Buhari’s ministers to maintain austere convoys, fewer aides

CROSS SECTION OF MINISTERS-DESIGNATE AT THE PRESIDENTIAL RETREAT FOR MINISTERIAL- DESIGNATES AT THE PRESIDENTIAL VILLA IN ABUJA ON THURSDAY

The ethos of the yet to be inaugurated federal executive council is beginning to emerge with indications yesterday that each of the incoming ministers will have to make do with a small retinue of aides and convoy when travelling.

“Leakages, retinue of aides, protocol staff, large convoys of cars are things that will not fly in this administration,” Minister-designate Chris Ngige declared yesterday at the end of the two day retreat organized for them by the Presidency at the seat of power

Ngige,a former governor of Anambra State said he and his colleagues resolved to be part of the change agenda of the government.

President Muhammadu Buhari at the opening of the retreat on Thursday had charged them to be ready to operate in a lean economy.

To this,Ngige responded: “Yes, lean economy because we are going to block areas of leakages, retinue of aides, protocol staff, large convoys of cars are things that will not fly in this administration.”

It does not matter ,he said,whether a Minister has portfolio or not as every minister will always have the opportunity to bring his or her ideas to the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

His words: “If you have portfolio, or if you don’t have portfolio, it is one single Federal Executive Council. You bring whatever it is on the table. That is not a problem at all.

“We have a right to discuss things around the ministries because it is one single cabinet. The important thing is that we want to move our people from where they are now.

“There is abject poverty, which concerns about 75 percent of the populace.

“So, we need to actually restructure the political and social moment of the country and that is what we are going to do. That means poverty will reduce.”

Also contributing ,another minister designate,Dr Ogbonnaya Onu (Ebonyi) said: “You can see what happened to the economy. We have had a very drastic drop in the price of crude oil, more than 50 percent over the past one year.

“So revenue coming into the country has reduced considerably. So government must really run in a way that we will be able to meet the aspirations of our people to make sure that Nigerians are happy.”

Mrs. Kemi Adeosun (Ogun) said: “As a team, we have bonded and we got to know each other a little better but most importantly was the strategic coming together to ensure that we are ready for the huge task ahead and I am very confident that we can do it.”

Usani Usani (Cross River State) said: “It was very enriching, I have gained in terms of knowledge, experience and I have also been educated on the need knowledge, skills and requirement for reworking nationhood based on basic necessities toward a greater and more successful economy.

“I hope to, by the grace of God, key into any portfolio assigned to me. Nigerians should realize that this is a challenging period and should give their maximum cooperation possible for the administration to succeed because the aim of the administration is sincere and honest to leverage Nigerians on a better platform for sustainable living and higher standard of living.”

James Ocholli (SAN) (Kogi) said that the retreat was well thought .

“All of us are highly enlightened and we are grateful that getting into government at this time with the change mantra, we will not be taken by surprise.

“Some of the things that we have learnt in the past two days, even former governors who have completed eight years never knew them when they were sworn in. So they were learning on the job trying to find their way of sorting out things.

“There is a lot of demand on us as the president told us at the opening session and he is preparing us to meet the challenges that we will face.

I think it will be better for us ministers and the nation that most of us will hit the ground running on day one.”