WAS THAT MINISTERIAL LIST PRODUCED BY PRESIDENT BUHARI OR THE CABAL?

ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER.  

(Looking at Nigeria's Political System From a Godly Perspective).

A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church Kpeyegyi Abuja Nigeria {Vol. 8.NO 311. 28th July, 2019.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You   Free! (John.8:32).

WAS THAT MINISTERIAL LIST PRODUCED BY PRESIDENT BUHARI OR THE CABAL?
President Muhammadu Buhari is a thorough-bred Nigerian! He had lived all of his life in the country except for some periods spent during military training abroad and he was very much around from the first to 11th army coup-de-tat experienced by the poor masses (the talakawas), who did not bargain for forceful martial life! In fact, he benefited from one of the military escapades when his comrade-in-arms crowned him as Head of State and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces!

The President is a septuagenarian who had seen it all and knows who is who in both military and civilian/democratic politics of the country and was very affirmative when he said, he would prefer to work with the people he knew according to the statement he made "under tremendous pressure" before he forwarded a 43-man list of ministerial nominees to the Senate on Wednesday, 24th July, 2019!
In a soft-pedalled appealing tone of a converted democrat, the revolutionary, tough-talking, no-nonsense military numero uno between December 1984 to November 1986, who declared War Against Indiscipline, (WAI)/Corruption and revolutionized societal values, made that appeal to agitated and expectant Nigerians - especially the talakawas - whose very breadth of life depended on quick and faithful execution of government's social contracts of all basic necessities of life, especially employment opportunities - and would not be patient to wait for another SIX MONTHS like they did in 2015!

But come to think of it, have they not already waited for almost six months - counting from his victory at the pools on 23rd February, 2019 to the 23rd July, 2019, when the ministerial nominee list finally got to Senate for screening and confirmation? According to that report, he was pressurized to choose only APC ministers, whether he knew them or not, but that he was reluctant to agree in spite of the perceived delay because he was not very comfortable when he succumbed to Party pressure in 2015!

FRESH OPPORTUNITY FOR BUHARI TO PROVE HIS DETRACTORS WRONG!
Devoted and patriotic Nigerians, including members of the editorial board of this Newsletter voted on 23rd February, 2019, again for President Buhari for a second term in office, with great expectations that he would build on the solid foundation of his first tenure and he won overwhelmingly and convincingly!
In 2014, We predicted that he would win both the 2015 and 2019 Presidential Elections respectively according to divine revelation and would govern and transform Nigeria into an "UTOPIA" within the two terms of EIGHT YEARS, with divinely-chosen teams. We did not fault his choice of ministers in 2015 but were shocked to the marrows when the President drew up a “COMPENSATION LIST", dominated by some exceedingly and stupendously rich former governors/legislators who should normally take the back seat as elder statesmen and maybe, forgot that he had to give fair opportunities to others whose contributions could also move the nation forward!
It is inconceivable that innovative, gifted, humble, tested professionals, builders, engineers, economists, agro/space scientists, technocrats, information/communications technologists etc were rather sidelined and inconspicuous in that historic list!
Was the President seriously under pressure or duress? By whom, the CABAL? Although we take exception to the existence of a cabal in the Presidency, but when the President openly disclosed that he was under pressure to pick the right management team, he had given much room for wide/unfounded speculations!

During his first tenure when he submitted a similar list, we gave him the benefit of the doubt, being a first-timer in a democratic dispensation: We even compared that list which contained several senile dramatis personae with that of President Barak Obama, who had several elderly citizens in his cabinet but succeeded creditably! Can one conveniently compare the United States advanced and polished politico-administrative capabilities of 233 years with Nigeria's infantile, dirty and corruptive politics of 59 years!

THE MINISTERIAL LIST BREAKDOWN!
About 50% of the list consisted of those who have been re-cycled /spent and some discredited politicians with questionable character, antecedents and pedigree who should have been left on the shelf to be sorted out by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to prove their innocence or otherwise! Where are the wise elders whose integrity is intact but who have been denied the opportunity to serve and where are the vibrant Not-Too-Young-To-Rule YOUTHS?  Is APC bereft of such hoary heads and whiz-kids, who can turn Nigeria's economy round in a "jiffy", in this 21st Century global ICT - dominated space? The following groups of elites were on that controversial list:
Former two-term governors/ legislators;
Senators who have spent 12 years at the National Assembly (NASS), having  earlier served as governors and ministers;
Former State Commissioners, Board Chairmen/Heads of parastatals and critical Agencies of Federal Government;
The re-appointed 14 ministers, some of who for all intent and purposes were adjudged to have performed below expectation, in their former ministries in the first term of the President.
Women representation was only SEVEN! It fell short of gender balance expectation out of an entire list of 43 distinguished citizens which included 29 new names!

