One year of Tinubu’s ministers

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has one of the largest cabinets in Nigeria’s history, comparable to Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, which had 47 ministers in 1999. Despite his promise to appoint technocrats to drive his Renewed Hope Agenda, Tinubu’s cabinet appears to be a mix of politicians, loyalists, and a sprinkling of experts.

One year after their appointment, it has been a mixed result with many failing to deliver on their mandate. One of the key promises of Tinubu’s administration was economic revitalisation. Under the stewardship of the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, the economy has seen both commendable efforts and areas of concern.

The administration has introduced bold reforms, such as unified exchange rates and the removal of petrol subsidies. These policies have sparked inflation and public dissatisfaction.

The raft of reforms has also failed to reflate the economy or strengthen the naira, which has continued to lose its value against the greenback. This is because the country is not producing. Edun’s reforms could, at best, be described as an attempt to make a dead horse walk.

The much-anticipated job creation drive has yet to produce the expected results. Unemployment and underemployment continue to plague the country, with the youth disproportionately affected. The employment initiatives, though well-intentioned, have yet to materialise into significant job opportunities.

Infrastructure development has been a focal point of Tinubu’s government, with the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, tasked with overseeing critical projects. The administration has made strides in continuing and initiating key infrastructural projects. However, the pace of development has been slower than promised. Bureaucratic delays, funding gaps, and security concerns have hindered progress.

So far, the government has awarded 51 contracts worth N6.27 trillion to procure, construct, and develop various infrastructural projects across the federation. The contracts, awarded between October 2023 and May 2024, would facilitate infrastructural projects, including roads, bridges, train systems, and airport infrastructure.

The minister’s leadership has been stable, but a greater push is needed to meet its ambitious targets. The focus on completing ongoing projects from previous administrations is a positive sign of continuity, but new projects are crucial to meet the growing demands of Nigeria’s burgeoning population. The coming years will test the government’s ability to turn ambitious infrastructure plans, especially the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Badagry-Sokoto superhighway, into reality.

Security remains a paramount concern for Nigerians, and the performance of the Minister of Defence is crucial in this regard. Despite some efforts to combat insurgency and banditry, many Nigerians still feel unsafe. The situation in the North-East and North-West regions has shown little improvement. Bandits are still occupying territories in the North-West and preventing farmers from accessing their farmlands.

While there have been successful military operations, the overall strategy seems reactive rather than proactive. The administration must rethink its security policies to provide lasting peace and stability. The minister of defence has failed in his assignment.

Despite the administration’s efforts in other areas, health and education have not received the attention they deserve. The health sector remains underfunded and ill-equipped to handle the country’s needs, while the education system continues to struggle with inadequate infrastructure, frequent strikes, and poor quality of instruction.

These sectors are critical for the country’s future, and the lack of significant progress in these areas is concerning. The administration should prioritise investments in health and education if it hopes to foster a well-educated and healthy population capable of driving economic growth and social development.

The healthcare system is still underfunded and overburdened, and the minister’s efforts to improve it have not yet had a noticeable impact. The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, has failed to make the necessary impacts in the sector, which is reeling under the exit of professionals leaving the country in droves.

Similarly, the education sector is plagued by strikes, poor funding, and dilapidated infrastructure. The administration’s commitment to human capital development must translate into tangible actions, or the country’s prospects could be at risk. Rather than tackle these age-old issues, the Education Minister, Tahir Mamman, is concerned with regulating the university admissions age.  Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar describes the idea of pegging age limits for entry to tertiary institutions as “an absurdity and a disincentive to scholarship.” He is right.

Nigeria remains energy-poor with no tangible improvement in power supply. The government’s argument that increasing tariffs would lead to improved power supply turned out false, as electricity has remained epileptic despite the tariff hike and withdrawal of electricity subsidy.

Billions of dollars of investments in the power sector have only yielded a mere 5,000 megawatts of public electricity supply. The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, seems confounded by the situation.He has yet to take full charge of the sector from his lacklustre performance.

The Tinubu administration is still struggling to stem the rising food costs. Food is expensive, and many Nigerians can no longer afford basic staples. Farmers cannot go to the farms due to insecurity, and the hope of a bumper harvest is threatened by flooding. Though the government recognised food security as a critical issue and launched various initiatives to address it, this has not reprieved the beleaguered citizens.

While there have been positive steps, such as investments in infrastructure, support for smallholder farmers, and efforts to promote climate-smart agriculture, significant challenges remain. High inflation, ongoing security concerns, and implementation gaps are substantial obstacles to achieving sustainable food security.

Moving forward, the administration will need to focus on improving the execution of its policies, addressing the root causes of economic instability, and enhancing coordination among all stakeholders involved in food security. The agriculture ministry should engage more with farmers at the grassroots through their cooperatives and societies.

Notwithstanding its critical importance to national cohesion and development, the sports sector has not received the required attention. The corruption and mismanagement that rendered the sector comatose have not been addressed by the Sports Minister, John Enoh, who appears clueless about sports administration. Nigeria’s woeful outing at the just-concluded Paris Olympics, despite spending N12 billion on the team, exposed Enoh’s naivety. The sector needs a capable hand.

Many sports facilities in Nigeria are outdated and need significant upgrades. While plans for renovation and construction have been announced, the pace of progress has been slow, limiting the potential for athlete development and international hosting opportunities. The maintenance culture is poor, meaning that even newly renovated facilities can quickly fall into disrepair without proper upkeep. Streamlining processes and improving transparency are crucial for the success of sports management initiatives.

Though the government appears to be focused on refinery rehabilitation, Nigeria’s state-owned refineries are comatose. This means the country remains heavily reliant on imported fuel. This continues to expose Nigeria to global oil price fluctuations and puts pressure on foreign exchange reserves. As the Petroleum Minister, Tinubu has been unable to curb the challenges in the oil sector, such as oil theft, ageing infrastructure, reduced investment, and operational inefficiencies. The country has struggled to meet its OPEC production quota. This has further impacted revenues. The administration should address these operational challenges to restore and increase production levels.

Wearied by years of unmet expectations, the people are eager for visible and impactful change. Tinubu’s ministers should ensure that their contributions lead to a well-governed Nigeria prepared to face the future.