, first, in the human resource capital in those airports, second in its response to distresses, especially distresses by those who wish to fly, the customers and clients of the airlines, because the airlines in Nigeria had taken impunity beyond the level of impunity, and we have been seeing the minister of Aviation significantly respond to that by ensuring that there is accountability in the system.
“Go to all the major airports in Nigeria, of course you know that Lagos is the king of them, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano; the Port Harcourt Airport, then, Akanu Ibiam Airport in Enugu, Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja. These airports have significantly experienced some touch up by way of investment in their basic facilities like toilets, the lounge, sitting area, electricity supply, some stability in the security system, perimeter fencing. I think we should give kudos to Keyamo. He has done well.
“The third minister is the Coordinating Minister in charge of the economy, Wale Edun. I think Wale Edun’s flip-flops are not helping the economy at all. The time has come for Wale Edun to come to Macedonia to help Nigeria. What I mean by that is that the time has come for him to call upon those who really know, those who can be trusted, for the intellectual input into the system, even if they are found among opposition party, he should please seek for help, particularly in the area of fiscal policy with respect to taxation, so that multiple taxation among the system are eliminated.
“It is not that we don’t need to pay tax, of course, by all means, let every Nigerian pay tax, tax is not only morally sound, it is legally imperative. But the idea of multiple taxation in the system, particularly in our ports, is not investment-friendly at all, nor is it friendly to those people who are into sea transportation. He should do something about multiple taxation and tariffs within the Nigerian ports. This no doubt helps to increase the prices of goods at the level of consumption,” he argued.
“The fourth minister that I would like to speak about is the minister in charge of Foreign Affairs. I think the Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs is doing very well. Nigeria is no longer a pariah state; Nigeria is positively acknowledged, recognized and respected in the international playing field. And of course, we are doing well significantly in Africa. Because the test of a minister in charge of Foreign Affairs is not that he brings money, that is the minister in charge of Commerce and Industry, it is his duty to attract investment, whether within or outside of Nigeria. But the Minister of Foreign Affairs is in charge of favourable disposition, he who is able to cut favourable disposition towards Nigeria so that she is not perceived as a belligerent country or as a pariah state, but that it is a friendly state and a positive player in the international field. I think the Minister of Foreign Affairs has done well.
“The only minister that I think should be asked to go and rest or just go home is the Minister in charge of Information. He is absolutely not fit for that office. He is not fit for purpose in any way whatsoever. The struggles, achievements and challenges of the government are not being effectively communicated to the Nigerian people. So, what is his duty? I learnt lately that he has been going out to media houses and dishing out riot acts and that is not what is expected. He ought to effectively communicate the activities of government to the people. This Minister will need reassignment,” Ogunyemi said.
A chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party, Akindele Adekunle, said both Tinubu and his ministers had failed woefully.
He said, “You can see that it is palpable. He (Tinubu) has been in office for one year and it has been miserable for Nigerians. Everything is at the lowest ebb. We expected that some of those indices that could be used to measure his performance before he came to the office are even getting more negative. Nigerians are hungry, they are living miserable lives, they can hardly feed themselves. It is terrible and a hopeless situation. I can describe Nigeria under him as a complete failed state. There is no better word to describe his government. Mind you, I am talking as a Nigerian and not as a PDP chieftain now. Even if those in his party want to tell you in all honesty, they will tell you the same thing.
“The basic constitutional provision which is the security of lives, it is getting worse, the economy is getting worse. Nothing is working. The Minister of Works has failed. The West Coast road he is building doesn’t have a direct impact on Nigerians and the economy.
“The FCT Minister has done a little bit to turn things around in the FCT but the FCT goes beyond the City Centre. If you go to the area councils, you could see a lot of deplorable roads, schools. In fact, as I speak to you, go to Kwanka royal council, there is no water there. Most of the programmes the FCT Minister is doing are elitist.
“The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy has failed woefully. In fact, it is as if the ministry is not in existence. In fact, I can’t lay my hand on any minister that is performing,” Adekunle said.
A political affairs commentator, Maxwell Igwe, said underperforming ministers were still hiding under the shadow of the ones that are performing.
He said Nigerians do not want a Buhari 2.0 in Tinubu’s government.
“There are so many underperforming ministers in the cabinet of President Tinubu. Unfortunately, they are all hiding under the shadow of ministers that are performing in that same cabinet.
“It is amazing that the President has allowed underperforming ministers to continue in office as if they are being compensated for being the president’s allies.
“I have always said that we don’t want a Buhari 2.0 with this present crop of ministers. Everyone remembers that Buhari held tightly to his ministers like glue and refused to fire the ones that were not performing.
“President Tinubu must not go that way, or must we stage peaceful protests before he will do the needful? We say shake up your cabinet now, sir,” he said.
Igwe added that there were instances when the president talked tough about sacking ministers but had not done so.
He noted that the promise to give Nigerians periodic updates about Ministers performance was not being fulfilled.
“Tunji-Ojo recently increased the price of passports because he said he wanted to improve its quality. And we have not recovered from the electricity tariff hike the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, introduced.”
Igwe also singled out three ministers for praise and added that the ones that were not performing knew themselves.
“I remember that when these present crops of ministers were sworn-in, the President spoke sternly to them and warned that they would be fired if they did not give their best to the country.
“Then at a Ministers retreat in Abuja a few weeks after they were inaugurated, the President reminded the Ministers about his threat to sack those who were not performing.
“But for whatever reason, Mr. President has not carried out his threat up till now and we are frustrated about this.
“The other time, they said they would be giving us a periodical scorecard of the Ministers’ performance. But I have not heard anything about that again. They have killed the idea and made Nigerians swallow crap.
“I will however not fail to commend some Ministers who are functioning well. A minister like the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, is doing wonders in Abuja. We can feel his impact.
“The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, is also doing wonders. Although I remember that he had a minor altercation with workers in his ministry after he assumed office. But he later apologised to those workers and since then, they have been working seamlessly together.
“In addition to those two, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, is a crowd favourite anytime, anyway. He is doing well, but whoever advises these ministers to make price hikes is unpatriotic.
“Tunji-Ojo recently increased the price of passports because he said he wanted to improve its quality. And we have not recovered from the electricity tariff hike the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, introduced.
“As for the Ministers who are not performing, I won’t mention their names. They know themselves. The President knows them, too.
“But like I said earlier, the President must act proactively now and relieve them of their duties. He did so when he was the Governor of Lagos State. Let him act again now,” Igwe said.
