Although President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn into power on May 29, 2015, he waited for more than five months before appointing Ministers into his cabinet in October 2015, after a careful and rigorous selection process. Now after a year in office, some analysts believe some of the ministers have not performed to expectation and should be replaced by the President. Do you think it is time for some ministers to be replaced or shuffled, or should they be allowed to stay on to effect the expected positive change?
ABIMBOLA AKOSILE
* Not just sack them; he should jail them for wasting our time and money. There is no bigger economic terrorism than this.
– Mr. Joel Nwokeoma, Lagos State
* Changing or swapping Ministers didn’t start with PMB. He has made the greatest mistake by single-handedly choosing his cabinet. My advice to him is to carry all Nigerians along whether they voted for him or not. He should thank God that at his age, vibrant and intelligent youths voted for him, leaving their colleagues. He must listen to the people and do what is right without any bias!
– Hon. Babale Maiungwa, U/Romi, Kaduna
* The selection process was neither rigorous nor carefully done. The president could even come up with the ministerial list that took six months on the day of his inauguration, because it was a compensation list after all.
– Mr. Olajuwon Obajemu, Banker, Lagos
* No. For continuity re-shuffle them if need be. But they are all quite intelligent and doing great respectively. Advanced countries tenaciously cling to our looted monies so shamelessly and take sides with the looters indirectly. This is partly why ministers are apparently sweating yet unable to fix Nigeria’s challenges. Our experts in any field in the Diaspora are shining examples any day. We need real honesty, truth, love, patriotism, and unity to succeed.
– Mr. Apeji Onesi, Lagos
* Did PMB ever have a cabinet, or he had a cabal? That should be the appropriate question.
– Mr. Moses Iyobhebhe, Abuja
* Cabinet reshuffling or fresh appointments may not be what Nigeria needs to get out of this current economic quagmire. I think the president needs to provide his cabinet members with the appropriate tools and resources required to deliver the anticipated change that Nigerians are yearning for. God save Nigeria.
– Mrs. Lias Oluwaseyi, Lagos
* To heal the Nigerian economy, the President should remove those that are under-performing and put the competent hands irrespective of interest whatsoever. And any with more than one portfolio should be unburdened.
– Mr. Acha Moses, Lagos
* My grouse is that none of the Ministers have been exceptional in performance considering the ‘saints’ buzz that preceded their appointment. That said, the tasks before the Ministers are herculean enough, without the politics thrown into the mix.
– Mr. Utibe Robert Uko, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State
* What PMB should do with his ministers is to give them targets of goals rather than sacking them over non-performance. Nobody should blame the ministers for not performing up to expectation; Nigerians should exercise patience with them. The ministers know where our shoes pinch and they are credible people. But what they met on ground makes it look as if they are not working to deliver the good governance we expect from them during this recession.
– Mrs. Ijeoma Nnorom, Lagos State
* Yes, starting from the Information and Finance Ministers and the CBN Governor.
– Mr. Duru Nnamdi, Abuja
* He needs to replace some of them. Some of them were alleged to be corrupt even before they were appointed. Now, he has studied his cabinet, knows their capabilities, coupled with electorate hardship of no food, employment, money in circulation, fertiliser not supplied in good time for farming and killing of farmers by herdsmen e.t.c. It is almost two years of this administration and there is poor road network and no meaningful development.
– Mr. Dogo Stephen, Kaduna
* In meetings philosophy might work, but in the field practicality works.
– Mr. Ezenwa Chika, Ikeja, Lagos
* Cabinet reshuffle is long overdue because Nigerians are suffering over non-performance since they took over. Nigerians need change of non-performing ministers to move the nation forward. We cannot continue hearing excuses all the time. Let them stop blaming past government and find solutions to our problems.
– Mr. Gordon Chika Nnorom, Public Commentator, Umukabia, Abia State
* Yes, PMB needs to overhaul his cabinet as soon as possible. Obviously some of them are square pegs in round holes, and cannot help the president to meet the yearnings of the people. All he has to do is look at the currently non-performing sectors or ministries to know who to drop and replace; and the earlier the better.
– Mr. Olumuyiwa Olorunsomo, Lagos State
* Some ministers have shown great potential. Fayemi, for example, has some brilliant ideas for the solid minerals sector, but the political will to adopt and implement these ideas by his principal is another matter. These ministers have only really been active for a few months so they cannot be fully and fairly assessed. Remember, everything was at a standstill for over a year including ongoing projects. Then the time it takes for due diligence to be carried out is also a factor. Let’s give them another year.
– Mr. Buga Dunj, Jos, Plateau State
* I expect PMB to tarry a while before effecting a cabinet reshuffle, say till Democracy Day 2017 (May 29). Let us finish one budget cycle first. By that date, those ministers who have not been performing or who think they have been called to sinecures should be shown the door!
– Mr. E. Iheanyi Chukwudi, B.A.R., Apo, Abuja
* Cabinet or no cabinet is not the issue, but the issue is wrong pegs are inside the round holes as we can see in this present administration. Fashola can handle the post of Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation for effective law and order. They should be serious and determined to achieve Vision 2020 goals and stop fighting for their pockets. Lastly, Mr. President should be at watch to change any under-performing minister.
– Mr. Obademi Joel, Member, Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Isolo, Lagos
* The Ministers of Sports and Women Affairs should be replaced.
– Mr. Feyi Akeeb Kareem, CMF & CDHR, Ogwashi-Ukwu, Delta State
* Yes, those that need swapping or total removal should be done without fear or favour. Our human resources are globally recognised for our unique intelligence prowess in any field worldwide. Advanced countries source for needed experts from any part of the world irrespective of race, colour, status e.t.c. What we really need is unity and patriotism, yet the ball is in our court and not anywhere else. We must kick out corruption urgently too.
– Miss Apeji Patience Eneyeme, Badagry, Lagos State
THE RESPONSE
Yes, replace some ministers: 8
No, don’t replace them yet: 3
Others: 8
Radical tip: Jail some too!
Total no of respondents: 19
Male: 16
Female: 3
Highest location: Lagos (10)
Next Week: Can Jury System Improve Corruption Trials, Justice in Nigeria?
Some advanced countries like the United States and the UK often use jury panels of 12 carefully-selected citizens to determine criminal cases, where the verdict or outcome also helps to minimise appeals. Although Nigeria, which adopted bench trials, is yet to fully embrace such a practice, do you think the use of juries can help speed up criminal and corruption trials, reduce bias and corrupt inducement of judges, and enhance administration of justice in this country?
Please make your response direct, short and simple, and state your full name, title, organisation, and location. Responses should be sent between today (Oct 13 & Monday, Oct 17) to abimbolayi@yahoo.com, greatbimbo@gmail.com, AND abimbola.akosile@thisdaylive.com. Respondents can also send a short text message to 08023117639 and/or 08188361766 and/or 08114495306. Collated responses will be published on Thursday, October 20
