Tinubu’s bloated governing system

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government structure and approach to governance reflect the direct opposite of Nigeria’s current economic realities and constitutional imperatives. The president has responded to an economy bedevilled by low income and unbearable debt burdens by appointing the highest number of cabinet members and media aides ever in the country’s history.

At the last count, Tinubu has appointed 50 ministers. There is no indication that he is done. His immediate predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, was heavily criticised for appointing 43 ministers even in an economy that was already nosediving into a recession. Just like Buhari, Tinubu has split many ministries into smaller pieces and created new ones.

It is a set-up created with political settlement as priority instead of adopting a leaner approach which usually projects the aura of serious business.https://live.primis-amp.tech/content/video/amp/videoIframe.php?s=114290#amp=1

Also, Tinubu’s predecessor, Buhari, was the first to appoint two presidential spokesmen, in addition to maintaining a battery of other media personnel and a “Buhari Media Office”, BMO. Their main job was to spin largely false narratives, deception and propaganda.

When Tinubu appointed only one spokesman and relegated hired guns from media visibility, it was largely seen as a welcome departure from Buhari’s posture. However, the additional appointment of five media and public affairs aides, some of them duplicating each other’s functions, is simply baffling.

Nigerians had expected that the prevailing economic climate would compel governments at all levels to seriously cut down the cost of governance by scrapping or merging ministries and departments that could effectively handle the various sectors of government. That way, governance would be smarter and more result-oriented.

Apart from the huge amount that will be spent in servicing this crowd of political appointees in a debt-riddled economy, Tinubu’s manner of over-bloating his government is bound to elicit other consequences down the road ahead. The Labour Unions are watching with interest, and rightly too. Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, has already served notice that Organised Labour will demand a N200,000 new national minimum wage.

The Academic Staff of Nigerian Universities, ASUU, may soon wake up and demand full implementation of past agreements with the Federal Government. They might well come up with new ones. The doctors and other health workers are also waiting.

Tinubu’s government will find it difficult to plead lack of funds to meet Labour and other demands. ,(vangurdngr)