President Muhammadu Buhari has
not announced a single appointment into his administration, 11 days after he
was sworn in for a second term of four years.
Mr Buhari wrapped up his first
term and immediately began a new tenure on May 29. His first term cabinet was
officially dissolved on May 28, alongside all other political appointments.
Even though he promised to run a
government with marked improvement on his first term, the president has carried
on with his usual taciturn attitude to official activities.
The country has remained
bedeviled by acute unemployment crisis, insecurity, infrastructure deficit and
other national emergencies that should ordinarily require emergency attention.
Mr Buhari came to power in 2015 to solve these problems.
The president promised to do
better in his second term, but the first 11 days have revealed that he may not
stay true to that promise.
Since May 29, the president has
not made any appointments of people that would work with him. He has not named
even the secretary to the government of the federation, chief of staff, chief
security officer, state Chief of protocol, spokespersons or other political
appointments that are largely deemed uncomplicated because they require no
Senate confirmation.
Despite the widespread criticism
the president received in his first term over delay in key appointments, his
failure to name anyone in the first 11 days of his second term appears a
retrogression in comparison.
In his first term, Mr Buhari
named Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu as his spokespersons on May 31, 2015, barely
two days after assuming office. Other administration positions were also filled
within a short period, but the appointment of the secretary to the government,
chief of staff and national security adviser took several weeks.
Although Messrs Adesina and
Shehu, as well as the chief of staff Abba Kyari and a host of other political
aides are still said to be working in unofficial capacity for the president,
their appointments still need to be renewed to meet the requirements of the
law, according to lawyer Inibehe Effiong.
Mr Effiong said all the political
offices filled by Mr Buhari, except tenured appointments, have to be renewed
because they expired with the president’s first term.
“When you compare this with the
delay we witnessed in the first term, you will see that it is even worse,” Mr
Effiong said on Saturday night. “The SGF and the chief of staff
should have been reappointed within 24 hours rather than keeping them doing
government work in unofficial capacity.”
Mr Effiong said he had approached
the court for a judicial review of the president’s action, saying it may cost
Nigeria too much damage if not immediately addressed.
“For a president who has spent
four years, it shows a lack of leadership and direction that he cannot learn
quickly from the past and make swift appointments to kick the government
running.”
“It seemed like if this man is in
office for another 100 years, he would still not be able to navigate his
activities,” Mr Effiong said. “It is a national tragedy.”
Mr Effiong said the president
should have named his ministerial candidates ahead of the inauguration of the
parliament on June 11.
“He should have prepared the list
and then send it to them immediately they convene so they can clear the
ministers to start work,” Mr Effiong said.
“This country is in a very bad
shape and we cannot afford to be wasting much-needed time when even developed
countries are running 24 hours.”
Mr Effiong said he was troubled
that the president has not bothered to clarify the status of his aides despite
the concerns it has elicited from the public.
Following widespread controversy
over the six months Mr Buhari wasted to constitute his cabinet in 2015, federal
lawmakers debated a bill to compel future presidents to name ministers within a
month. The bill was defeated by the ruling All Progressives Congress-dominated
National Assembly.
Mr Shehu did not answer calls
seeking comments about why the president has been dragging feet over
appointment or reappointment of aides.
Mr Adesina declined to comment on
the same enquiries on Saturday night.
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