First he reported his minister to EFCC - not to mention that he is the only President ever to declare his assets - now this - he is sacking 9 ministers for incompetence - what do you guys think?


http://odili.net/news/source/2008/mar/6/13.html

[b]NINE members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and some Presidential aides have been pencilled down by President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua because of reports of non-performance on their part by a Presidential Monitoring panel.

The nine ministers are to be relieved of their appointments before the first anniversary of his regime - May 29, 2008.

The assessment panel, chaired by President Yar'Adua, has been meeting every Saturday between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. since the first week of December, with each minister and top directors in the ministry briefing the panel on what they were doing, the challenges and what they can achieve between now and 2010.

The decision to monitor the performances of the ministers followed reports of absence of planning at all levels and in all sectors, waste of scarce resources which has often resulted in uncompleted or abandoned projects leading to duplication of projects.

Others in the committee are Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, Chief of Staff to the President, Maj.-Gen Abdullahi Mohammed (rtd), Head of Service and the Ministers of Finance, National Planning and Transportation.

The source said that "though the situation is still fluid and political considerations may eventually determine who goes and who remains. President Yar'Adua has said he will make some very key changes in the next one month. Many of the ministers will have to go because they have been found to have under-performed since joining the administration. The President is really worried that some of the ministers don't really understand their briefs.

"But I can assure you that within the next few weeks, certainly before May 29, there will be a cabinet reshuffle. The president is really worried that some of his ministers don't really understand their briefs. The President is complaining that many of the ministers do not know their briefs and is worried that their continuous stay in government would drag the government back in implementing some of its cardinal programmes."

The source told The Guardian that the impending cabinet reshuffle would afford the President the opportunity to dispense with some of the ministers who were "imposed" on him by virtue of the roles they or their political godfathers played in his emergence as President.

Furthermore, the source noted that the President is bidding his time and waiting for the outcome of this Saturday's national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before he makes his final list.

The President has been emboldened by last week's judgment by the Presidential Elections Tribunal, which affirmed him as the victor in the April 2007 election, a development that has boosted the confidence of the President to discard some of the ministers, and pick his own men to enable him run the administration his own style.

Some of the ministers have been blamed for misleading the President on some policy issues or making pronouncements that put the administration in bad light, while some others are believed to be simply redundant and incapable of manning the ministries.[/b]

Well done Yar'adua for making positive moves in the government, majority of the leaders are corrupt and incompetence in the first place.

We need a president that will hard on those morons and does not fear anyone when it comes to sacking or reporting them to EFCC.

I hope he sacks dem sha.

The only thing Yar'Adua has done is reverse decisions taken by his
predecessor.

When is he going to come up with policies of his own ? Come May 2008, he'll be
1 year in office. Besides reversing OBJ's policies, what does he have to show
for his time in office ?

The 7 power plants that were being built in the Niger Delta have been put on hold because
(according to him) OBJ went about funding the projects unconstitutionally (he did not have
the authority to dip into the excess crude oil funds).Rather than finding an alternative means
of funding the projects, he has put them on hold.

The Tinapa project that was started by Donald Duke and had OBJ's blessings, What is the status
of the project now ?  According to reports, the original plan was for the place to operate as a
free trade zone, yet, customs are making Tinapa's dream a non-reality. What is Yar'Adua doing about
this ?

The SEEDS initiative started by OBJ and applauded worldwide is being tarnished and they are now
coming up with something else.

They have just announced that they are going to be importing cement to bring down the price, not
minding that there are several multi-billion naira cement factories being built in the country (e.g.
Obajana cement factory).

Do these not amount to reversing the policies of his predecessor without any way
of moving things forward ?

What about the EFCC ? He has sent Ribadu to the institute in Jos when everyone knows how
well he was performing at the EFCC. Do you recall Yar'Adua was thinking about abolishing
the EFCC altogether ? What would've been the point of this ?

If Yar'Adua insists on reversing his predecessor's policies, then he should come up with
his own alternatives. He should stop stringing us along.

although he has not done anything he does look like a genuine guy. i dont think he can take and make decisions which nigeria desperately needs. in my opinion he is the most sincere president nigeria has had.

the author says: it looks like yar adua is trying his best and in the same manner i think he is trying his best too but i still think his best is not good enough.
if there is anything nigeria needs now, it is not trying.
the major problem nigeris has is that we always have people trying their best.
we have all it takes to put nigeria at the top but we lack the leadership qualities because none of the so called leaders have the interests of the masses at heart.
yar adua will soon be one (1) year in office and he is still trying so when he will be three(3) years in office now, he will start projects that he would want to complete during his second tenure but all in all, 8 years will always be too small to change nigeria according to them but if you look back, u will see how rich leaders can be in 8 years.
it is obvious that as long as we continue having leaders who are trying their best, nigeria will still suffer this economic, political and social retarded growth.

