Only three members of President Buhari’s Federal Executive Council have access to President Buhari, investigations by SIGNAL have revealed.

The three ministers, former governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Abdulrahman Dambazzau and former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, SIGNAL gathered are the privileged trio who barely enjoy access to the President. More recently, Minister of Budget and National Planning Udoma Udo Udoma has been seen at frequent meetings with the President owing to the 2016 budget scandal which portrayed the Nigerian presidency as incompetent and uncoordinated.

President Buhari’s style of governance has built a wall around him, keeping him closely shielded from his ministers and other top government officials, many of whom he regards as corrupt.

Fashola, the Super Minister in President Buhari’s cabinet presiding over the three ‘juicy’ ministries of Works, Housing and Power came under harsh criticisms shortly before his appointment by Buhari as minister for spending N78 million on the design of his personal WordPress website while serving as Governor of Lagos State.

Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi was former governor of Rivers State. His tenure as governor has come under heavy anti-corruption scrutiny after being indicted for corruption by a Rivers State Judicial Panel of Enquiry. He was the Director-Genaral of President Buhari’s campaign organization during the last presidential election.

Dambazzau is in charge of the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) as Minister of Interior. Former President Jonathan sacked him as Chief of Army Staff, reportedly for his alleged role in the secret entry of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua to the country in February 2010.

Working under fear

Informed sources about the development who did not want to be named disclosed to SIGNAL on Monday how Buhari’s ministers carry out their assignment under an atmosphere of complete fear.

“The ministers can’t even talk to their boss. Everyone works in an atmosphere of fear. Many of them have been digested into a system that makes it a crime to argue or have policy debates with the President. If you have noticed, most of the ministers speak with lack of confidence and some of them have withdrawn into their shell,” a top government official told our reporter.

The ugly situation in Aso Rock, inside sources say is largely responsible for the lack of coordination and failure of ministers to get a grip of their ministries, leaving them to the whim and caprices of civil servants. The inability of Buhari’s cabinet to establish a cohesive Executive-Legislature collaboration has become a distinctive feature of the Buhari government with ministers flatly denying contents of their ministries’ budget details in the 2016 budget presented by President Buhari to the National Assembly.

Recall that President Buhari shocked the world and Nigerians when he declared during a state visit to France that ministers do nothing but make a lot of noise. Defending his preference to operate without a cabinet, the President said civil servants were preferable to ministers who are politicians and “make a lot of noise”.

Lending credence to reports that President Buhari may have reduced his Ministers to powerless puppets, a former Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Rowland Owie recently warned Buhari against tampering with the 2016 budget sent to the Presidency by the National Assembly. Senator Owie said the President was not heeding to advice from his Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma.

“Mr. President should note that he can never get a budget the way it was sent to NASS or state Assembly. NASS has the right to re-introduce new items into the budget, right to reduce the amount, or decrease or remove it totally, it is the function of the National Assembly, no one can do that. If the president changes anything, he has to return the budget again to NASS, it will start again from first reading to second reading to committee stage. If he tampers with it, he has to return it to NASS and start from zero point meaning that this year, we may not have a budget. My worry is that Mr. President is not listening to advise from the Minister of Budget and National Planning and a former Senate Chief Whip, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma and his Special Assistant, Senator Ita Enang who is also very knowledgeable on National Assembly matters”, Senator Owie said.

Osinbajo demoralised

The pervading atmosphere of fear at the Villa has also affected the number two citizen and Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo. Informed sources who pleaded anonymity described the VP as demoralized after President Buhari overruled and annulled his announcement that the Buhari government was going to redeem its promise of a N5, 000 monthly stipend to unemployed graduates.


http://www.signalng.com/exclusive-tension-aso-rock-3-ministers-access-president-buhari/

Op I don't trust this ur info. U said ONLY three ministers, then u added the budget minister (making 4).

Lies from the pit of pdp.


Going by this story, Amaechi is strategic to the success of the government. These ministers should have unfettered access to the president, but they are not the only ones with access to the president. Wailers won't like this even though it's a lie.

Trashy trash from useless PDP blog.

Una no use Breaking times again??

Lienus from ipod yoots

I'm sick and tired of commenting on buhari matter because its a mood killer

Something you are going to see there is no need to force it out. APC we are watching you and this goverment. Just carry us to your last bus stop.

Op with tention are u talking about is it the nepa pole high tention in the villa or army parade attention ?

The senate should begin impeachment proceedings in the president immediately coz he lacks what it takes to be a leader...
He already has alot of impeachable offences hanging around his neck & we Nigerians want him out as soon as possible for a younger Nigerian tht understands our economic atmosphere to takeover governance as soon as possible

How true us this. To me this is a pure lie

Going by Buhari's antecedence, i don't doubt this report. The writer might have been a bit sensational in the write up but the act being reported is definitely not beyond Buhari

Illiteracy nah disease..

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APC, party of the aggrieved and desperate politicians.

His real ministers are in the shrine?

Achuwa1:
The senate should begin impeachment proceedings in the president immediately coz he lacks what it takes to be a leader...
He already has alot of impeachable offences hanging around his neck & we Nigerians want him out as soon as possible for a younger Nigerian tht understands our economic atmosphere to takeover governance as soon as possible

Chinedu when will you have sense

How can Goodluck Jonathan leave the country in Good shape, just less than 2 years this Malam wrecked it??

I believe this poster 1000%, even Amaechi's body language shows fear. How comes not even minister of police afairs dare to condemn the constant madness by Fulani herdsmen?

There is a deep conspiracy going on to wreck our country from within in collaboration with all former PDP Judas.

Pls people let's keep our eyes open and watch our economy closely. GEJ got Nigeria to No.1 in the whole of Africa, in less than 1 year, investors are running away...

Question Time! !!!!

Has President Buhari got an economic strategy in place?

How come Lie Lie Mohammed has now become the economy minister? Someone with an IQ of 5% on economic matters is giving misleading information on the economy.

How come central bank governor or minister of finance is silent on issues regarding the Nigerian economy

PMB is certainly running a 1 Man Government....

He said that the budget Minister has been having access to the president lately due to the budget palaver.

Buhari is a dictator.

Galacious1:
Op I don't trust this ur info. U said ONLY three ministers, then u added the budget minister (making 4).

fake news.

Galacious1:
Op I don't trust this ur info. U said ONLY three ministers, then u added the budget minister (making 4).

Imagine

i dnt trust this story.

yarimo:
Op with tention are u talking about is it the nepa pole high tention in the villa or army parade attention ?

Hahahahaha

See wetin you sabi

Achuwa1:
The senate should begin impeachment proceedings in the president immediately coz he lacks what it takes to be a leader...
He already has alot of impeachable offences hanging around his neck & we Nigerians want him out as soon as possible for a younger Nigerian tht understands our economic atmosphere to takeover governance as soon as possible

Thank you Sir, you are a true Nigerian.No one can tell me with all of these problem in the country that the president meant well for us . BIG LIE, please change policy and better the life of ordinary Nigerians.

Which kind 'busy signal' be dis?

How true?

Hmmm

fake news everywhere!

OP, so you have access to all the memo and telephone discussions between the Presidency and the Ministers to know those he gave unrestricted access. Moreover, you must be a staff in the President's office to know the ministers that are turned back from seeing the president.

Sincerely, a 5 year old averagely intelligent boy will make more sense and logic than what you wrote here.....haba, not even Ibe Kachikwu who reports directly to the President as Junior Minister and is in charge of the country's main income centre....