Stocktaking
By Ebere Agozie
Abuja, June 4, 2019 (NAN) Prof. Nasiru Idris, Dean, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to take a comprehensive stocktaking to re-engineer and reposition the country.
The don, who gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Tuesday in Abuja, also said there was the need to calm the political tension for the country to move forward.
According to Idris, “beyond the celebrations and excitement, Nigerians are expecting real positive elevation to the `NEXT LEVEL’ in all sectors of the economy.
“A comprehensive stocktaking and understanding of the issues and challenges in various sectors of the economy is important for the administration to re-engineer and reposition the country.
“This will require consultative meetings with various stakeholders: `A THINK-Tank of resource persons is needed to provide feedback to Mr President from time to time on what is happening in the country,’’ he said.
According to Idris, there is need for reconciliatory meetings with all political parties that participated in the 2019 elections and an assurance from the President that he will work together with them toward nation-building.
He advised the president to appoint his cabinet members early to avoid the pit falls experienced in his first term by late appointment of the Federal Executive Council members.
“Mr President should not delay the appointment of ministers so he can hit the ground running and he should also note that only competent and qualified personnel should make the list.
“He should also assign portfolios to ministers in relation to their area of specialization, so they can be relevant and able to produce results beyond expectation of an average Nigerians,’’ he said.
He asked the Federal Government to decentralise the Federal Ministries.
“The President should note that, for example, the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing is a key and critical sector of the economy and requires to be decentralise into 3 different Ministries.
“There are other Federal Ministries that do not require Ministers of State, for example, Environment, Niger Delta and Solid Minerals amongst others
“They should only have one minister, while Ministries like, Internal Affairs, Education and Defense should have a Minister of State to perform at optimal level and provide administrative leadership,’’ he explained.
He called for the merger of some government agencies and appointment competent persons to head Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs).
Alhaji Yahaya Ndu, the President of the Peoples Movement for a New Nigeria (PMNN), also said that the challenges confronting Nigeria are beyond the APC and PDP but installation of a mass participatory governance system.
“Only a mass participatory system of governance will give any hope of providing succor to the long suffering masses of Nigeria.
“There must be national integration and unification in this country, the government must realise that nepotism and tribalism is definitely not the road to national integration and unity.
“The president must make genuine efforts to reconcile divergent tendencies tearing the nation apart, so that a true nation can be forged that Africa would be proud of,’’ Ndu said.
In employment generation, he urged the government to recognise tourism as the greatest generator of employment globally.
“Whereas crude oil can be described as a gold mine for Nigeria, tourism on the other hand is undeniably the diamond mine.
“Proper development of the tourism industry even in the short term possesses the capacity to provide over fifty million jobs in all the local government areas of the nation,’’ he said. (NAN)
EPA/OIF/AFA
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Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo/Felix Ajide