Senator Dino Melaye has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to take drastic measures by the immediate sacking of the Minister of Finance, Minister of Budget and National Planning, and the Governor of the Central bank of Nigeria.
Emefiele, Udoma and Adeosun
In an official statement released in Abuja on Sunday, a member of the Senate representing Kogi-West Senatorial District, Senator Dino Melaye, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to take drastic measures on the ailing economy.
The outspoken influential APC chieftain also urged the president to overhaul his incompetent cabinet with the immediate removal of the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun; Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udo Udoma; and the Governor of the Central bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.
Senator Dino Melaye also accused some members of the president's cabinet as lacking the capacity to deliver on the mandates of their ministries and agencies, adding that Adeosun, Udoma and Emefiele should be axed for the economy to be effectively rebooted to deliver on the change agenda of the present administration.
“At the moment, it must be crystal clear to all discerning minds that the President’s widely-acclaimed magical body language has lost its presumed aura and efficacy. His no-nonsense demeanor is equally neither instilling fear nor commanding respect and loyalty from among his cabinet members.
“It is therefore obvious that the time for barking is over; now is the time to bite and boot out all those who have demonstrated, in the past several months, a crass lack of capacity to effectively carry out the functions of their office,” Melaye said.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory, also condemned Buhari’s economic team led by Vice President, Yemi Osibanjo, saying that “their decisions will not be and has never been respected by the economic managers and the bureaucracy in Nigeria.”
The lawmaker urged the President to, instead, constitute an ‘Emergency Ad Hoc Economic Team’ made up of all former ministers of finance, ex-ministers of budget and national planning, ex-CBN governors as well as members drawn from the academia with “deep knowledge of developmental economics to drive the economic revival programme.”
“The President must immediately transit from mere rhetoric to drastic but positive action to save the economy and Nigeria from total collapse. The hunger in the land is real, pervasive, widespread and debilitating for the poor masses.
“As I walk the streets of my constituency these days, I constantly harbour a foreboding that I could be stoned by my angry constituents for the failure of Mr. President to fulfill his campaign promises and expectations to Nigerians.
“Nigeria is tottering on a dangerous precipice, sliding perilously to a certain catastrophe if the current economic malaise is not halted immediately,” he said.