28th August, 2015
In football, coaches strive to land marquee signings that will revamp their team. The big name players they hope will help the club achieve its goals of winning titles or getting into European competitions but these big signings sometimes turn out to be big flops.
Fernando Torres is a classic example. So when President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria came to power, big names were mentioned as those he would appoint to key positions in his government, but increasingly Buhari has surprised Nigerians with his appointments.
He has looked towards the academy rather than splashing 50 million pounds on some strikers, like Chelsea did on Torres.
This I expect will continue when he names his ministers. But even then, the ministers must be wary of the ‘Boss’.
Buhari has continued to receive briefs from the various ministries. This has helped him to know who goes where and how much damage or good has been done to these ministries.
With this knowledge, anyone that is appointed minister will not have the luxury of telling Nigerians how badly managed any of the ministries had become.
BabaGoSlow as some Nigerians have labelled Buhari, figured that he must put square pegs in square holes and he also wants to know if his ministers are delivering in the capacity he wants them to, so no one can come up with excuses for not performing.
For this reason, his ministers must be wary of him. He now has a clear picture of what exists and what should be done.
If anyone appointed minister leaps for joy that he going to become a multi-billionaire then that person should think again.
Given his military background, one would expect Buhari to have ‘eyes’ and ‘ears’ in every ministry that will give him feedback on the activities of his ministers.
Any minister that does not perform to expectation should be ready for the boot. This is a time to serve Nigeria and Nigerians unlike what was obtainable in the past.
The Fasholas, Amaechis, Fayemis that were touted for the positions of SGF, Chief of Staff, etc. were ditched when he announced appointees to those key positions on Thursday. Many believe that there could be more surprises when he names his ministers soon.
Performance is key now and only those that perform will be rewarded. Nigerians are watching and they would not hesitate to hound anyone who chooses to perform below their expectations. For this reason, ministers that would be appointed must be careful, for now is time to work.
In the past, civil servants were the brain behind corruption. They drew the road map for the ministers and told them how and where to put tax payers’ money for their own good. Now even the civil servants have been told to either shun corruption or leave service by the ‘Boss’.
The Permanent Secretary in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Muhammed Bukar, said President Buhari gave the warning to all civil servants.
“We have received a mandate to work harder. He has given us a very strong warning that change has come and every public servant has to sit up. We will give our best to support the government,” he announced Thursday after the meeting with the ‘Boss’.
Nigerians are watching because they are no longer the preys but the predators.
You can reach Seun Bisuga via Twitter via @bisuclef