We need to calm down and be sensible just for once.

Nigeria is a twisted country with enormously twisted problems. We should stop crying and recognise that it isn't an easy task to lead this country. Yar'Adua as our president is doing very well compare to the previous regimes.

You do not tackle problems effectively by rushing or seeking for short cuts (Nigerian style).
FYI: Rushing into solution and retarded mentality of our people is the main reason why our power supply is still very poor today (after spending billions by OBJ's regime).
When we rush into solving twisted problems, as many of us have recommended, the end result is always a disaster (from frying pan to fire). Hence, for a change, it is very important for our leader to be prudent before taking any action.
A true leader needs time to study the problems, evaluate several solutions, select the best solution and execute at the right time.
The only reason why this process is taking too long is the fact that Nigeria as a country has several invisible (intangible) problems, some of these problems were intentionally created by OBJ, who also happens to still be in the mix, making things more difficult to extricate.
And please keep in mind that just because we have plenty of money doesn't mean these problems will automatically disappear.
It just doesn't work this way.

We just need to simmer down and give this man all the support he needs to elevate our nation back to the top.
I honestly think that President Yar'Adua is handling things appropriately and with time all of us together will be able to clearly witness and appreciate his honesty, sincerity, effectiveness and efficiency.

Chill out and stop whining!

I prefer not to count my eggs until they are hatched. I have learned from past that that seems the best approach when it comes to Nigeria. I mean this is still his first year, I will wait till his third or fourth to decide if he is doing a great job or not. I mean Obasanjo did do some good during his first 2 years and look what happened 8 years later, LMAO!!!

Big B1 is right, but Nigeria needs faster growth.

The country needs to take advantage of Oil prices etc.

Although I do agree with what BigB1 is saying, Yar'Adua is extremely slow.

he is the most sincere president nigeria has had.

True!

@BigB1 beign decisive and having ideas of your own does not necessarily translate into things being "rushed". The power situation after OBJ is still the way it is today not becasue it was rushed, but because of the monumental corruption and greediness that was part of the programme, as well as a lack of genuine concern in that regards. We were fooled with mere rhetoric of 'restoring Nigeria'. The idea of saying Nigeria's problems are too complicated and hence it will take time is just simply something i do not buy into. Many of the problems are simple but we need a courageous leader. We need someone to get down and dirty and take the bull by the horn instead of the lame excuse of 'it will take time'. We are not trying to re-invent the wheel here. Yes Yaradua has seemed so far to be the most genuine leader, that is all nice and sweet but does that make him a good leader though? What courage or vision has he shown for Nigeria? No one has ever said he wasn't nice, but he lacks needed leadership skills and this whole idea of 'he is trying his best' just simply won't do. If we are going to keep saying that then we might as well forget about seeing any progress for the next 50years. But hey, at least we will have leaders that were "trying there best".

Sky Blue:

@BigB1 beign decisive and having ideas of your own does not necessarily translate into things being "rushed". The power situation after OBJ is still the way it is today not becasue it was rushed, but because of the monumental corruption and greediness that was part of the programme, as well as a lack of genuine concern in that regards. We were fooled with mere rhetoric of 'restoring Nigeria'. The idea of saying Nigeria's problems are too complicated and hence it will take time is just simply something i do not buy into. Many of the problems are simple but we need a courageous leader. We need someone to get down and dirty and take the bull by the horn instead of the lame excuse of 'it will take time'. We are not trying to re-invent the wheel here. Yes Yaradua has seemed so far to be the most genuine leader, that is all nice and sweet but does that make him a good leader though? What courage or vision has he shown for Nigeria? No one has ever said he wasn't nice, but he lacks needed leadership skills and this whole idea of 'he is trying his best' just simply won't do. If we are going to keep saying that then we might as well forget about seeing any progress for the next 50years. But hey, at least we will have leaders that were "trying there best".

Exactly

"What courage or vision has he shown for Nigeria? , He lacks needed leadership skills , "

What is this courage and vision that you so much refer to vaguely? Vague issues are the cheapest ways to criticise an individual.

Leadership skill? What exactly is he lacking that you can honestly and objectively see missing and that you can wisely suggest?

Quit this vague cliches and talk real issues.

@cola, when i refer to courage, i mean courage to lead change and act in the genuine interest of the nation instead of the interest of some members of the PDP. Doing the right thing even if it means stepping on toes. There are many examples of this, one being when the whole Ibori case was still hot in the hand of the EFCC. The london Metropolitan police was going to come into the country to do an investigation. The AGF thwarted any meaningful investigation from going on. The AGF is part of Yaradua's government. That is an example out of many which seems to see a president that is scared to step on toes or take control. When i refer to vision, well lets face it, he did not plan on becoming a president in the first place. So with that, i am guessing he did not have any plans or vision of were he would like to lead the country to. Key word being lead because he is afterall meant to be a leader. And a leader with no vision of where he wants to lead the country to is scary. It is like a ship without a captain. If you think i am being vague why don't we all take a look at his 7 point agenda?
If you notice, in all of this i have not said he is a bad person, i just said he doesn't seem prepared to lead the country and that is not a failure of him as a person, i mean what should we expect from someone who did not aspire to be president in the first place?

