No sooner was President Muhammdu Buhari was sworn in on May 29 than some Nigerians started saying they would love his cabinet to be made up of more "technocrats" than politicians.

My question is, who is a technocrat? Is he a person that has never held any elective or appointive post in politics, and is more concentrated in his profession, like those against Buhari's ministerial nominees are wont to make us believe? Does a person whom hitherto was concentrated in his profession in a private or public firm lose his technocracy when he ventures into politics? If this is true, did Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala lose her technocracy as the Minister of Finance in the last government because she was earlier a Minister during the government of Obasanjo. Did Kayode Fayemi lose his techocracy as a lecturer and diplamat when he became Ekiti State Governor?

I took my time to check what the word, techocrat is. According to the Oxford Advanced Learners' Dictionary, it is an expert in science, engineering, etc. who has a lot of power in politics and/or industry.

I will list the names of of the ministerial nominees, trying, as much as I can, not to attach their attainments in politics. It will be strictly professional attainments in the private or governmental sector:

(1) Chris Ngige: MBBS from UNN. Retired as a Deputy Director in the Federal Ministry of Health.

(2) Abdulrahman Danbazzau: Rose to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant upon graduation from the DNA in 1979. US Army Military Police School. Bsc Criminal Justice from Kent State University. Became the first officer in the Army to have PhD in 1989. He held different positions in the Army.

(3) Kayode Fayemi: B.A. (Unilag). Msc (OAU). PhD (University of London). He worked as a lecturer, journalist and researcher in Nigeria and the UK. He was a lecturer in NIPSS, Kuru, Jos.

(4) Rotimi Amaechi: B.A. (Uniport). Worked in Pamo Clinics, Port Harcourt.

(5) Tunde Fashola: LLB (Uniben) was into legal practice till he went into politics. He became a SAN in his early 40's.

(6) Aisha Jummai Al-Hassan: LLB. She was Chief Registrar of the High Court, FCT, Abuja.

(7) Ogbonnaya Onu: PhD (Ivy League University, California). Lectured in the University of Port Harcourt.

( Kemi Adeosun: Msc (University of East London). She was Senior Manager at the PriceWaterCooperHouse (PWC) in London.

(9) Ibe Kachikwu: LLM (Harvard). He was Executive Vice Chairman ExxonMobil, General Counsel of Texaco Upstream and Downstream, Nigeria.

(10) Audu Ogbeh: Msc (University of Toulouse, France). Lectured at the Institute of Education, ABU, Zaria. He headed the Department of Humanities, Murtala College of Arts, Science and Technology.

(11) Hadi Sirika is a trained pilot.

(12) Udoma Udo Udoma: LLM (St. Catherine's College, University of Oxford). He was Chairman, UAC of Nigeria, Chairman Corporate Affairs Commission, Chairman Security and Exchange Commission.

(13) Ahmed Musa Ibeto: Director of Protocol, Government House, Minna.

(14) Solomon Dalong: LLM (Unijos). He worked in the Nigerian Prisons Service. He lectured in Unijos.

(15) Lai Muhammed: LLB. Co-founder of Edun & Muhammed Chambers. He was a businessman. He served as Chairman of Optmedia Limited, Director of Afromedia PLC. Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR). Worked in the Nigerian Airport Authority (now FAAN) for 10 years.

(16) Osagie Ehanire: PhD (Ludwig Maxmillian University, Munich). Senior Registrar, Clinical Instructor, Uniben Teaching Hospital and Edo State Hospital Management Board and Consultant Surgeon, Shell PDC of Nigeria.

(17) Amina J. Muhammed: Founded Afri-Projects Consortium. Between 1981 to 1991, she worked in Archon Nigeria in association with Norman and Dawburn, UK. UN Secretary-General Special Advicer on the Post-2015 Development Planning. CEO and founder of Centre for Development Policy Solutions.

(18) Adebayo Shittu: LLB. He is a successful lawyer.

(19) Abubakar Malami: LLB. He is a SAN, having practised as a lawyer.

(20) Ibrahim Usman Jibril: Was a staff of Abuja Geological Information Service (AGIS). He works in the Nassarawa Geological Information Service (NAGIS).

(21) Suleiman Hassan: Bsc (University of Reading, UK). Principal Consultant of the Afri-Projects Consortium (APC) between 1995-1999. Managing Director of Integrated Engineering Associates (IEA).

Good choices by the President.

These Ministers each come in with a rich wealth of experience.

Most of the wailers don't know what the word "Technocrat" means.

They just complain because others are complaining.

G

Maybe divine technocrats

Very funny! Since time immemorial we have been having appointees with intimidating academic qualification. That is actually not the issue!

The issue here is that Nigerians want to see non-regular politicians(technocrats) in the list of nominees. Something like the mould of Ngozi Iwaela, Akunyili etc.

ionsman:
Most of the wailers don't know what the word "Technocrat" means.

They just complain because others are complaining.

I bet u u dont knw the meaning either. can u spot 5 technocrats in that list for us? having bsc or msc doesnt make one a technocrat, it goes beyond accumulating degrees and what not.
the op defined technocracy, being technically sound in ur field of endeavour. what we hv today is people climbing to their heights in public service thru favouritism and nepotism.
Fashola is a technocrat in law, it also depends which form of law he studied. if oil and gas or humanities then u knw where his lies. ngige is one.

Lasticlala, Ishilove, OAM4J and Afam4ever, I created a similar thread before this that has more comments, could you delete this and move the other to the front page?

Lol.. To these people, anyone who has served in government before in any capacity can no longer be called a technocrat.

OrlandoOwoh:
No sooner was President Muhammdu Buhari was sworn in on May 29 than some Nigerians started saying they would love his cabinet to be made up of more "technocrats" than politicians.

My question is, who is a technocrat?


(4) Rotimi Amaechi: B.A. (Uniport). Worked in Pamo Clinics, Port Harcourt.

This is where you have to be ashamed of yourself..... BA 3rd class from ordinary faculty of Humanity uniport, He worked for Peter Odili Pamo clinic as a Receptionist/ House boy, now he is fighting all his Bosses, calling himself Lion of one remote Village, looted his state's fund, leaving his ppl in suffering and hardship....tell me what is technocratic about Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi.

(4) Rotimi Amaechi: B.A. (Uniport). Worked in Pamo Clinics, Port Harcourt.

O-BOY ...see CV

TonyeBarcanista:
Very funny! Since time immemorial we have been having appointees with intimidating academic qualification. That is actually not the issue!

The issue here is that Nigerians want to see non-regular politicians(technocrats) in the list of nominees. Something like the mould of Ngozi Iwaela, Akunyili etc.

And Diezani, Stella Oduah, etc.

this is like a short autobiography of our able and capable ministers to be