I’ll Pick People I Personally Know as Ministers, Nigeria’s President Buhari

Should a president appoint people he knows personally into ministerial positions in a country?

Well, this is the bone of contention in Nigeria at the moment as citizens have been thrown into two sides.

Those in support of the president say it is a good step in the right direction as this will help the president monitor progress. They argue that appointing people he knows will give him the opportunity to hold them accountable.

The opposition believes that the move if implemented, will further increase the powers on the presidency and abuse the concept of separation of powers. They have further ascertained that the president, who many accuse of being tribalistic, will appoint only his friends and associates as ministers.

The question we should truly be asking is whether the move is good for democracy!

There is no denying that in implementing such a move, President Buhari will appoint his friends, associates and religious affiliates into the key ministerial positions. Is this a good thing to do, and does it offer greater advantages to the country in general?

The president who is yet to appoint a cabinet and new ministers in the country after his re-election into office made his decision known last night at the maiden meeting with the new leadership of the National Assembly.

At the meeting held at the new Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday night, Mr. Buhari said he was under intense pressure to constitute the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

"Many at this dinner meeting are saying they want to see the list of the proposed cabinet so that they can go on leave peacefully.

"I'm very much aware of it; I'm under tremendous pressure on it. But the last cabinet which I headed, most of them, the majority of them I didn't know them. I had to accept the names and recommendations from the party and other individuals.

"I worked with them for three and a half years at least - meeting twice or two weeks in a month. So I know them.

"But, this time around I'm going to be quiet me - in the sense that I will pick people I personally know," he said.

The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, who spoke to State House correspondents after the meeting, refuted media reports quoting him as saying that President Buhari would submit the ministerial list to the Senate this week.

He said: "Let me take the opportunity to correct that. A senator raised a point of order under personal explanation.

"He said we should be sent the list of the ministers by the executive arm of government and in my response, I said the executive is working so hard to ensure that the list of Nigerians that will help this administration work is going to be transmitted and we could even receive it this week.

"We could' is conditional and I will urge everybody here to report it as it is," he said.

Quotes Credit: The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

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