New Cabinet – I’m Under Serious Pressure – President

Leadership (Abuja)

Joshua Uma

27 May 2011

Abuja — President Goodluck Jonathan said yesterday that he was under tremendous pressure by lobbyists seeking to influence his choice of ministers that will serve under his new cabinet.

The president stated that a greater percentage of those lobbying – mainly politicians – do not have the interest of the country at heart.

Jonathan, who stated this at the 2011 presidential inauguration lecture with the theme “A Transformation Agenda for Accelerating National Development” delivered by Prof. Ladipo Adamolekun, assured that he was committed to transforming Nigeria.

He also observed that the major challenge of the nation’s development and transformation was her leaders, while stating that “many of the leaders we have are those who shot, rigged, influenced and manipulated their way to power without national interest but the personal interest of fielding either their wives, sisters and brothers or other family members without integrity and credibility.

“So far, only about 10 per cent of those l have seen are sincere and are of integrity, having the interest of the nation at heart, going by those who they are lobbying for, armed with the conviction and track record of their candidate’s antecedents, while over 80 per cent are based on sentiment”.

The president said that the transformation which the nation seeks cannot happen through sentiment, adding that there were two categories of leaders. Those elected, according to him, are the president, the governors, National Assembly members, local government chairmen and councillors while the next categories are the ministers and other appointed aides.

Jonathan said: “How leaders emerge is very critical if we must experience transformation in the nation. People should be allowed to choose who they want to lead them, which gives the electorate the power to demand accountability from the elected officers and the ability to remove them from office if the need arises.

“Other categories of leaders are those appointed but these set must be credible, well qualified for the position of which they are appointed into. Their appointment should not be based on sentiment but the interest of the nation.”

Jonathan said that “tenure of leaders also affects transformation, governance and quality of leadership. Elected and appointed leaders should be able to stay long in office as stipulated in the constitution as to be able to deliver on the mandate of their office”.

Speaking on the issue of electoral credibility especially as it concerns the 2011 elections, the president stated that he knew that the only way to get it right was by appointing a credible umpire, stressing that he did it by appointing Prof. Attahiru Jega.

“l was committed to conducting a credible, free and fair election as a sitting president with nothing to lose because, whether l lost or won, l would be making a name for myself. It will be observed that litigations arising from the 2011 elections have been reduced by 80 per cent, which l strongly believe will drop by 90 per cent by 2015”.

In his lecture, Professor Ladipo Ademolekun applauded the president on a successful election and making good on his promise that he would break the jinx of flawed elections in the country to an appreciable extent.

“Though the fact that Nigeria’s transformation toward an electoral democracy is an unfinished agenda, one can confidently assert that when President Jonathan is inaugurated on May 29, he would assure Nigerians that consistent with the electoral legitimacy conferred on him through the citizens’ votes, he would be accountable to them during his tenure,” he stated.

The professor praised the ongoing amnesty programme introduced by Yar’Adua’s administration but also argued that the Ministry of Niger Delta created in 2008 significantly duplicates the work of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and it should be merged with the NDDC. “What is required is the strengthening of the NDDC and ensuring that competent and top-flight experts and professionals are recruited with appropriate remunerations to turn the commission into a well- performing organisation,” he noted.

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