WAS AISHA BUHARI  INTIMIDATED?  HOW DID THEY PRESSURIZE THE MAN OF INTEGRITY?
An English adage states that, "a tree cannot make a forest." This is true considering  the fact that a forest needed scores of scores of trees to be so classified; but must the trees be of different species, especially when they are FRUIT-BEARING? While should birds of the same feathers not flock together?
Is it impossible to find a "BUHARI" in each of the 36 States, whether they were APC members or the Opposition? NO! There are many Buharis who were sidelined for party patronage because the elder statesmen (most of whom are very rich) and had contributed to the President's and APC victories at the polls MUST BE COMPENSATED -  otherwise the desperados who could "frighten" the president would definitely team up with the very bitter opposition to orchestrate an ungovernable State as in 2015! The President even found it difficult to fulfil his campaign promise of greater representation of women in the new cabinet!

IN OUR PREVIOUS ADVOCACY FOR SECOND TERM CABINET - We did not waste time to suggest to the President that his second term cabinet should be 100% BRAND NEW and also that he should promptly re-jig the security architecture by replacing all Armed Forces Chiefs and retain only the Inspector General of Police, who was newly appointed because NO ONE WAS INDISPENSIBLE!

THE "BOW-AND-GO" SYNDROME AT THE RED CHAMBERS!
The distinguished Senators at plenary during the screening of ministerial nominees according to "tradition"  adopted the bow-and-go privilege to former legislators/governors, without drilling them in questions and answers sessions to ascertain their competence and readiness to serve faithfully and with diligence. They were not asked if they declared their ASSETS, or did so at anytime in the past!  Was it not said that he who comes to EQUITY MUST come with CLEAN HANDS?
Re-appointed ministers were neither requested to give account of their stewardship nor quizzed about what innovation they would bring on board if hired again to serve in the NEXT LEVEL APC Administration! Former governors were not asked what happened to the BILLIONS OF NAIRA collected as SECURITY VOTES during their tenures in office, though security challenges are still very much with us!

PLAYING INTO THE HANDS OF THE OPPOSITION IN ORDER TO AVOID "SARAKIGATE", IS A DANGEROUS GAME FOR APC!
For Ahmad Lawan and 'Femi Gbajabiamila to emerge as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively, the ruling All Progressives Congress hierarchy had to seriously lobby the major opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), caucus in both chambers to achieve the herculean task which involved documented promises for juicy slots in the sharing formula of principal offices which have successfully played out accordingly!

The common cliche that there are no permanent enemies in politics but permanent interests is also very glaring in the choice of nominees for the position of Federal  Executive Ministers! Apart from Dr. Ogbonaya Onu and some former ANPP, CPC and ACP, who merged to form the APC in 2013, most of the present APC members in both Chambers and on the ministerial nominee list, were staunch PDP members at one time or the other since the advent of the new democratic dispensation in 1999!
WHAT WE NOW HAVE AS THE APC RULING PARTY IS A POT POURRI OF THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY, JOSTLING FOR RELEVANCE IN THE NIGERIAN POLITICAL PROJECT FOR THEIR SHARE OF THE NATIONAL CAKE!

AN URGENT SOLUTION TO AVOID FUTURE NATIONAL CALAMITIES!
This new Federal Executive Cabinet MUST be RESHUFFLED within the shortest possible period - not exceeding the year 2021- to accommodate new, fresh, vibrant, and more resourceful, brains who possess the requisite knowledge to fix the myriads of security, economic and  political/social challenges of institutional corruption by addressing their true perspectives, without politicising serious issues of economic crimes! “A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE”!

Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord. [For weekly access, to this newsletter, log on to:  facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com, https://www.google.com/ zionfaithbiblebelievingchurch.

If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations.

I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor. 08130669886, 08098194390.  08080243066. G-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.