Mix-Feelings On GMA’s New Cabinet
By Mukhtar Muhammad Mk
Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar’s new cabinet, perhaps the most awaited in the history of constitutional democracy in Bauchi state, has finally been announced. The wait involved at first a shocking and unexplained silence, and then the fabricated stories that the list was ready long ago – a full 201 days since the last cabinet were dissolved.
Choosing a cabinet in Nigeria is a complicated balancing act. Governor M.A Abubakar – this time spent months juggling the need for skilled leaders with the need to repay political allies, and those are rarely the same people. He however navigated the shifting alliances of internal party politics, while restructuring poorly-performing ministries, and assessing the performance of the past cabinet and eliminating deadwood altogether. He also carefully maintained an ethnic, religious and gender balance, by ensuring each of the state’s 20 local governments is somehow represented.
As an undergraduate, I took delight in writing articles about APC led administrations for their exemplary leadership qualities of discipline, incorruptibility and fearlessness demonstrated during their three years in office.
One of such articles titled “Round Pegs In Round Hole, A Cabinet That MA Abubakar Need” published in September last year generated unprecedented interest from thousands of my readers who regularly call asking me when Governor Abubakar will announce his cabinet and who and who will take part in the cabinet.
Barely three days after Governor Abubakar inaugurated his new cabinet, many people asks me my opinion about new commissioners and advisers. My response is always fair, that they are fit make the job done, because I have intended not to say anything publically on this issue until yesterday when I received a phone call from Abuja based social commentator. He asked me what the feeling was in Bauchi regarding GMA’s new cabinet. Well, I replied, there is no one feeling; it all depended on who was doing the feeling. I did not receive any more call call asking me about feeling of Bauchians about the inaugurated commissioner. But undoubtedly, many people are waiting for my response, I am pre-empting them here. The answer is, there is no one feeling regarding the commissioners. There are at least seven identifiable feelings on the matter.
The most identifiable feeling is the one displayed by the ordinary citizens in the state. Like many Nigerians, Bauchians have consistently remained supportive and convinced that APC led administrations are on power to tackle ‘sinful’ acts of corruption. Being a deeply religious state, a corrupt person is tagged as a sinner while those that had not held public office and lived within their means are referred to as saints. The initial appointments of little known and strange people into top positions by Governor MA Abubakar was hailed as a departure from the past. However, the recent cabinet has been tempered by nominations of cabinet commissioners and advisers that once held public office. The list was truly a combination of both the saints, who are not identified with corruption and the sinners who were once in the ruling class.
The next feeling is the feeling by the politicians who feel threatened by the long wait. The long delay in the announcement of the commissioners and advisers conspired a speculations that not only saints but angels might emerge as the new crop of cabinet. They expected more youths who are innocent and clean; more technocrats who are professionally competent; and more women who had been at the background in the anticipated ‘saintly’ cabinet.
The fourth one is the feeling displayed by the members of the former cabinet. Most the former commissioners have passionately waited to be reinstated due the faith they have in how they managed their respective offices. However, with the announcement of the commissionership nominees and designated advisers, which include three out of the past commissioners, and another one referred to advisory role, the remaining feel guilt of under-perfomance. But surprisingly, hitherto none of them declared a misplaced fight with Governor MA Abubakar as it’s common in Nigerian politics.
This one is the most conspicuous feeling in Bauchi on Wednesday, the feeling displayed by the designated commissioners in the state’s capital who displayed their capacity to galvanize support for APC ahead of 2019 general elections.. There was a lot of jubilation in the multipurpose indoor sport complex when some of the portfolio were announced.
There is the feeling of GMA himself. Governor MA Abubakar is naturally a person whose actions supersede his voice. He has endured hefty criticism from critics and oppositions in the last three months, for running a government without cabinet. Even thought the governor has never commented publically, he must now feel satisfied for forming a full cabinet with commissioners, advisers, head of parastatals and board members. He will also feel safe from accusation of marginalizing a part of the state having made a sectionally balanced appointments of aids.
There is the feeling among the oppositions of Governor Abubakar, who are more united than they have ever been. The secret behind their unity is not just because Rt. Hon. Dogara, Sen. Ali Wakili, Ahmad Yarima and Capt. Bala Jibrin shares the same interest, but also because they feel threatened by governor’s strides which can win him votes if he decided to re-contest come 2019.
Finally, there is the feeling of the author (myself). I have a believe that no human leader is expected to be personally strong or self-sufficient in all aspects of governance. So I personally commend Governor Abubakar for forming his cabinet around men and women with proven experience. I believe that better days will soon come to Bauchians. I am however not satisfied with how the governor left his former commissioners without any job to do. I hereby remind his Excellency the truism of Nigerian politics, that whenever you remove a minister or a commissioner from your cabinet, no matter the number of years you let him serve and no matter how juicy the ministry you let him occupy, he migrates straight into the ranks of your opponents. People who have been commissioners for two years are too dangerous to be turned into opponents in an election year. The good news is that some of them prefer to stay aside and continue to pursue for elective offices come 2019. I hope the governor will give them the required support.
Mukhtar Muhammad Mk, wrote in from Bauchi State
