Ministerial Nominees’ Screening Was Blinded – Lawyer

Channels Tv

A Nigerian lawyer believes that the recently concluded screening of the ministerial nominees was a blind one and this is unfortunate in the era of ‘change’.

Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, Mr Jiti Ogunye, said that “neither the nominees nor the Senators knew the positions the nominees would be occupying. So, it is a blind screening and they enjoyed it.

“Otherwise, the Senators could have told President Muhammadu Buhari to include the portfolios of the minister designates.”

Giving his opinion on the state of the Nigerian economy and the constitutional recommendation of having ministers from every state, Mr Ogunye said that the country does not need to revisit the constitution. “The provision of the constitutions are not chains; they are not manacles.

“My view is that the provision of Section 147 of the constitution doesn’t mean it is compulsory to have 36 ministers on the basis of the 36 states.

“Section 147 Subsection 1 provides that there shall be ministers and the office of the ministers in the government of the federation shall be established by the President; he has the discretion to establish the number of ministries he wants”, he said.

He further explained that Section 147 Subsection 2 provides that the President shall appoint the ministers if the nomination is confirmed while Section 147 Subsection 3 provides that, in making the appointments, the President has to abide by the provision of 143 of the constitution that there must be at least, a minister per state who must also be an indegene of such state.

Federal Character

The lawyer, however, said that, ” It is constitutional if the President establishes 100 ministries”.

” I do not take the view that, given the way the provision is presently worded, the President is under a duty to appoint 36 ministers”, he maintained.

He, however, gave  an implication on the state of the finance of the country on the ministers.

“I would advise that President Buhari have a reasoned position of the matter. The argument cannot be that we can’t pay ministers. If we can’t pay ministers, can we pay the President?

“Saying you can’t pay ministers means Nigeria is going bankrupt.

“They are working statutorily, they must be paid. But, if the argument is that government had been too unwilted in the past, how did we get here?” he questioned.

Mr Ogunye then gave detailed explanation on the principles of federal character.

“The principle of federal character is a mechanism for managing diversity and plurality; ethnic, religious and political.

” The President had displayed federal character by giving the hint that he’s satisfied with the requirement of the constitution by appointing 36 persons as ministers.”

He added that President Buhari ought to have submitted 18 names of ministerial nominees in order to appoint Special Advisers so as to compensate states that do not have ministerial nominees which would give room for a more efficient government.