SOURCE: THE PUNCH
As President Goodluck Jonathan sorts out the list of his aides for the next dispensation – amidst intrigues, pressure and various political calculations – ABIMBOLA ADELAKUN, GBENGA ADENIJI, ALLWELL OKPI, JAYNE AUGOYE and MAUREEN AZUH rule out some of the names that have been thrown up, based on their records in offices hitherto held
Ojo Maduekwe
Ojo Maduekwe was a minister in the Obasanjo and Yar’Adua administrations. Yet, his name has come up as the likely Secretary to the Government of the Federation in the impending Jonathan government. This does not only sound like an undue pampering in a country where millions of people qualified for the same position are idling away, but because Maduekwe has never performed brilliantly as a public official.
Popularly called ‘AGIP’ (Any Government in Power), he is probably the most recycled public office holder in Nigeria. He was once the National Secretary of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, a position that pan-Igbo socio-political organisation, Olu Ndi Igbo, then faulted.
In a country where integrity is taken seriously, Maduekwe would never have tasted the ministerial apple – at least not after 1999.
During the terrible Abacha reign, he canvassed for the late ruler’s self-transmutation. When Obasanjo was also scheming for a third term, the same Maduekwe was in the forefront of those campaigning for him. Little wonder, he was described by WikiLeaks as an opportunist willing to serve any administration irrespective of how it is done During Yar’Adua’s regime, Maduekwe had sacked Nigeria’s Ambassador to the US, Oluwole Rotimi, for allegedly undermining his (Maduekwe) office. But later, Rotimi said Maduekwe got him out because of his insistence on accountability over a Nigerian house sold in the US.
He also appeared before The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs on account of the N2.7bn expended as travel expenses as Foreign Affairs Minister. Maduekwe did not see anything wrong with in this and he even asked for an increase at a time many of the country’s embassies were broke.
Ikedi Ohakim
After failing to get re-elected as governor of Imo State, it is possible that Ikedi Ohakim will strive to get his name on the list of new ministers. That is probably the only bail-out for the businessman-turned-politician, who boasted that none of his opponents could match him at the polls, but ended up defeated. The public jubilation that followed his defeat showed that Imo people had rejected him, and merely tolerated him through the four-year tenure.
Till date, some still argue that Ohakim was not the people’s choice in the controversial April 14, 2007 Imo governorship election, in which voting was cancelled by the Independent National Electoral Commission after a widespread violence. Nonetheless, Ohakim was declared the winner in the rescheduled election two weeks later. However, it is his conduct and performance as governor that mostly make him unsuitable for a ministerial appointment.
Many of his critics say his biggest achievement was his greening programme which saw flowers planted around the state.
Besides, Ohakim is only remembered for his ill temper, arrogance and loquaciousness. Shortly after he became governors his security detail attacked a female motorist in the presence of her children after a minor traffic argument. Shortly thereafter, a social activist in the state claimed Ohakim invited him to the government house and whipped him with a horsewhip.
However, the act of brigandage that turned the electorate against him was the humiliation that his security detail visited upon a reverend father in the predominantly catholic state.
Though Ohakim was relatively successful in business, he is believed to have failed in effectively managing government funds. Few days to his exit, it has been reported that the state treasury is in red, while most of the about 2000 youths that have been employed so far in his proposed 10, 000 jobs scheme, are being owed.
Diezani Alison-Madueke
Diezani Alison-Madueke, 49, has got a pretty face. but what launched her into fame was the theatrics she displayed on the Lagos-Benin Expressway where she launched a high profile visit to prove that, as a minister of transport, she wasn’t just going to sit in the office and look pretty like a flower vase.
Alison-Madueke, for good measure, broke down in tears at the Ore section of the highway and gave a well rehearsed apology on behalf of the Federal government for the state of the road and promised that the expressway would soon be expeditiously revamped. Well, as the minister of transport, she was expected to show more zeal than tears. She didn’t quite do so but as reward for her (non)efforts, she was redeployed to the mines and steel development ministry in December 2008 and subsequently ‘promoted’ to Minister of Petroleum, becoming the first woman to do so.