,

The arguement people always use to praise Yaradua's government is that "he is a good person". That is nice, whoever wants to celebrate that can celebrate it, but let us not extend those sentiments to what we have seen of his leadership. It is good that we have such a "nice" person in power but to be honest how does that automatically translate to managerial skills, directorhip, or better adjectives that are ascribed to good leadership? In a country with such a terrible past of greedy and egocentric leaders, the bar for good behaviour was low anyway. I don't just argue for arguement sake and in the end i desperately want to be proved wrong about this because i want the best for the country. Hence, i am still waiting for something resembling results or fruits of his labour to show

Skyblue:
From your statements, it is clear to me that you truly do not understand much about the problems facing Nigeria.

Talk is cheap, my friend.

@Big B1, if as you claim i "do not understand much about the problems facing Nigeria", i am guessing you are claiming to understand things much better than i do? Why not educate me then instead of using the "i do not understand" as something passable of an actual discourse? Thanks and God bless

Sky Blue:

The arguement people always use to praise Yaradua's government is that "he is a good person". That is nice, whoever wants to celebrate that can celebrate it, but let us not extend those sentiments to what we have seen of his leadership. It is good that we have such a "nice" person in power but to be honest how does that automatically translate to managerial skills, directorhip, or better adjectives that are ascribed to good leadership? In a country with such a terrible past of greedy and egocentric leaders, the bar for good behaviour was low anyway. I don't just argue for arguement sake and in the end i desperately want to be proved wrong about this because i want the best for the country. Hence, i am still waiting for something resembling results or fruits of his labour to show

I do agree with your points there. I myself know for sure that Nigeria's problems are not complicated and if this man is in office to take care of things, then he should start working faster cause he does not have all of life to be in office. I guess to some minds, being NICE is a big deal but I myself have seen too much of NICE people to know that that does not necessarily mean they are the best people for office and so wait to see where this man will take the nation and when.

Kobojunkie or skyblue or whatever you call yourself:
I'm too busy to entertain you today, but will definitely catch you later.

Just simmer down and enjoy the rest of the weekend; it's not that serious!

Its only time that will tell but i think he is trying his best. What OBJ and those b4 him did is not what will be corrected in one year.

OBJ did his best especially in his last tenure. He wasn't perfect though but I admired what

1) Okonjo Iweala did in the Finance Ministry and debt relieve which is raking in much money now to Yardua's coffers

2) Dora Akunyili did in the war against fake drugs

3) Soludo did in the banking sector

4) El Rufai did in restoring the beauty of Abuja

5) Nuhu Ribadu did in bringing big "fishes" to account for their mgt of public funds

6) Oby Ezekwesili did in institutionalising due process

OBJ brought these guys and gave them the political will to perform. I am yet to find an outstanding guy in Yar'dua's cabinet.

@gregg2, let us not credit OBJ with the sucess of others. Those people you mentioned did the job not OBJ, and they did not do it as a given but did it inspite of the political environment OBJ's government created. Instead of picking competent professionals to do ministerial jobs, friends and what have you were chosen. Oby Ezekwesili institionolised due process? You probably know more than me in that department, but that is a funny statement when you take into account the fact that a lot of OBJ's activities defied "due process". Even with that, saying he was admirable because of those things is to me not seeing the whole picture. I could say Peter Odili was amazing because in his eight years of misrule he built a road to the airport, but then i would have to ignore the epitome of greeed, inhumanity and savagery he displayed in his looting of the state, institutionalising electoral violence and political thuggery, the many assasinations that went on in his rule by his party, the monumental corruption that was prevalent in Rivers state, i could go on, but you get what i am trying to say. If those things you stated made OBJ acceptable, how many factors would you or did you have to ignore to make that statement?

Yar'Adua is sure a nice, gentle man who understands that history needs be respected but he is damn too slow. He keeps wasting the limited time he has. Wake up man! it is not only sinceririty that will take us there. It is vision and hard work. A country can survive with garrison commanders but never with dullards!

gregg2:

OBJ did his best especially in his last tenure. He wasn't perfect though but I admired what

1) Okonjo Iweala did in the Finance Ministry and debt relieve which is raking in much money now to Yardua's coffers

2) Dora Akunyili did in the war against fake drugs

3) Soludo did in the banking sector

4) El Rufai did in restoring the beauty of Abuja

5) Nuhu Ribadu did in bringing big "fishes" to account for their mgt of public funds

6) Oby Ezekwesili did in institutionalising due process

OBJ brought these guys and gave them the political will to perform. I am yet to find an outstanding guy in Yar'dua's cabinet.

