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Nigerian President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu just lately submitted Bello Matawalle’s title as one of many ministerial nominees in his second checklist. Tinubu’s nomination of the previous Zamfara Governor comes because the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee, EFCC probes him for an alleged N70 billion fraud.
Tinubu’s surprising resolution has made a number of Nigerians surprise if his cupboard is a way of rewarding celebration devoted and loyalists or an avenue to appoint competent individuals.
On this gripping exposé, we study Tinubu’s ministerial appointments and what Matawalle’s nomination may imply.
Tinubu compensates ex-governors with ministerial appointments
Tinubu’s first ministerial checklist featured former Ebonyi State governor, David Umahi; former Rivers State governor, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, former governor of Jigawa State; Muhammed Badaru Abubakar and former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El Rufai.
As if that was not sufficient, he nominated 5 extra within the second checklist despatched to the Senate yesterday. The previous governors embrace the Former governor of Osun, Adegboyega Oyetola, Former Kebbi Governor, Atiku Bagudu, former Zamfara governor, Bello Matawalle, Former Yobe Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam and Former Plateau governor, Simon Lalong.
Whereas it has been perceived that Tinubu nominated these governors as compensation for his or her contribution to his victory on the polls, Deji Adeyanju, a socio-political activist advised Tinubu to nominate certified technocrats as ministers as a result of he owes former governors nothing.
In a tweet, Adeyanju wrote, “I do know the stress the president have to be going through to nominate these formal governors in order that he can safe a 2nd time period however these former governors are already irrelevant. Tinubu ought to start to companion with present governors forward of 2027. Nigeria is in a really dangerous place presently.”
His 47 Nominees and the price of governance
With 47 nominees, Tinubu has set the file for the very best variety of ministerial nominees in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic (1999 to this point). That is as his nominees exceed the 42 ministers appointed by the previous president, Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.
Tinubu’s 47 nominees come after Nigerians and observers known as for an pressing discount in the price of governance. They famous that if Tinubu is eager on making progress within the administration of the nation’s financial system, he must reduce down on the variety of appointees and ministers that steal growth from Africa’s largest financial system.
Additionally, staff below the aegis of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC and Commerce Union Congress, TUC, who held a nationwide strike on the 2nd of August, asserted that reducing again on wasteful spending and repurposing cash would assist Nigerians basically, who’re struggling financially.
Bello Matawalle and the N70 Billion Probe
In Could 2023, the EFCC revealed that it was probing Matawalle for allegedly diverting N70 billion meant for contracts within the state. The EFCC’s director of public affairs, Osita Nwajah mentioned, “Matawalle is being investigated by the EFCC, over allegations of monumental corruption, award of phantom contracts and diversion of over 70 billion.”
He additional famous that “The cash which was sourced as mortgage from an outdated era financial institution purportedly for the execution of initiatives throughout the native authorities areas of the state, was allegedly diverted by the governor by proxies and contractors who obtained cost for contracts that weren’t executed.”
Nwajah additionally hinted that “A number of the contractors who had been invited and quizzed by the Fee, made startling revelations on how they have been allegedly compelled by the governor to return the funds obtained from the state coffers again to him by his aides after changing the identical to United States {dollars}.”
Tinubu’s nomination of Bello Matawalle amidst a N70 billion corruption probe may result in a lack of credibility in his governance, political backlash, and heightened scrutiny on his authorities.
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