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Jonathan: The Waste Continues

President Goodluck Jonathan in June 2011 sought and obtained the approval of the Senate to appoint 20 advisers to assist him in running his government. However, the President has, in apparent breach of the number of aides approved for him, gone ahead to appoint at least 24 advisers as at the last count. Beyond exceeding the number, the designations of the appointees also raise serious questions as to the necessity of the appointments. Let’s consider a few.

President Goodluck Jonathan in June 2011 sought and obtained the approval of the Senate to appoint 20 advisers to assist him in running his government. However, the President has, in apparent breach of the number of aides approved for him, gone ahead to appoint at least 24 advisers as at the last count. Beyond exceeding the number, the designations of the appointees also raise serious questions as to the necessity of the appointments. Let’s consider a few.



Dr. Tunji Olagunju, Special Adviser to the President on NEPAD and Dr. Pius Olakunle Osunyikanmi, Special Adviser to the President on International Relations. Apparently, these two offices could have been handled by a single person. Besides, why do we have to appoint a special adviser to the President on these when there is a Ministry of Foreign Affairs with more than one minister, permanent secretary, directors and possibly a department in charge of NEPAD?

Mr. Oronto Douglas, Special Adviser to the President on Research and Strategy. Sentiments aside, what exactly is the role of this office and couldn’t it have been carried out by a permanent employee in the Presidency?

Prof. Abubakar Sambo, Special Adviser to the President on Energy. Really? What distinctive ‘special advice’ is the President expecting from the incumbent here that the ministers for petroleum, energy and power cannot give?

Mrs. Sarah Akuben Pane, Special Adviser to the President on Social Development. One is too stumped to even comment on this. Mrs. Sarah Jibril, Special Adviser to the President on Ethics and Values. What a joke! Who even monitors what, if any, work some of these appointees have been carrying out?

Kingsley Kuku, Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs. What would the minister and the minister of state for the Niger Delta ministry be doing and what about the head of the Niger Delta Development Commission?

Prof. Dan Adebiyi, Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties and Senator Isaiah Ballat, Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties (Office of the Vice-President). Could someone please unpack this designation for us? Same request suffices for Nze Sullivan Akachukwu Nwakpo, Special Adviser to the President on Technical Matters and for Mrs. Asma’u Abdulkadir, Special Adviser to the President on Gender Issues. What on earth amounts to ‘Technical Matters’?


And there are also Yakubu Abdullahi, Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters (Office of the Vice President); Mr. Bashir Sufyan, Special Adviser to the President on Legal Matters (Office of the Vice-President).

Professor Nwanze Okidegbe, Economic Adviser to the President. What economic advice would this officer give the President that the National Economic Management Team members including the Minister of Finance and the Minister of National Planning cannot?

Senator Ben Obi, Special Adviser to the President on Inter-Party Affairs. There is absolutely no reason to appoint a special adviser for just this function, when there is Ahmed Gulak, Political Adviser to the President just as the designation of Dr Mariam Ali, Special Adviser to the President on Inter-governmental Affairs.

Perhaps the most curious is the Special Adviser (New Media), Reno Omokri. In clear terms, he is special adviser on Twitter and Facebook matters! This is aside the fact that there is a Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity. Strangely, the ‘Twitter and Facebook Special Adviser’ is not attached to the office of the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity but to the Special Adviser, Research and Strategy.

By the way, these special advisers would ordinarily have their own personal assistants and their personal assistants will have their own P.A.s and so on and so forth.

Beyond these bizarre appointments also is the waste of money in servicing committees and task forces which are fast becoming mere “job for the boys”. The Jonathan government continues to diminish the place of the federal civil service and associated executive organs in the functioning of government but continues to mushroom a legion of committees, task forces and panels to assume sundry responsibilities at the centre. These mounting layers of bureaucracy and its cost implication are a major source of concern just as the non-implementation of committee reports submitted in recent times and it calls to question the commitment and sincerity of the “Jona-our-Son” government.

Take a look at some of the committees; Presidential Advisory Committee (PAC) headed by Gen. T.Y. Danjuma Rtd., Presidential Committee on Expenditure Review headed by Prof. Anya O. Anya, Presidential Projects Assessment Committee headed by Alh. Ibrahim Bunu, Presidential Taskforce on Power headed by Prof. Barth Nnaji who doubles as the power minister, Presidential Committee on Security Challenges headed by Alh. Usman Galtimari, Presidential Committee for Review of reports on ethno-religious crises in Plateau State headed by Chief Solomon Lar, Presidential Committee on Post Election Violence headed by the former Grand Khadi of Niger State, Sheikh Ahmed Lemu.

Others are Presidential Committee on Review of Outstanding Constitutional Issues headed by Justice Alfa Belgore rtd, Presidential Committee on NDDC headed by Chief Isaac Jemide, Presidential Taskforce for Passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) headed by Senator Udo Udoma, Presidential Special Committee on the reorganization of the Police headed by Parry Osayande, Presidential Committee to negotiate with Labour on Fuel Subsidy headed by Justice Alfa Belgore rtd, again, Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force headed by Nuhu Ribadu, National Refineries Special Task Force headed by former Finance Minister Kalu Idika Kalu.

This has been the rash in recent months. Anytime an issue emerges, the President rather than rely on constitutional structures to achieve results will rush to mushroom committees and the reports of these committees have also been piling with the government showing no interest in implementing their recommendations. That the President has chosen to rely on extra constitutional bodies is an indication of lack of confidence in the civil servants yet no one in the civil service has had to pay for their inability to produce results if that is the reason the President does not have confidence in the civil servants. This leaves us with a reasonable suspicion that these committees are not set up to achieve anything after all; they are only conduits to siphon money into the pockets of those the administration wants to settle.

When the President arrived the African Union meeting in Addis Ababa last month with thirty aides and his wife with forty two aides and the media reported the news, his information managers cried wolf accusing the media of mischief. But our thinking has been that a few weeks after the President promised in a national broadcast to curb waste in government, sincere efforts where going to be put in to achieve that aim but from all indications, there is no sign that this President can prevent Nigeria from her procession to Golgotha.
God bless our country!

Agba Jalingo.

Journalist/Activist

Managing Partner, GiantConcept Media consult

3 Ifesowapo St., Ogudu Orioke, Lagos.
 

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