Greg2, you are my 2008 man of the year!

Big Big1,
it is obvious and generally acceptable that most of here do not understand the problems of nigeria and congratulations you do.
pls tell us, what are the problems of nigeria?
pls tell me the complicacy in signing a contract with a construction company to put the roads in a good shape and save that lives of many nigerians that die of daily bases?
could you pls address that complicacy in fixing electricty in nigeria?
pls explain what it means to let that security system in the country to be okay?
if you are urging us to give yar adua time, like how much time are u looking at?
how much time did nigerians give to obj?
pls to kind enough to inform us here how long it took the last regime to put communication into shape and then relate that to every other segment of of lives?
Big Big1, will a third term be good for our able president?
have u ever taken ur time to look at the financial statues of all nigerian leaders past and present? how long time does it take then to be extravagantly rich?
in ur wisdom, can u tell us how many years nigeria requires to fix electricity, roads and security among other things?
good roads, electricity, education and house for all 2000, we were helpless in our patience but the vission came and go only on the pages of our newspapers.
Big Big1, have u ever been out of nigeria before? if yes, compare the standard and cost of living of the country and tell me why nigeria cannot be better than ur country  of case study?
nigerians have been patience and we are still patience and we will still be patience and for yar adua, we are giving him the time u have asked for on his behalf but be informed that he was not forced to occupy aso rock and as such, to whom much is given, much is expected from him.
finally, u shld be in a better position to lecture us on why u think yar adua is a different person from the previous cheats we have given all the time and times they needed.

It is not like he has to reinvent the wheel here or something. He just has to take ideas that have worked in other places, like good roads, stable electricity supply, better water supply and apply those in Nigeria from the get go. I mean I may have understood better if the case was that we did not have enough money for these things but by golly, oil is over $100 a barrel now and we have billions in reserve he could use to make these basic plans come true in even his first few months if he wanted to. Building good roads and supplying the people with good water does not require so much. GOSH!!! Just those 2 or 3 will be enough to propel that country forward 30 years from where it is now. I mean just the basics and we are still waiting. The man barely has a strong plan in place for tackling these things and that makes me wonder how much time he expects to spend before he starts working on these main issues.

We are not asking for the wheel to be reinvented and we are not asking him to make it perfect from the get go. What we need is for him to pick up one of the many plans that the groups before him have used, or even get the contract to the right companies, even international ones to get the job done. THis is VERY SIMPLE STUFF. It does not take a genius to figure out that You do not need 4 whole years to get these things in place.

Without proper implementation it doesn't matter if you have a good plan.
When contracts are awarded in Nigeria to do these things you all know what happens.
I think Nigeria needs to ban the reselling of contracts this will help alleviate some of these implementation problems that are causing the rifts.
Some people in Nigeria make money by acting like agents and reselling contracts that never get finished.
Contracts should be awarded to individuals who have not only competencies but core competencies(they are good at it)

As much as I love due process of law as the guy said he would stricktly follow in Nigeria, I would have loved to see him doing better. Right now, he hasn't really done anything tangible. Anyone that will help Nigeria will have to be 50% democratic, 50% strong handed, sorry to say that's just the state we are at the moment. Obj might have not been perfect at least we are still enjoying some of the reforms he put in place. The landscape of Nigerian telecommunication would never be the same that I give to him, to mention but just one. I would love to see this yardua guy come up with effective policies on infrastructures, say one or two in his first term and exucte another two o three in the second term and then let's the next regime take over from there and continue suit. Within a short time nigeria will be changed forever. Let no one come here and sing his praise now he hasn't done anything to receive any applause.

It is only in Nigeria government parastatals are changed more frequently than Nigerians change their underwears. At least he allowed some of OBJs friends to "wack" some money before finally deciding to get rid of them. . . .like he planned to do from the beginning.  No wonder Nigeria can't move an inch in any direction but backwards.  The new ministers now have to start afresh while the whole country is at a standstill.  One year later. . . nothing to write home about.


No different from any other before him. . . .with their "chop quick comot" so it can get to someone else's turn, pro-corruption agenda. How many people can you hold accountable for a "collective mess" if you keep switching and baiting officials around? To make witch hunting a whole lot easier I guess.  Like the new set will be any better? Useless country!  Since hook-nose Ribadu disappeared under ground, no noise from EFCC.  Like they were doing anything before the silence.  A welcome relief from all that breaking entering. . .knock down. . . doors fighting corruption crap!  I hope he is enjoying his own loot!