A few days ago, I heard an astonishing story from a Swedish citizen who was in Lagos on a business trip. She told me she visited Nigeria about 2 years ago with a Swedish business delegation led by a Swedish Minister. During the trip the delegation had a 9am appointment with a Nigerian Federal Minister and the Minister did not turn up in his office until 11am. The Minister opened the meeting by saying to the delegation (please hold your breath). I quote: ‘’I was so tired this morning that I told myself that even if my father came to my house to drag me out, I will not leave my house before 10am this morning’’. My Swedish friend expressed utter shock and went on to say that it was obvious during the meeting that this Minister lacked the requisite intellectual capacity to discuss the subject matter at hand. His garbs were clearly much bigger than his girth. The last thing she said to me was that she told the Minister who led the Swedish delegation that this Minister is not a fair representation of the average Nigerian she has met in the course of her business. This last statement is indeed a fair statement which we hear very often as people wonder why many political appointees (with some exceptions) fail to represent the ethos and pride of the Nigerian private sector magnates and intelligentsia.
As the 2019 election approaches Nigeria is confronted with the humdrum of appointment of ‘’new’’ federal ministers when a new President is sworn in. Please take notice that politicians are already horse trading and promising ministerial appointments as bait for electioneering support. Ministerial slots are allotted like lottery tickets. Should the process for appointment of ministers for the largest company in Nigeria (Nigeria itself) be any less rigorous than hiring in the private sector? These appointments can swing the pendulum for any government because surely bad ministers or wrong portfolios dilute good governance.
As citizens, we should question how the Federal Executive Council (Nigeria’s highest arm of decision making) is constituted because the incapacity of ministers affects our wellbeing. We should hold the incoming President to higher standards in the appointment of ministers and insist on minimum criteria for appointments. Anyone who would ordinarily not make a shortlist for a CEO position in a grade “A” privately held company should never make a ministerial shortlist. Ministers should be proven team leaders, project managers, boardroom tacticians, savvy entrepreneurs and industry experts (round pegs in round holes).
An ICT Minister must be an ICT professional. It is not negotiable! Companies take hiring of the key members of the management team very seriously and CEO’s surround themselves with people who have the right set of skills to achieve agreed goals and targets. Why would the federal government not run like that?
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One may ask at this point: Does the President have any restrictions in his choice of ministers? The only constitutional restriction is that he must appoint ‘’at least one minister from each state who shall be an indigene of such state’’. Nigeria is not short of egg-heads, so it should not be difficult to get shortlists of at least 3 top notch CEO grade candidates from each of the 36 states. A President needs to bite the bullet and make appointments based on competence and devoid of politics. Nothing but himself stops him from doing so! We the citizens of Nigeria are tired of the management of our country going to ‘’political rewardees’’ (excuse my new diction). ‘’Political rewardees’’ are ‘’people who political parties need to reward for donating to campaigns and playing active roles in electioneering’’. Can we not detach the management of our country’s resources from the political party reward systems? Surely there must be several other avenues to reward such people? Must we toe the line of Zimbabwe where the Vice President and two cabinet ministers are the three retired generals who led the military coup that ousted Robert Mugabe in November 2017.
As we strive to improve the quality of people who manage our commonwealth, we should ask some hard questions: Should ministers be subjected to a transparent recruitment process? Should professional politicians who jostle for appointments for the intrinsic benefits be our first choice for ministers? Should we have a drop box system to enable people without godfathers apply to be ministers? Would we attract the right people and reduce conflicts if ministers are paid a fair CEO level wage? (Ministers today earn circa 13 million Naira (basic salary and allowances with no house provided). Should we institute a public accountability system for minister’s targets and KPI’s? Should we pass a law that institutes process and criteria for appointing individuals charged with ‘’management’’ of our resources?
All over the world, the hunt for talent is permeating governments. It has become important for governments to attract the right people devoid of primordial considerations. One good example is Mark Carney, the 120th and current Governor of the Bank of England who is a Canadian. He was appointed in 2013 as the first non-Briton to hold that position. Note that the Bank of England recently advertised for Mark Carney’s replacement until he agreed to extend his tenure to 2020.
The British Prime Minister, Theresa May, recently explained the reasons for a cabinet reshuffle. She said it was all about: ‘’bringing fresh talent into government’’ and ‘’ensuring the government looks more like the country it serves’’. Prime Minister May is signaling that governments should hunt for talent and aspire to achieve the proficiency that characterizes successful private sector institutions.
Arguably Nigeria has one of the most vibrant private sectors in the world. Nigerians in the private sector have distinguished themselves; making richest men lists, creating great institutions and endearing legacies, and more. The question is: would we one day have a President who would truly seek to mirror the private sector in governance?
Ayuli Jemide
