Buhari’s Forgotten Ministers
When their names made President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial list, many Nigerians, acquainted of their impressive resumes, were full of high expectations about the positive contributions they would make to the administration. But not so anymore, as just
By Fidelis Mac-Leva, Ademola Adebayo, Ojoma Akor, Joshua Odeyemi, JuddLeonard Okafor, Abdullateef Salau, Francis Arinze Iloani, Zakariyya Adaramola & Husseini Yayaha
TDr. Kayode Fayemi hough the name of the ministry has since been changed from the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development to the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, observers believe that not much has changed or been witnessed in this sector full of economic potentials.
The Minister of Mines and Steel Development Dr. Kayode Fayemi had on assumption of office pledged his commitment to developing the solid minerals sector, while ironically pointing at the government’s own inadequacies at identifying what is good for Nigeria and mustering the will to promote it.
He initially came across as one of the top five in Buhari’s cabinet that have the expertise and experience to see the government deliver on all its promises to the Nigerian voter.
Also, given the policy of the Buhari-administration on diversification, Nigerians expected his ministry to be in the lead in generating non-oil revenue for the nation.
He identified limited infrastructure, insufficient geological data, limited corporate federalism, illegal artisanal mining community challenges, weak institutional capacity and insufficient funding as the bane of the sector and promised to take these numerous challenges head on, and deliver on the Federal Government’s vision, of building a mining sector that Nigerians can be proud of 30 years or more from now.
However, with over a year in office, Fayemi has not recorded any visible success in addressing the challenges he identified as bedeviling the solid mineral sector.
Also, the promise by the minister to strengthen a unit of the ministry which should check such illegal activities has also not been fulfilled as the Mines Inspectorate Department is currently been faced by lack of adequate funds and manpower to carry out its functions.
Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau
A year after being appointed the minister to oversee the Ministry of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau (Rtd), Nigerians are of the belief that nothing spectacular has changed in affairs of the ministry.
On resumption of office, the former Chief of Army Staff had vowed to stamp out corruption in the ministry, saying: “My leadership will have zero tolerance for corruption, indolence, sectarianism, cronyism, and most of all, impunity.” Many had expected that Dambazau’s experience and qualifications as a military officer, lawyer and academic will come in handy in overseeing the internal security of the country.
However, a year after, all the problems associated with the ministry like corruption, impunity, inefficiency, indolence, among others are still well rooted in the ministry. Under his ministry are the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Federal Fire Service (FFS), Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC).
Cases of corruption still abound in the aforementioned services as there has been secret recruitment in agencies under Dambazau’s watch. Appointments are being given to relatives of those
in the corridors of powers without following due process.
Under his watch, the country witnessed unprecedented incidents of jailbreaks. Between January and June 2016 alone, no fewer than six jailbreaks, riots and attempted jailbreaks were recorded. Prison warders have been fingered in the smuggling of illegal substances into the prison premises while others were accused of abandoning their duty posts.
Besides, there have not been any changes in the condition of prison facilities all over the country as most of them are still overcrowded with the ‘awaiting trial’ inmates still having over 70 percent of the population.
In the Immigration Service, there have been complaints of scarcity of Nigerian visas in foreign countries with most people intending to visit the country finding it difficult to undertake their journeys.
Perhaps, the only cheering news is that in the Federal Fire Service the Dambazau- led administration has ensured the procurement of new equipment for the Service. Senator Aisha Alhassan Senator Aisha Alhassan shot to nationwide fame while contesting for the governorship seat of Taraba State in the 2015 general elections, but her popularity soared with the close-call elections and subsequent petitions.
Shortly after her appointment, Alhassan, popularly called ‘Mama Taraba’, went into hibernation of some sorts. She was said to have taken ill and reportedly underwent orthopaedic surgery in the US.
However, Senator Alhassan’s reappearance at Aso Rock Villa and her first meet-the-press after a Federal Executive Council meeting few weeks later was a delight. Disappointment soared that Alhassan didn’t hit the ground running. She visited her home state, first, and then got to work.
The ministry was involved with a plethora of legislation affecting women and children; one prohibiting violence, another guaranteeing child rights and a third ensuring gender equality.
Her most prominent engagement has been to investigate allegations of sexual abuse of women on camps for displaced people.