Nigerian Cabinet Dissolved | 42 Ministers Fired by Acting President

By: Victor Ulasi, Nigeria

The Acting President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, has dissolved the Cabinet of the Federation. Forty-two ministers reportedly lost  their jobs. No reason has been given for the termination of the appointments.

Political instability has gained ground in 98% of Nigeria as transparency between any former administration and the present administration has disintegrated. The new administration has been presenting its own cabinet members to the Senate, thereby dissolving the cabinet inherited from the previous government.

The change of Federal Executive Council members is not news in the Nigerian system of democracy, but the instability contributes to the underdevelopment and abandonment of infrastructure as well as wasted resources. This is because the new cabinet does not continue projects that were instituted by the former cabinet. Instead, they simply abandon them and created new projects of their own.

The Former Minister of Information, Professor Dora Akunyili, has made it known that the acting president did not give any reason for the cabinet dissolution. She said that she does not understand what went wrong.

Nevertheless, the acting president, in a press statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Ima Niboro, said the dissolution was “to inject fresh blood and bring even greater vigor to governance. It is part of the larger strategy to frontally confront the core challenges that face the nation at this crucial moment of our history.”

However, while briefing journalists, Professor Akunyili said sadly: “Today the Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, dissolved the Federal Executive Council. Thank you.”

A top political critic who requested to remain anonymous said that acting President Jonathan was “going for broke” by dissolving the cabinet in order to make himself the substantive president and to also ensure that he stands for election on PDP’s ticket in 2011.

He went on to say, “This is the first move. He will now appoint ministers who are loyal to him, and who will invoke section 144 of the 1999 Constitution to declare Yar’adua permanently incapacitated. Jonathan will then become substantive president. Next, he will move to cow the state governors by removing EFCC chairperson Mrs. Farida Waziri and appointing his own man, possibly bringing back Malam Nuhu Ribadu or appointing Colonel Dangiwa Umar. The governors will then be forced to abandon their consensus that the PDP’s 2011 presidential ticket should be zoned to the North. After that, Jonathan will initiate the sacking of the Prince Ogbulafor-led PDP working committee, to be replaced by a caretaker committee that will support his political agenda.”

To this end, Nigeria awaits new cabinet members who have said that they will lead the country forward as the Acting President of Nigeria has made it known that the new Ministers will improve the situation of the country.

Edited by S. Robinson

Posted by worldnews on March 19, 2010. Filed under International News,International Politics,News - Africa,Politics - Africa,WorldNewsVine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.