May 29, 2015 has finally come and gone. Nigerians had been waiting since the presidential elections on March 28 to see President Muhammadu Buhari sworn in. It didn’t matter if the people were his supporters or voted for his opponent, former President Goodluck Jonathan; it was a day to look forward to a day that was a watershed moment in Nigeria’s democratic history – the first transfer of power from one party to another.
However, it is almost a week after the inauguration and there is hardly a team in place around the new president. It is common practice for presidents to make the appointments that do not need Senate screening and confirmation days after being sworn in so that the business of governance can get underway immediately.
For example, former President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed his service chiefs, Chief of Staff and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on the very day he was sworn into office in 1999. His successor, late Umaru Yar’adua followed suit and made these key appointments by the next day after his swearing-in in 2007.
In a stark contrast, however, the only appointments President Buhari has made so far are those of his media team – the Special Adviser and Senior Special Assistant on Media & Publicity respectively were appointed on Sunday, two days after the inauguration. The appointments of the National Security Adviser, the Chief of Staff, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and the service chiefs are being awaited.
The lethargy in appointing a team to get the government off the ground falls really short of the expectations of Nigerians. At least, President Buhari has known that he will be president since March 30th and he should have used the window-period of two months to make a shortlist of those he will appoint into these positions. The time should have been enough to scout for competent persons for those persons and also conclude all the political horse-trading that comes with such appointments.
Like we wrote in a previous editorial, President Buhari does have the luxury of time to get the act of his administration together. The two months between the elections and the inauguration was his honeymoon period and Nigerians expect to see action from the very first day. He should realize that besides the legendary impatience Nigerians have, the weight of expectations on him is very heavy and the longer he tarries in acting, the more likely he could crumble under it.
This delay in making these appointments becomes worrisome when it is expected that the list of ministerial nominees will be before the Senate once it is convened so that the process of screening them will be fast and they can settle into their portfolios. However, if the process of drawing up the list of nominees takes as much time as it is taking to make appointments that don’t need screening, then this administration might have a slower take-off than will be liked.
We implore President Buhari to as a matter of urgency make every crucial appointment and fill these positions with the right persons so that he can get to work fulfilling his electoral promises.
His time started since May 29th and every day counts. The earlier he has a team around him, the better his chances of really making each day count.
Mark Amaza is a passionate Nigerian; Team Leader of MINDcapital, a branding and business model development firm by day; online blogger and columnist; public speaker; loves to conjure up abstract thoughts and connect random events; bibliophile; avid music lover; FC Barcelona fanatic; expectant of experiences.
Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.
This is evidence that this administration was not prepared .It also shows that the administration has nothing to offer to the people.To rule is difference from lies and media propaganda.It is easy said than done.