By Ehichioya Ezomon
Interest groups have turned the premises of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja into a protest arena for expressing their positions regarding the composition of a new cabinet by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Parading as core members of the ruling party, the agitators have specific demands: that certain persons should or shouldn’t be considered for nomination/reappointment into the cabinet.
But observers doubt the altruism of such demands, as the purveyors seem, or actually professed as fronts for some individuals, groups or sections in the society. Perhaps, the real intent is to smear or white-wash some people’s reputations.
While the campaigners are at it, inflicting maximum damage in the eyes of the public, and the appointing body, I venture to recommend that, if performance is any guide, President Buhari should reward these former Ministers with re-appointment into the cabinet:
Rotimi Amaechi: Like a timepiece, the former Governor of Rivers State effectively utilized his tenure as Minister of Transportation. The nostalgia of the rail system, not known to the younger generation of Nigerians, was brought back on his watch.
Even with funding constraints, the government is on course to achieving its determination to construct/rehabilitate 5,000 kilometres of single and standard gauge lines, thanks to Amaechi’s style of supervision of the chain of projects.
For the first time in Nigeria, we heard foreign contractors – the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) – complaining of being “put under stress” by Amaechi to bring forward the date of completion of projects.
Under him, there’s no room for delays, and the resultant variations in contract sums of old. Work was on 24/7, such that at a point, the contractors said their equipment were grounded by “overwork.”
Imagine what would happen if Amaechi wasn’t man-marking them! Nobody would be talking today of boarding trains on revamped or new tracks from Lagos to Abeokuta, Lagos to Ibadan, Abuja to Kaduna or Itakpe to Warri, and back.
Hadi Sidika: The former Minister of State (Aviation) is Amaechi’s alter ego. He shot himself into the limelight when he ordered the closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja for the reconstruction of its runway within six weeks.
Many airlines and air travelers protested the inconvenience of having to go from Abuja to Kaduna to board flights; not to mention the huge resources deployed for security and ferrying of travelers to and fro! They also doubted his capacity to meet the deadline.
But Sidika stood his ground, and fulfilled not only his promise of a “brand new runway,” but delivered it with 24 hours to spare. It’s the kind of feat that Nigeria needs in its belated “hurry” to catch up with the rest of the world.
And just before the cabinet was dissolved, Sidika gave a “marching order” to the government of Governor Ifeanyi Ngwuanyi of Enugu State, to relocate an abattoir, a market and a mast, which posed as dangers to aviation at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), Enugu, or the facility would be “downgraded.”
The implication on the main airport that services the entire South-East zone would be unimaginable, and hence the outcry by particularly the zonal populace. But again, Sidika was resolute, and the state government was forced to remove the structures, to pave way for infrastructure upgrade in the airport.
Babatunde Fashola: The former Governor of Lagos State was put on his toes right from when he’s handed three key ministries – Power, Works and Housing – to supervise. Many Nigerians deduced he would fail on the job, but he proved them wrong.
Notwithstanding paucity of funds, especially for roads construction that’s the National Assembly reduced in 2017, he never lagged behind in effective project monitoring.
Considerable works were done in inherited and new power plants, roads and housing in all geopolitical zones, with power generation reportedly increased from about 3,000 megawatts to over 7,000 megawatts in the period of his oversight.
While great strides were made in the 5,000 kilometre-road projects embarked upon by the government, it’s a fulfillment of sorts for Fashola to supervise the completion of the Zik Mausoleum in Onitsha, and the resuscitation of the Second Niger Bridge that’s gradually taking shape after decades in the making.
Audu Ogbeh: The former Minister of Agriculture fits the description of a “round peg in a round hole.” A farmer of repute, he showed his expertise in agriculture and agribusiness.
He saw to the revival of Nigeria’s prominence in food and cash crop production. The rice, groundnut and maize pyramids of years gone by are coming back, kudos to the programmes of his ministry.
With the financial backing and assistance of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the country also recorded increases in the production of cassava and yam, in which Nigeria is the dominant player.
Food imports still come in, but the number and amount have reduced drastically, with Ogbeh and other officials boasting of Nigeria’s “self-sufficiency” in some items. Millions of Nigerians have embraced agriculture, and are laughing to the bank.
Ogbonnanya Onu: The former Governor of Abia State brought his science training and practice to bear on the Ministry of Science and Technology, which appeared to lack direction in time past.
In the last three and half years, he embarked on the promotion of scientific and technological breakthroughs and innovation, essentially among young Nigerians, and succeeded in establishing Technological Hubs in the geopolitical zones.
Besides versatility in his field of calling and conduct, Dr. Onu, as leader of one of the legacy parties that formed the APC, deserves to be returned, and/or given a higher portfolio in the government.
Okechukwu Enelamah: Absent figures of new businesses established since 2016, the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry under him was able to improve on the “Ease of Doing Business,” and thus enhanced Nigeria’s global ranking.
Bawa Bwari: He worked closely with the former Minister of Solid Minerals (now Governor of Ekiti State), Dr. Kayode Fayemi. He sustained the sector’s “Road Map” that designates Nigeria as an investment destination, and the results show in renewed interests by foreign and local investors, and marked-up revenue therefrom.
These individuals, and others like Dr. Ibe Kachikwu (Minister of State (Petroleum Resources)) and Dr. Chris Ngige (Minister of Labour and Productivity) were, in good and bad times, the faces of the Buhari administration, and owned the credit for its modest achievements in its first four years.
So, I would recommend that, barring considerations outside capability, the president, in the last lap of his tenure, should re-appoint them, to see to the fruition of ongoing programmes and projects, and other ones in the pipeline.
* Mr. Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.