Olaifa Tobiloba: Congratulations, Mr. President

Wondering why I showered our military junta president with the congratulations word is Nothing but that his mission on Nigerians was achieved. But if you are the kind of person that got angry easily being triggered by my headline you would be thinking why have must congratulate this man called Buhari. Well to say it all, I’m not congratulating our president for his first-class degree in Academics rather poor class degree in leadership and governance. Hope I’m dousing your anger?.

After his retirement in the Nigeria military, thereafter since 2003 Buhari had contested three times for the presidential seat to rule us again under the civilian government before he eventually came into power in 2015 after he won the election bid and defeated then the incumbent president one of the unprecedented histories of Nigeria.

At that period of time, Nigerians desperately needed someone more like a Messiah to save us from the hands of the 16 years sabotage PDP’s government. Thus, and for someone who has been contesting three times, you would have thought he has something better and tangible he wants to offer the country so by this we were blindfolded and rushes for this man Buhari that we all think he was the messiah who can give us the best governance we are clamoring to have.

Here come and gone era of change the year 2015 where Nigerians expected more from the president and we didn’t witness something special or new in our land Instead we had all invited more grievances on ourselves just because for things to be getting easier the harder it escalated In that period of change. But Nigeria’s politicians when failed the people would go in another way and put blames on the previous government who they took power from. When things like this happened In Nigeria you don’t have to be told that News like ” We inherited bad government-Presidency”, would appear boldly on front pages of our national newspapers and on our television screen as News. This was our epistle in 2015 from the hands of APC government and we assumed to it.

Again in the last presidential election barely six months ago Buhari either by our vote counts or not won the re-election bid back into the office and till this moment we are yet to start feeling the real Next Level agenda they preached to us during the campaigning period. Now, the habitual silly excuse to have inherited a bad government won’t come up as usual.

Though after six months of his re-election bid and 84 days of inauguration into the office and one month after screening and confirmation of the 43 ministerial lists to the Senate, Buhari finally on Wednesday inaugurated an assigned portfolio to his 43 men cabinet. Once again congratulations to you and your distinguished ministers.

Looking through the ministerial list according to their assigned portfolios on my part was unimpressive and disappointing. Unlike any other developed country in the world that have at least a minimum of 10 ministers, Nigeria has the highest numbers of ministers this time around bugged with unnecessary portfolios. The fear here is that is this 43 cabinet ready to serve the people with the intent of bringing development and progress out of teamwork or has Buhari just inaugurated another set of human termites who are ready to suck greedily the nation’s money?. 

The consequences of ministers nomination and screening without assigning portfolios earlier in the case of public confession by the minister of interior, Rauf Aregbesola shortly after the inauguration on Wednesday who confessed that he found himself in a strange ministry. He added that he has no idea on the operation of the internal security ministry except what he does read about it on newspapers.

However, with this I believed not only this man would have found himself in such strange ministry but others would just prefer to keep mum and move on with their lives in a strange office that they had no idea of it. Totally the assignation of the portfolios would be best described as fitting a square peg in a round hole.

That aside, with the fact that Nigerians are hungry and angry people with frustrating faces due to the economic hardship that sweeps the land. Shortly after the inauguration on Wednesday at Abuja, Another newly inaugurated Minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio was captured dancing and partying on the street of Abuja jubilating happily and throughout the Wednesday evening, there was a celebration with his political associate. 

The question for this birthday boy his that he should explain to Nigerians what exactly is jubilation all about when Nigerians aren’t happy yet. During this period our body is hundred percent weak to start dancing so why must he be dancing and partying because he made the list. It is said that a happy citizen makes happy leaders. A true leader should forever be concerned and sad on whatever worries it’s a citizen not being happy when it’s citizen are unhappy people. Once the citizen of any country is forever happy then the leaders can take to the dance floor for the achievement of making its people happy. So, Akpabio this is not the right time to start celebrating rather the time to stay awake all nights and think on the best to give back to your ministry and Nigerians generally.

Don’t take the golden opportunity to get millions of dollars in your account like you have done in the past. Nigerians are sad people this time so don’t let your celebration lead you being lynched by these unhappy people like what happened recently to the former Deputy Speaker of House of Assembly, Ekweremadu in Germany.

In conclusion, Mr. President congratulations even yet you score zero over nothing by assigning wrong portfolios to ineligible ministers of yours. We are eagerly waiting on what you and your 43 men ministers have for us in the next remaining years ahead of you. My regards to your ministers and tell them to serve diligently and remember their oath of allegiance when still in power. 

Olaifa Tobiloba writes in from Abeokuta.