GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN, GCFR
President Goodluck Jonathan in June 2011 sought
and obtained the approval of the Senate to appoint
20 advisers to assist him in running his government.
However, the President has, in apparent breach of
the number of aides approved for him, gone ahead
to appoint at least 24 advisers as at the last count.
Beyond exceeding the number, the designations of
the appointees also raise serious questions as to the
necessity of the appointments. Let’s consider a few.
Dr. Tunji Olagunju, Special Adviser to the President
on NEPAD and Dr. Pius Olakunle Osunyikanmi,
Special Adviser to the President on International
Relations. Apparently, these two offices could have
been handled by a single person. Besides, why do we
have to appoint a special adviser to the President on
these when there is a Ministry of Foreign Affairs with
more than one minister, permanent secretary,
directors and possibly a department in charge of
NEPAD?
Mr. Oronto Douglas, Special Adviser to the President
on Research and Strategy. Sentiments aside, what
exactly is the role of this office and couldn’t it have
been carried out by a permanent employee in the
Presidency?
Prof. Abubakar Sambo, Special Adviser to the
President on Energy. Really? What distinctive ‘special
advice’ is the President expecting from the
incumbent here that the ministers for petroleum,
energy and power cannot give?

Mrs. Sarah Akuben Pane, Special Adviser to the
President on Social Development. One is too
stumped to even comment on this. Mrs. Sarah Jibril,
Special Adviser to the President on Ethics and Values.
What a joke! Who even monitors what, if any, work
some of these appointees have been carrying out?
Kingsley Kuku, Special Adviser to the President on
Niger Delta Affairs. What would the minister and the
minister of state for the Niger Delta ministry be doing
and what about the head of the Niger Delta
Development Commission?
Prof. Dan Adebiyi, Special Adviser to the President on
Special Duties and Senator Isaiah Ballat, Special
Adviser to the President on Special Duties (Office of
the Vice-President). Could someone please unpack
this designation for us? Same request suffices for Nze
Sullivan Akachukwu Nwakpo, Special Adviser to the
President on Technical Matters and for Mrs. Asma’u
Abdulkadir, Special Adviser to the President on
Gender Issues. What on earth amounts to ‘Technical
Matters’?
And there are also Yakubu Abdullahi, Special Adviser
to the President on Political Matters (Office of the
Vice President); Mr. Bashir Sufyan, Special Adviser to
the President on Legal Matters (Office of the Vice-
President).
Professor Nwanze Okidegbe, Economic Adviser to the
President. What economic advice would this officer
give the President that the National Economic
Management Team members including the Minister
of Finance and the Minister of National Planning
cannot?

Senator Ben Obi, Special Adviser to the President on
Inter-Party Affairs. There is absolutely no reason to
appoint a special adviser for just this function, when
there is Ahmed Gulak, Political Adviser to the
President just as the designation of Dr Mariam Ali,
Special Adviser to the President on Inter-
governmental Affairs.
Perhaps the most curious is the Special Adviser (New
Media), Reno Omokri. In clear terms, he is special
adviser on Twitter and Facebook matters! This is
aside the fact that there is a Special Adviser to the
President on Media and Publicity. Strangely, the
‘Twitter and Facebook Special Adviser’ is not attached
to the office of the Special Adviser on Media and
Publicity but to the Special Adviser, Research and
Strategy.
By the way, these special advisers would ordinarily
have their own personal assistants and their personal
assistants will have their own P.A.s and so on and so
forth.
Beyond these bizarre appointments also is the waste
of money in servicing committees and task forces
which are fast becoming mere “job for the boys”. The
Jonathan government continues to diminish the place
of the federal civil service and associated executive
organs in the functioning of government but
continues to mushroom a legion of committees, task
forces and panels to assume sundry responsibilities
at the centre. These mounting layers of bureaucracy
and its cost implication are a major source of
concern just as the non-implementation of
committee reports submitted in recent times and it
calls to question the commitment and sincerity of the
“Jona-our-Son” government.

Take a look at some of the committees; Presidential
Advisory Committee (PAC) headed by Gen. T.Y.
Danjuma Rtd., Presidential Committee on
Expenditure Review headed by Prof. Anya O. Anya,
Presidential Projects Assessment Committee headed
by Alh. Ibrahim Bunu, Presidential Taskforce on
Power headed by Prof. Barth Nnaji who doubles as
the power minister, Presidential Committee on
Security Challenges headed by Alh. Usman Galtimari,
Presidential Committee for Review of reports on
ethno-religious crises in Plateau State headed by
Chief Solomon Lar, Presidential Committee on Post
Election Violence headed by the former Grand Khadi
of Niger State, Sheikh Ahmed Lemu.
Others are Presidential Committee on Review of
Outstanding Constitutional Issues headed by Justice
Alfa Belgore rtd, Presidential Committee on NDDC
headed by Chief Isaac Jemide, Presidential Taskforce
for Passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB)
headed by Senator Udo Udoma, Presidential Special
Committee on the reorganization of the Police
headed by Parry Osayande, Presidential Committee
to negotiate with Labour on Fuel Subsidy headed by
Justice Alfa Belgore rtd, again, Petroleum Revenue
Special Task Force headed by Nuhu Ribadu, National
Refineries Special Task Force headed by former
Finance Minister Kalu Idika Kalu.

This has been the rash in recent months. Anytime an
issue emerges, the President rather than rely on
constitutional structures to achieve results will rush
to mushroom committees and the reports of these
committees have also been piling with the
government showing no interest in implementing
their recommendations. That the President has
chosen to rely on extra constitutional bodies is an
indication of lack of confidence in the civil servants
yet no one in the civil service has had to pay for their
inability to produce results if that is the reason the
President does not have confidence in the civil
servants. This leaves us with a reasonable suspicion
that these committees are not set up to achieve
anything after all; they are only conduits to siphon
money into the pockets of those the administration
wants to settle.
When the President arrived the African Union
meeting in Addis Ababa last month with thirty aides
and his wife with forty two aides and the media
reported the news, his information managers cried
wolf accusing the media of mischief. But our thinking
has been that a few weeks after the President
promised in a national broadcast to curb waste in
government, sincere efforts where going to be put in
to achieve that aim but from all indications, there is
no sign that this President can prevent Nigeria from
her procession to Golgotha.
God bless our country!
Agba Jalingo.
Journalist/Activist
Managing Partner, GiantConcept Media consult
3 Ifesowapo St., Ogudu Orioke, Lagos.

Seems he needs a special advisor on 'Mathematics'.

Let them steal - their day of reckoning awaits them.

Presidential advisory commitee headed by t y danjuma, i don die

The boys have to chop nah. Is Reno also taking care of nairaland?

One day money will finish - keep spending more than you earn.

This man is indeed clueless.