There was disquiet in the Federal Executive
Council over a directive by President Goodluck Jonathan that ministers
should cooperate with the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,
or get sacked.
Investigations by SUNDAY PUNCH showed that the ministers were not happy with the President’s threat and the power of Okonjo-Iweala in the cabinet.
Some ministers, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said it was wrong for the president to give the former managing director of the World Bank an impression that she was superior to her colleagues.
They said inasmuch as they recognised her prowess in the area of finance, there was no way she could also claim to be all-in-all in other areas.
One of the ministers said, “Well, it was true that the president called the meeting where he spoke about the need to cooperate with her in the assignment to lead the economic team.
“We all know that the economy is in bad shape and there is need for all members of the Federal Executive Council to work together in order to deliver dividends of democracy to our people.
“Yes, in doing that, we should all be treated with respect. We are all important in this national assignment. It is wrong to say one is more important than the other; after all, where was she when we were campaigning? She should not be made our boss.”
Another minister said most ministers also felt that instead of asking them to cooperate with Okonjo-Iweala or get sacked, the president ought to implore all the ministers to work together.
The minister said that the nation was already polarised and that the president’s comment was capable of dividing the FEC.
The minister said, “We already have a divided nation. We have a divided party in the Peoples Democratic Party, which is the ruling party. Now, I do not think it is in the interest of the nation and the government to also have a divided government.
“Of course, we are bound to cooperate with one another, irrespective of our ministries. But to say one minister is superior to the other is wrong.
“Okay, look at the security challenge facing the country. Will the president also give orders that the ministers in charge of security are second to Okonjo-Iweala? That is our dilemma now.”
It was also gathered that the finance minister might collide with her colleagues, if she unnecessarily pruned their budgets.
Investigations showed that the ministers would resist any reduction in their budgets that would affect the implementation of programmes of their ministries.
One of the ministers, who pleaded anonymity, said, “You know Okonjo-Iweala is the coordinating minister. Her ministry is the clearing house. We do not expect her to interfere in the affairs of our ministries in her mission to cut down government spending.”
The president had met with the ministers behind closed-doors before her inauguration as finance minister and threatened to sanction anyone who refused to cooperate with her.
The meeting was said to have been held to avoid conflicts among the ministers.
According to a presidency source, the president defined the role of Okonjo-Iweala as the coordinating minister at a meeting which had in attendance Mr. Olusegun Aganga (the Minister of Trade and Investment) and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Lamido Sanusi.
It was learnt that Okonjo-Iweala, as the coordinator of Jonathan’s economic management team, would serve as “de facto prime minister” in the cabinet.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, did not reply to SUNDAY PUNCH’s inquiries on the latest development.
He did not reply to calls or text messages sent to his phone on Friday night.
But the special adviser had earlier explained the functions of Okonjo-Iweala as the coordinating minister in an earlier interview.
He said the former MD of the World Bank was made the coordinating minister to ensure that the various ministries worked together to forge a synergy in government operations.
Abati had told one of our correspondents last week that the president had made the economy the centre-piece of his transformation agenda, saying there must be proper coordination for a strong economy to emerge.
He had said, “The duty of the minister of finance, making her the coordinating minister, is to ensure that the various ministries work together and there is a synergy in government operations.
“If everything ends with finance, it basically means that, every other ministry would have to have a robust relationship with that ministry. The emphasis is really on this synergy.”
By Olusola Fabiyi Courtesy Of: Punch
Investigations by SUNDAY PUNCH showed that the ministers were not happy with the President’s threat and the power of Okonjo-Iweala in the cabinet.
Some ministers, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said it was wrong for the president to give the former managing director of the World Bank an impression that she was superior to her colleagues.
They said inasmuch as they recognised her prowess in the area of finance, there was no way she could also claim to be all-in-all in other areas.
One of the ministers said, “Well, it was true that the president called the meeting where he spoke about the need to cooperate with her in the assignment to lead the economic team.
“We all know that the economy is in bad shape and there is need for all members of the Federal Executive Council to work together in order to deliver dividends of democracy to our people.
“Yes, in doing that, we should all be treated with respect. We are all important in this national assignment. It is wrong to say one is more important than the other; after all, where was she when we were campaigning? She should not be made our boss.”
Another minister said most ministers also felt that instead of asking them to cooperate with Okonjo-Iweala or get sacked, the president ought to implore all the ministers to work together.
The minister said that the nation was already polarised and that the president’s comment was capable of dividing the FEC.
The minister said, “We already have a divided nation. We have a divided party in the Peoples Democratic Party, which is the ruling party. Now, I do not think it is in the interest of the nation and the government to also have a divided government.
“Of course, we are bound to cooperate with one another, irrespective of our ministries. But to say one minister is superior to the other is wrong.
“Okay, look at the security challenge facing the country. Will the president also give orders that the ministers in charge of security are second to Okonjo-Iweala? That is our dilemma now.”
It was also gathered that the finance minister might collide with her colleagues, if she unnecessarily pruned their budgets.
Investigations showed that the ministers would resist any reduction in their budgets that would affect the implementation of programmes of their ministries.
One of the ministers, who pleaded anonymity, said, “You know Okonjo-Iweala is the coordinating minister. Her ministry is the clearing house. We do not expect her to interfere in the affairs of our ministries in her mission to cut down government spending.”
The president had met with the ministers behind closed-doors before her inauguration as finance minister and threatened to sanction anyone who refused to cooperate with her.
The meeting was said to have been held to avoid conflicts among the ministers.
According to a presidency source, the president defined the role of Okonjo-Iweala as the coordinating minister at a meeting which had in attendance Mr. Olusegun Aganga (the Minister of Trade and Investment) and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Lamido Sanusi.
It was learnt that Okonjo-Iweala, as the coordinator of Jonathan’s economic management team, would serve as “de facto prime minister” in the cabinet.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, did not reply to SUNDAY PUNCH’s inquiries on the latest development.
He did not reply to calls or text messages sent to his phone on Friday night.
But the special adviser had earlier explained the functions of Okonjo-Iweala as the coordinating minister in an earlier interview.
He said the former MD of the World Bank was made the coordinating minister to ensure that the various ministries worked together to forge a synergy in government operations.
Abati had told one of our correspondents last week that the president had made the economy the centre-piece of his transformation agenda, saying there must be proper coordination for a strong economy to emerge.
He had said, “The duty of the minister of finance, making her the coordinating minister, is to ensure that the various ministries work together and there is a synergy in government operations.
“If everything ends with finance, it basically means that, every other ministry would have to have a robust relationship with that ministry. The emphasis is really on this synergy.”
By Olusola Fabiyi Courtesy Of: Punch
No comments:
Post a Comment