Can Fashola and co deliver the ‘change’?

In from Olumide Olaoluwa . . .
After a five-month wait, Nigeria finally has a new Federal Executive Council (FEC) constituted. President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday swore in 37 ministers to drive the change mantra of his administration.
Much as many believe the new cabinet team comprises top performers with impressive resume, governing Nigeria is never a tea party. Being a minister is one thing, but delivering on the mandate is another.
This is so because of entrenched forces out to sabotage the good intentions of government. Will Buhari’s ministers break the jinx and usher anxious Nigerians to an era of change in standard of living?
Can Fashola deliver on Power, Works and Housing?
Immediate past Lagos State’s Governor Raji Fashola was clearly the cynosure of all eyes during the assignment of portfolios. He was assigned three critical sectors dear to the heart of Nigerians. Fashola, who is widely believed to have transformed Lagos, inherits the power ministry, which is enmeshed with so much controversies and underperformance despite huge allocations.
He has the responsibility to make the Electricity Company of Nigeria (ECN) and other distribution firms work. The task is indeed onerous considering how former minister, Bola Ige, cried foul of entrenched forces working against the availability of steady power supply in the nation.
Should he succeed, Fashola, an acclaimed performer, would work his way into an eternal hall of fame. But should power remain unstable and epileptic, he would be eternally damaged as an office holder. Henceforth, the power crisis in the nation has become the headache of the former governor.
Fashola’s job is compounded by the fact that he has to also supervise the ministry of Works. This is by no means a small assignment in a huge nation with massive infrastructural challenges. Many federal roads across states are in shambles, making accessibility tortuous.
The former governor has to bridge the deficiencies with massive construction works and rehabilitation. He has to open new roads and link remote villages with major cities in the nation. Funding has always been a challenge in the ministry but many believe Buhari’s complete trust in Fashola will enable him access funds that will see to transformation of roads.
In housing, the nation has a deficit of over 30 million units according to experts. Will Fashola be able to mobilize resources to make housing affordable and available to Nigerians?
Ngige’s employment headache
With a staggering unemployment market hitting over 70million, former Anambra state governor, Chris Ngige’s new headache is how to provide jobs for labour. As Minister for Labour and Employment, Ngige, also an acclaimed performer has his hands full.
His major challenge will be with the army of unemployed Nigerians. The All Progressives Congress (APC) promised a monthly stipend of N5, 000 for unemployed youths. It has become Ngige’s responsibility to deliver on this with the attendant intrigues.
The labour unions are also a handful, ever agitating for better working conditions. Though the frequency at which the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union of Nigeria (TUC) embark on industrial actions has drastically reduced, it is well-known that the unions retain the capacity to cripple the nation.
The minimum wage crisis remains unresolved and remains a banana peel for the tough-minded Ngige.
Which way forward for a healthier Nigeria?
As Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Isaac Adewole took the premier institution to the zenith. He is expected to replicate the same magic with the nation’s health sector. The Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics carries a heavy burden.
The health sector is in serious distress with medical tourism at its peak. Many health workers are disgruntled and seeking greener pasture overseas. Hospitals are inadequate, ill-equipped and incapacitated to handle basic diseases.
Medical unions are at one another’s throat in an intense battle of supremacy at the expense of service delivery. Common diseases keep knocking down Nigerians with government completely helpless.

Read also: Buhari swears in ministers, assigns portfolios

The Osun-born Adewole will have to dip into his wizardry to see how he can salvage the nation’s health sector. He has to see how he can convince medical unions to work without industrial actions through pragmatic negotiation and provision of better working environment.
Can Ali’s magic tackle Boko Haram?
Brigadier-General Muhammad Mansur Dan-Ali (rtd) surprisingly got the Defence portfolio ahead of the much popular Abdulrahman Dambazau. But Dan-Ali is no less a distinguished military officer. He was Acting Director Military Training (DMT) retired as Commander of the 32 Artillery Brigade, Akure in August, 2013. So he is still very much acquainted with field military operations.
He has to motivate troops to overcome Boko Haram insurgents in the North East. The new Defence Minister has to deliver on the December deadline to Military chiefs to flush out terrorists out of the nation. Getting this done in less than two months remains a challenge for the Zamfara-born retired general.
Oil theft and other security challenges are also knotty issues that Dan-Ali has to contend with. How he performs as minister will determine whether the nation remains safe or otherwise.
Education for all under Adamu Adamu?
The Bauchi-born former journalist has the huge responsibility of making education affordable for all. In a nation where over 20million kids are said to be out of schools, this is not a small assignment.
Adamu Adamu has to resolve the nagging teachers’ salaries crisis as well as devise strategies to deliver the free education policy of the ruling party. The one- meal -per-day promise of the administration has to also be a priority for the minister at a time when national resources are dwindling. The South-North dichotomy in enrolment is also a big challenge that the new minister has to look into.
Though he has never held such a position, Adamu is an acknowledged achiever with a strong character. He was reputed to have said he avoids big men so that he can step on toes willingly.
Can Adeosun finance the nation?
As Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun is one of the most influential in the new cabinet. She was a former commissioner in Ogun State and did creditably well. The sterling performance as well as inputs from former President Olusegun Obasanjo got her the new post.
But managing Ogun’s resources is a different kettle from financing the nation. Adeosun carries big responsibilities on her shoulders. It becomes tougher because of fall in oil earnings and economic recession.
She has to jig out how to fund the many gigantic projects and concepts of government while also seeking how to improve increased earnings. Oil marketers, contractors, international donors and multinationals will inundate her with requests and claims that have to be verified.
Many say Adeosun is tough enough to handle the assignment, especially being a woman, but others wonder if she has the inner stability to cope with the many intrigues associated with the top position.
Hitting the ground running
Having used up over five months of its lifespan, Nigerians had been at a loss as to why the administration of President Buhari took so long to inaugurate the ministers. So far, anything that has gone wrong within the system in the last four months have always been blamed on the fact that there were no ministers.
Now, the minsters have their hands full, and their work cut out for them. They have to hit the ground running, as expectations of Nigerians are high, and many feel the ‘honeymoon’ is over. What Nigerians want now are results and deliverables, and not excuses on promises made.
Now, the policy direction of the Buhari administration which had hitherto had been unknown, is expected to be made very clear for all to see, and how it wants to go about the onerous task of salvaging the economy, which has been unstable even before the general election.
As they resume, Nigerians will expect to be handed the change promised, especially given that the present administration has severally acknowledged that the system has been messed up by 16 years rule of the opposition party. And as the new ministers set to work, Nigerians are watching and waiting for the change.

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