A Second Republic member of the House of Representatives, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, has called for the removal of at least five ministers.
He made the call in a telephone interview with SUNDAY PUNCH in Abuja, on Friday.
According to him, the five ministers ought to have left the cabinet long before now.
Mohammed said, “The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison- Madueke, lacks competence and political dexterity. Her inability to even get the Petroleum Industry Bill through the National Assembly is evident that she commands no respect.
“The second Minister who must go is the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; she has not in any way managed our finance and she is simply being hyped by a section of the media.”
He also said the Ministers of Aviation, Stella Oduah; that of the Federal Capital Territory, Bala Mohammed, his counterpart in the Information Ministry, Labaran Maku and that of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, should also be dropped.
Speaking in a similar vein, the Executive Secretary of the Civil Societies Legislative and Advocacy Centre, Auwual Musa, said the planned cabinet shake-up was an opportunity for President Jonathan to redeem the image of his administration.
Musa said, “He can use this exercise to ease out all those ministers that have brought nothing but public opprobrium to his administration.
“For a start, he should do away with the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, who has been enmeshed in a series of corruption and academic fraud scandals.
“The Minister of Petroleum Resources Alison-Madueke and the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, who has been making bogus claims about the state of the economy, should also not be spared.”
In an interview with one of our correspondents, a Lagos-based legal practitioner, Mr. Festus Keyamo, objected to the appointment of politicians as ministers.
He said, “It will be extremely wrong to bring in politicians at this time because they will do nothing than campaign. That will be extremely objectionable.
“If he (Jonathan) knows he wants to finish strong, inaugurating projects and moving the country forward, he needs capable hands at this time. Any government who wants to do well towards the end of its tenure should bring in pure professionals not politicians.”
He added, “Any minister, who has a political ambition, should be shown the way out of the cabinet now, no matter how close the person is to the President. You cannot be campaigning and at the same time be a minister.”
Keyamo said the criteria to sack non-performing ministers were at the discretion of the President.
He said, “Some ministers are making more noise than others, while some are quiet performers. The President has the yard- stick to determine those performing to his own taste.”
Also, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Yusuf Ali, advised the President to ensure only patriotic Nigerians were appointed as ministers in his next cabinet.
Ali said this in an interview with one of our correspondents. He said, “The President should appoint patriotic Nigerians, people who will really serve the people, not just themselves and their families.”
