President Muhammadu Buhari has made it clear that he is not in a hurry to appoint ministers for now, saying: “I don’t know why people are so anxious for the ministers. But eventually we will have them.”
In an interview with ARISE News today, in South Africa, the President: “I’m not in a hurry to get ministers.”
He said that main reason is that the ministers under the immediate past President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan failed to complied with an agreement between him and Jonathan by properly making handing over notes before his inauguration on May 29.
“I had a transition committee, which I agreed with former President Goodluck Jonathan that the ministers of the outgone government should hand over their notes and documents to this transition committee so that we could be prepared.
“The ministers knew that they were going but the technocrats, permanent secretaries and so on, knew they will remain. So if anything goes wrong, they will be invited to explain.
“Unfortunately, the outgone government did not co-operate. So what the committee did was to divide itself into about five sub-committees, and I (only) got the report, I think, three days ago.
“I was waiting for that report, because I would like to know what positions there are in the government, especially in terms of the finance and petroleum portfolios.”
Speaking on the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as Senate president and the division that followed, President Buhari compared it with the presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“For example, when we came to our party’s primary for the presidential election, four of us stood (in the primary). There was no problem because it is part of the system.
“I happened to win and they agreed there and then that we should all work for the party. But unfortunately, in this National Assembly, there was a division. So it’s up to them (legislators) to sort it out.” [myad]
