Now That a Full Government is in Place. – THISDAY.

  President Buhari and the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, when the latter presented the complete list of the ministerial nominees to the president…no more excuses

Over six months after assuming office, both the executive and legislative arms of government have finally set up structures for operations. As such, excuses for delayed take-off should cease forthwith. Omololu Ogunmade writes
Now that the full structures of government have been fully installed, the polity can now heave a sigh of relief from the tension that arose from the delay in the take-off of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari. The nation had been kept in suspense since May 29, 2015, when Buhari took over the baton of leadership from President Goodluck Jonathan until November 11, when the president eventually constituted his cabinet.
Nigerians were apprehensive that after running for presidency for 12 years, Buhari failed to hit the ground running as the thinking of many Nigerians was that the president in the course of his over one decade of running for the office and in consonance with his constant complaints about governance, already had a blueprint for a better Nigeria. Although his aides and supporters have had to dismiss that as avoiding hitting the ground running to landing in the mud, the excuses still never made sense to an average Nigerian.
However, the perceived lackluster approach of the new administration to governance particularly the initial impression that the administration was shopping for uncommon hands to head various ministries only to come up with many familiar faces was of utmost concern to many. This generated disappointments in some individuals, who doubted the capacity of the government to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians, who have over the years yearned for a new lease of life.
Eventually, after a long wait, the cabinet came on board on November 11, when Buhari assigned portfolios to the newly confirmed ministers. Given this development, the hitherto claim that government could not make any meaningful service delivery to the people because the human resources needed to drive the service were yet to be put in place is no longer tenable.
Therefore, Nigerians have since expected to see the government launch into action by registering its presence in almost every sphere of their national life – from revival of the education sector to infrastructure development; justice administration to improved living standard; foreign exchange to commerce and trade, among others.
But fears have been on the rise as many Nigerians still complain that almost a month after, there are yet to be signs that the government’s full machinery has taken off while a number of them insist that the administration of Buhari no longer has any excuse for non-delivery of democracy dividends.
Given the degree of expectations from Nigerians, the government will undoubtedly confront a barrage of criticism from the citizens in the next few days and weeks if there are no visible signs that the government has fully entrenched itself. Thus, the comment by Buhari at the inauguration of the ministers that he had carefully put round pegs in round holes had further fueled the expectations of people that there is no reason for them not to enjoy meaningful democracy dividends.
“Since we as­sumed office in May, I have been mindful of the need to ensure that the appointment of new ministers translates into putting round pegs in round holes, while showing sensitivity to our diversity as a people and our various positions as groups of stakeholders in our country.
“I have also been conscious of the need not to repeat such mistakes of the past, where the right people were allocated the wrong portfolios, which trans­lated into their performing poor­ly, to our collective detriment despite their obvious capabili­ties. Also, I have responded to the counsel to consult as widely as possible, given the need to build a stable and all-inclusive government, by reaching across our various ethnic and political divides.
“While working hard to maximise revenue from oil in the face of a sharp decline in the price for the commodity, we are determined to diversify the economy in agriculture to enhance employment and ex­plore solid minerals as a major revenue earner.
“The primary aim is to achieve self-sufficiency in the production of such staples as rice and wheat and to become a major consumer and exporter of both items as well as solid min­erals. We intend to pursue poli­cies that will generate massive employment for millions of our youth,” the president said.
This remark by the president looked promising to Nigerians, who expected it to be swiftly translated into action. This is moreso that just as the executive structure has fully taken shape the legislature is also not lagging behind as Senate President Bukola Saraki had in the last two weeks inaugurated 65 standing and special committees of the eighth Senate.
In the same vein, his counterpart and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, had constituted 96 committees.
Accordingly, most of the committees have had their inaugural meetings. This implies that the entire government structure across the three organs of government, viz: the executive, the legislature and the judiciary, is now fully in place in accordance with the principles of separation of powers as well as checks and balances as propounded by Baron De Montesquieu.

While the primary function of the executive is to implement effective government policies aimed at improving the lots of the citizenry, the legislature on the other hand is saddled with the responsibility of scrutinising such policies and simultaneously calling the executive to order wherever it is perceived to have erred.
It is against this background that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides for the constitution of standing committees to serve as the platforms for the oversight of the executive with a view to ensuring that the primary purpose of government to provide security and welfare for the citizens is guaranteed.
In the past, the provision of oversight by the legislature had been nothing but a farce as the activities of the executive were not only riddled with unchecked corrupt practices which had been inimical to the progress of the nation, there had also been poor delivery of services to the Nigerian people owing largely to inefficient provision of oversight by the legislature.
Hence, Nigerians expect the eighth National Assembly with its recent constitution of as many as 161 committees by both chambers to be awake to its responsibilities by deliberately propelling the executive to meet the needs of the citizenry and at the same time holding it accountable where it is failing.
Similarly, the judiciary is expected to complement the effort through the dispensation of justice without fear or favour and where this organ of government is also perceived to be failing, the National Assembly’s committees on judiciary in both chambers are expected to hold the third organ of government accountable for such misdeeds.
Saraki appeared to be conscious of this role of the legislature when he said during one of the inaugurations that the committee system was a veritable platform through which governance could be shaped. If this remark was not a mere political statement, the nation could then face the future with hope.
Hear Saraki: “By this inauguration, we begin the full implementation of our vision to make laws that will impact positively on our people. The task ahead of us is enormous. However, I am delighted with the level of commitment and zeal already exhibited by Senators towards the challenge we have ahead. I am also pleased with the constitution of the committees being inaugurated today.
“I want to thank all those who helped to put together the membership of the committee for their effort. As I said previously, the committee system is at the heart of our legislative processes and activities. It remains the veritable tool that a democratic legislature must rely on for some of its most important works including considering, shaping, and passing bills.
“The effectiveness of our ability to carry out our oversight functions and expose corruption squarely rests on the effectiveness of our committee systems. It is in this context that you must therefore measure the importance and level of responsibility attached to your membership of these committees.
“Therefore, I do not need to remind you to take your assignments very seriously. In selecting members of these committees, your background experience, knowledge, passion and the highest standard of legislative competence that will help the eighth Senate achieve its legislative agenda was compelling aside the need for balance.
“You have been chosen also because we have a great task ahead, to think outside of the box. I expect that you will work to affirm this choice by discharging your duties diligently. In this regard, regular
attendance to meetings cannot be overstressed.

“The leadership of all Senate committees must take care to run an inclusive structure and avoid creating an impression that the affairs of the committee are a one-man show. This Senate will not tolerate this because it is against the spirit and commitment embodied in our
legislative agenda, which we have freely given to ourselves. Again, the eighth Senate expects that you will immediately roll up your sleeves and face the work ahead.

“We also expect that you will treat all bills and reports referred to the committees expeditiously especially those relating to our legislative agenda. The same applies to all your oversight reports. This eighth Senate takes ethics very seriously. It is my expectation that in your dealings with government agencies, you will observe highest ethical standards in discharging your duties.”
With this consciousness and full entrenchment of government machinery now, Nigerians look forward to seeing a rapid change in the system. Therefore, the next few days and weeks will reveal if the government is indeed prepared to run a people-oriented administration or wants to continue to give excuses for inefficiency and avoidable failure