A cursory look at Tinubu’s cabinet, By Kayode Oyedeji

David Umuahi is doing well. I’m happy he is a great Ambassador of the South East in this Cabinet. I love his zeal, determination and strong conviction. He is in a hurry to deliver. He is desperate to build infrastructure, using a mix of government direct funding and private sector investment. He is looking inward, not crying helplessly like a baby. He has the right energy, confidence and knowledge to get results.

The interior Minister has aptly defined what it means to “hit the ground running”. Passport backlog of over 200,000 pieces almost cleared. That nightmare is almost gone. So, it is possible! It is possible to get results in Nigeria. Against all odds. It is possible.

Issuance of Passport should be a major revenue source for government. Once the backlog is cleared, he should move ahead and announce a scheme that encourages every Nigerian to get an International passport. Having a passport is a right everyone is willing to pay for. Our passport is our identity. If he can issue 40m passports, average of 10m per year, in four years, his Ministry would have generated huge revenue. Revenue is the blood of every government.

He should embark on aggressive prison reforms that will reduce prison inmates significantly, may be by 50%, reduce prison overheads and manpower and free revenue for development.

Wike is working as if he has a point to prove. Development ended in the FCT with Nasir El-Rufai. Wike is poised to revamp the FCT. He is roaring like a hungry lion, desperate to get the FCT back on track. Hopefully, he is able to get the light rail working as scheduled.

I want Finance Minister to talk more and let people know how precarious things were before May 29 and how we will manage to get the economy running again. We are in an emergency.

The truth about the FOREX problem is that Nigeria is “Dollar broke”. There is gross insufficiency of convertible currencies.

Unfortunately, we can’t improvise, we can’t mint Dollars or Pounds Sterling. We can only earn them. We have to produce more and more. We need to start manufacturing our technology, embrace our locally made clothes, deliberately do local vacations among others. We must have that patriotic zeal to embrace locally made items and “grow Nigeria”.

We have to work, beg, solicit for Dollars via foreign investment. Whatever has to be done. That is why the President himself has become the Chief Salesman of the Country. But while we are begging for investment from abroad, we must also look inward, aggregate savings and investment and deploy local resources to fund development.

The Finance Minister is cerebral and conservative. Not the garrulous type. Not the camera hugging type. He will make great impact. But he must find ways to engage the Nation and give regular updates as he confronts the daunting task ahead of him.

The economy will be restored to the path of growth and development. We are in a very challenging time. No part of the economy must be allowed to go under or into recess anymore. Every segment, micro and macro, must operate at full, optimum capacity.

The Minister for Labour must avert any form of industrial action that can cripple the economy. The economy must not be shut down for a minute. Let there be a new Minimum Wage without delay. The Minister should adopt the speed of Umuahi, the resilience and sagacity of Minister Ojo and the determination of Wike to weather the storm.

I wish Mr. Dele Alake the very best. The future and fortune of Nigerian economy lie largely on his lap. The extractive industry must generate wealth. What we have under the ground is enough to banish poverty from the land.

Solid minerals can be a blessing and a curse depending on government’s approach. In many African Countries, it has been more of a curse than a blessing. Mining has become a war in Zamfara. In Osun, goldmines are fast turning to war zones. The Minister must change the trend, draw the line, streamline the process and start afresh.

Other Ministers must catch “the fire”. When will Education Minister kick-start reforms in his Ministry? All Ministers clearly have the President’s mandate and support to go and turn things around. They must run and get results. Nigerians are waiting.