As we approach the second term inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration on May 29, many analysts are busy proffering suggestions on the next Buhari cabinet and what the president should do to make it more effective. There is nothing bad in suggesting the way forward considering the fact that President Buhari has not made any change in his cabinet since inception. Therefore, Nigerians expect that he will make the much-needed change in his second coming. Apart from rejigging his cabinet with some technocrats, especially the economic front, he should also use the opportunity to reward those that worked for his reelection.
It is expected that the new cabinet will reflect the diversity of the country and also be gender sensitive. Buhari has said much in this regard and we believe he will not disappoint Nigerians. While the change in cabinet is required in this dispensation, it must be done in such a way that the consolidation aspect of the Buhari agenda is not compromised. It is worth pointing out that the consolidation agenda was a huge factor in Buhari’s 2019 electoral victory.
It is also given that Buhari will retain some of the ministers, especially those that have distinguished themselves performance-wise. With such ministers, there is a compelling need for consolidation of their achievements. Naturally, some ministers will go to pave way for others while some will be redeployed.
If the President wants to have an inclusive pan-Nigeria cabinet, he may consider including some members of the opposition in his cabinet. President Olusegun Obasanjo did it in his first term in office. Some other past presidents did it also. We believe that doing so will assist in the consolidation of the nation’s nascent democracy. The winner-takes-all disposition of some members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is not likely to be of any use in healing the wounds caused by the last election campaigns.
For Nigeria to move forward, President Buhari should run an inclusive government which will include members of the opposition and technocrats. Therefore the recent call for the unbundling of the power, works and housing ministry so that it will not be under the control of a minister is based on the notion that things have not worked well in the combined ministry. While those behind the call may have the right to say their views, after all we are in a democratic dispensation, they should also take enough time and look at the other side of the story to see if actually things were improving from what was on the ground before May 29, 2015 or not. Doing so will save them from what Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie referred to as the ‘Danger of a single story.’
While they acknowledged that the man on the throne in the said ministry has done much judging from where he was coming from, they were too hasty to recommend the unbundling of the three-in-one ministry without giving cogent reasons why it must be done. While it is good that things will work in Nigeria in all sectors, there is also the need to have patience. We say this because anything done in a hurry does not last.
In trying to catch up with the rest of the world, we should know where we started and assess how far we have gone. We should know ‘where the rain started beating us’ courtesy of Chinua Achebe. We need to ask relevant questions and wait for answers. We have to exercise some caution in rushing into unnecessary conclusions on issues.
A peep at what the ministry under discussion has done in the past three years or thereabout will show whether the person in charge has done well or not. It will also show whether there is need for the unbundling or not. In the power sector, the present administration has improved on what it met on the ground and increased power generation from 4000MW to 7000MW and transmission from 5000MW to 7000MW.
It has also increased power distribution from 2690MW to 5222MW. However, it is pertinent to note that this is still a work in progress because the nation’s power requirement is put at between 160,000MW and 180,000MW. The ministry is also working to deliver additional 215MW from Kaduna, 240MW from Afam and 40MW from Kashimbila. Others include the 30MW from Gurara, 29MW from Dakinkowa.
In the works sector, the administration has ensured that it is executing at least one road project in each state of the federation. It has also revived hitherto abandoned projects such as the 2nd Niger Bridge, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Bodo-Bonny Bridge. It is worth pointing out that the revival work on the 2nd Niger Bridge has been at a very low pace that critics of the administration have said that not much has been done on the project.
It is also good that work on some sections of the Ilorin-Jebba, Sokoto to Jega, Sokoto-Ilesa have been concluded. The government should also expedite action on the ongoing works from Jada to Mayo Belwa, Enugu to Port Harcourt, Lagos to Otta, Ikorodu to Shagamu, Benin to Okene, Lokoja to Abuja and others. It is laudable that government is also doing its best on road intervention projects in 14 higher institutions in the country. They include the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Federal University Oye, Ekiti, University of Benin, Federal University, Lafia, Federal University, Otuoke Bayelsa, Bayero University Kano, Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), University of Maiduguri and others.
In the housing sector, the government has undertaken some works at the Federal Secretariats in Zamfara, Bayelsa, Nasarawa and Ekiti. It has recently completed the Zik Mausoleum in Onitsha.
The government’s National Housing Programme is ongoing now in 34 states that have allocated land to the government. The remaining two states should give land and be part of this national housing scheme. The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and other mortgage institutions should make loans available to Nigerians at affordable rate. This is one of the best ways to deliver affordable housing to many Nigerians. The nation’s housing deficit put at over 17 million housing units is disturbing.
From the foregoing, it may not yet be Uhuru with this government in all sectors, but the ministry under review has done enough for a start. The next stage is consolidation. We should also bear in mind that it takes time and money to do some capital projects.
Moving forward, there is need for consolidation now. There is no doubt that consolidation instead of unbundling is the right thing to do.
The post Power, works and housing: A vote for consolidation appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.