President Muhammadu Buhari has given explanations for the delay of the appointment of federal ministers and other cabinet members...
Following the uproar trailing the delay in the appointment of ministers, President Muhammadu Buhari has explained his resolve to appoint cabinet members in September.
Leadership reports that the President said it would be careless and irresponsible of him if, as a leader, if he hurriedly appoints members of his cabinet without putting new rules of governance in place.
He also indicated that his newly appointed service chiefs will relocate from Abuja to Borno State until the war against Boko Haram is won.
Buhari, who stated this in an opinion article he wrote for the Washington Post, a United States newspaper, to coincide with his meeting with President Barack Obama in Washington DC yesterday, recalled that even the US president took several months before appointing his ministers.
“When cabinet ministers are appointed in September, it will be some months after I took the oath of office. It is worth noting that Obama himself did not have his full cabinet in place for several months after first taking office; the United States did not cease to function in the interim.
“In Nigeria’s case, it would neither be prudent nor serve the interests of sound government to have made these appointments immediately on my elevation to the presidency; instead, Nigeria must first put new rules of conduct and good governance in place.
“So the path we must take is simple, even if it is not easy: First, instil rules and good governance; second, install officials who are experienced and capable of managing state agencies and ministries; and third, seek to recover funds stolen under previous regimes so that this money can be invested in Nigeria for the benefit of all of our citizens”, he noted.