Victor EzejaAs Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu nominates ministers for his cabinet, there is a need to appoint competent persons to join him moving the nation forward, says Dr Marcel Mbamalu, publisher and Editor-in-chief of Prime Business Africa, an independent multimedia organisation.
Dr Mbamalu made the submission while appearing as a guest analyst on Channels Television newspaper review on Thursday morning.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelPresident Tinubu is said to send a list of 43 ministerial nominees to the Senate today for screening.
According to the constitutional provision which mandates incoming presidents and governors to submit their nominees, within 60 days of taking the oath of office, today, 27 July, will be the last day as Tinubu took the oath of office on 29 May 2023.
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Prime Business Africa gathered that the list to be submitted by the president includes former Governors Nasir El-Rufai, Nyesom Wike, Atiku Bagudu, Adegboyega Oyetola, current Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake, among others.
Speaking on the programme, Dr Mbamalu, a former News Editor of The Guardian, said that with the situation of the country, Nigerians expect the Tinubu-led government to select technocrats with proven track records of performance.
“We expect that when the full list comes out there will be a semblance of balance in terms of composition, having not just politicians, but we need to have those who are capable of doing the job. We need to see the right people in finance, agriculture and other areas. We don’t want square pegs in round holes; we want round pegs in round holes. That’s what will matter at the end of the day,” Mbamalu said.
He said he has confidence in the president’s ability to put all factors including political exigencies and the need for professionals into consideration in making his appointments.
He, however, pointed out that what should be of concern to Nigerians now is the need to correct previous anomalies in terms of balancing appointments into national offices. This he said should be done by making sure that all parts of the country are equitably represented.
He particularly made a case for the government to make the people of South East feel they are part of Nigeria through adequate representation.
“What should be of concern to Nigerians right now is the need to correct some previous anomalies in terms of balance in appointments. They need to do the right and be seen to have done the right thing, given the way the country has been polarized starting from the previous administration. You see ethnicity and religious issues coming up in what ordinarily should be government affairs. I think this government having been challenged by so many things including litigations, controversy about how it emerged, has an opportunity now to, through this appointment, create confidence by balancing the appointments, making sure that the composition of the cabinet cuts across every sector, region. With that, the fears of marginalization can be assuaged as well.”
“I think particularly, that the South East region needs some form of confidence that this administration would consider them as key players in the scheme of things.”
On the issue of insecurity and sit-at-home in South East ordered by non-state actors, Mbamalu urged the governors of the five states in the region to be more organised and beef up security across the region.
Speaking on measures being adopted by the Federal Government to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal, he said offering N8,000 to households as palliatives is not sustainable. He equally kicked against the N70 billion said to have been allocated to National Assembly, saying they don’t need it and that the money could be invested in more sustainable projects.
He added that the best the government can do now is to channel funds into rehabilitating the refineries and creating an enabling environment for the establishment of new ones to boost the production of petroleum products and stop dependence on importation which is the cause of the high costs of the commodity.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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