According to whistleblower, WikiLeaks, her family has an entrenched interest in Royal Dutch/Shell, suggesting that her coming is like a strategic return of the oil giant to the mainstream. What seems to be most important, however, is that since then, a lot has happened. Within 60 days of her leadership, the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation got two group managing directors, with speculations that the appointees were her cronies.
She has twice been indicted by the Senate for fraud. The first was in 2008 and the indictment was about ‘irresponsible and reckless’ spending concerning the illegal transfer of $263m, from the account of the ministry within just three days - December 26-31, 2007.
The second indictment came less than two years after the first probe. In October 2009, the Senate indicted her and recommended that she be tried for allegedly transferring N1.2bn of a toll company into her private account without due process and in breach of concession agreement.
While campaigning for President Goodluck Jonathan, she kept assuring Nigerians that their administration had done well by ensuring that people no longer queued for petrol. She, however, has no answer for the scarcity and costliness of diesel and kerosene currently biting the polity.
Alison-Madueke has been credited with working on the oncoming Gas Revolution or for steering the Nigeria oil and gas industry towards the path of transformation and sustainably growth. In fact, much of the achievements credited to her has either been that she is a female or for projects that are yet to be realised. In terms of concrete achievements, she has very little to show for the past four years in governance.
Dimeji Bankole
Dimeji Bankole assumed the speakership of the House of Assembly at a relatively young age – less than 40. While no one should deny him the influence of whatever political calculation and providence that lay the honour on his lap, one may be worried that he does not seem to have not performed excellently. For one, the past four years have not seen him demonstrate the kind of political maturity that one would have expected from one with a new generation blood.
The House he led romanced crises and absence of integrity several times. Ever since he assumed leadership of the lower legislative chamber, it has experienced more than its fair share of scandals. In June last year, some members of the self-styled ‘‘Progressives Group’’ flexed muscles with a faction loyal to the speaker as a result of which the House was thrown into an uproar.
Personally as the speaker, Bankole has had to contend with one form of graft allegation or the other. In fact, controversy trails most of his footsteps like a bad coin. At a time, some members of the House were calling for his sack over what they termed his role in the alleged misappropriation of funds for the purchase of cars for the House. While the dust is yet to settle on that, he is back in the trenches fighting some of his collegues over a N10b loan he allegedly took on behalf the House.
As a result, many Nigerians believe that the House Bankole led has not really, earned itself a good image and as its leader, he lacks the moral latitude to hold public offices. So, he does not deserve to be made a minister in whatever capacity particularly as the criteria for such a position include competence, integrity and maturity.
Josephine Anenih
Although Josephine Anenih has, for a long time, been at the forefront of women politics and activism, She has no legacy ot tout for her time in public office. Albert, where competence counts, the wife of the PDP top gun, Tony Anenih, has been a force to reckon with in the corridors of power.
She was a Special Adviser on Women Affairs to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and currently the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development. Josephine was also the chairperson of the Federation of Women Lawyers between1994 to 2000, and was the first National Woman Leader of the PDP.
In April 2002 she came under fire from critics and human right activists when she hailed the implementation of the Sharia Legal system in Kano State. Earlier this year, she was alleged to have diverted N150m earmarked by PDP to assist female members running for offices at various levels.
She also allegedly cornered hundreds of thousands of dollars from the United Nation Development Fund (UNDP), meant to empower the women.
While it is good that Jonathan has promised to give women up to 35 per cent slot in the ministerial appointments, it will not be good to honour someone who appears to have been milking the womenfolk. So, retaining Josephine, or offering her another portfolio is not the best.
In the politics of the governor’s administration, the voice of Arapaja was not too pronounced. And it is clear that if there was any issue he added his voice, it is mere echoing of his boss’.
For a man who prides himself as a grassroots politician, many may doubt his impact in a ministerial position- a post which requires wider reach to several categories of people.
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