Portfolios: I would have told Tinubu to avoid giving former Governors ministries to head – Baba-Ahmed

The Director, Publicity and Advocacy, Northern Elders Forum, (NEF), Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed has said he would have told President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to avoid giving ministries to former Governors to head if he had the opportunity to offer his personal opinion to the president. Baba-Ahmed who spoke on Silverbird TV also said he would have told the president to increase his appointments purely on merits and not on patronage.

When asked if he sees the president’s new ministers and their portfolios as best for Nigeria?

He said, “He just appointed them. We have to wait and see. Is he going to give them benchmarks to meet? Is he going to lead by example. Whether he has put the right pegs in the right holes would be decided.

If I have to offer a personal opinion before the decision, I would have said one or two things. Increase the number of people in your cabinet who will be there purely on merit, not on patronage, not on the basis of what they did to get you elected. You are elected already, your job now is to govern the country which is in serious dire straits. And so I would say emphasize merits.

Also I would say avoid giving former Governors ministries to head. And I’m here speaking as an old permanent secretary. Governors are used to receiving a billion or more billions in a month. Sometimes on a number of occasions when Presidents have opened to Governors to head miniseries, they tend to look at it as just a small little assignment to mark time.”

(From 0:35)

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