In signs that he may be ready to move things at a faster pace, President Muhammadu Buhari has signalled his intentions to appoint more ministers and juggle board positions.
The compressed federal executive council, will be expanded to bring in more supporters at federal level, with fresh ideas to be injected into the government.
The President made this known in a speech he delivered at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the All Peoples Congress (APC) held in Aso Rock yesterday. Buhari, also signalled his intentions to appoint party members to the boards of parastatals.
“Last year I said we would re-constitute the boards of parastatals. I must regret the fact that we have not done so, for many reasons,” he said. By the Grace of God, these appointments will be announced soon. Especially now that the economy is improving, we will have the resources to cater for the appointees.
Why is the President doing this ?
It is traditional for most regimes to embark on a cabinet reshuffle or reforms midway through its tenure. 2017 has been largely overshadowed by his frequent trips abroad for medical treatment. Approaching elections in 2019 also mean the President may be under pressure to reward loyal party members, in order to retain their support, should he decide to run for another term. Some analysts and members of the National Assembly had also criticized the triple portfolio of Power, Works and Housing held by Babatunde Fashola, calling it burdensome.
Back to the days of old ?
President Buhari’s decision could be interpreted as a return to the old days when the nation had a bloated cabinet as well as board positions. It is also not known the President, will drop technocrats in favour of politicians as electioneering draws close.
