Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 12, 2015
11 Politics
Politicians react to new cabinet Success can catapult Fashola to Presidency – Ajasin
Fashola
With the enormous responsibility of the powerful Ministry of Power, Works and Housing placed on the shoulders of former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, success in the assignment would catapult him to the president,
Mr. Tokunbo Ajasin has said. Ajasin, son of former old Ondo State Governor, the late Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin said in his reaction to new ministers and their portfolios that the position entrusted on him was as a result of the trust and confidence President Muhammadu Buhari has in him. According to him, it is a unique opportunity for Fashola to prove his critics wrong and show that he was capable of undertaking the responsibility. Ajasin posited that it was either Fashola performs or otherwise pointing out that in the difficult challenges he would be facing, there was nowhere to hide adding that it is a fantastic opportunity for him to excel, adding that he had no doubt that he would prove his mettle. According to him, the sky is the limit for the new minister who is being seen as the engine room of the administration, adding that the new cabinet is ok.
The cabinet is strategic- Asoluka
Aka Ikenga, Chief Chris Asoluka has described the new cabinet and the portfolios as a strategic one aimed at achieving set goals. In an interview with Daily Times, he said the cabinet was composed by the President with a strategy for achieving the success of the Buhari administration. According to him, with Buhari overseeing critical area of petroleum and also putting Fashola whom he appears to have so much trust in the critical infrastructure, he appeared to have put his eyes on the ball to achieve success adding that in the fullness of time, it will be clear whether the strategy will be a success or not. He said there is a lot of expectations from them to perform especially based on Fashola’s track record of performance in Lagos hoping that they would do no less. He added that being in charge of infrastructure, everything looks bright pointing out that Nigerians could only pray that they succeed.
Buhari
They are capable of achieving something – Ayo Adebanjo Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo said all eyes are on the members of new cabinet to perform as they took oath yesterday. He expressed the optimism that the new cabinet will achieve something. His words: “We hope they will perform. Don’t let us be pessimistic, let’s give them a chance”. He stated that they have no choice than to perform as they have just started work, adding
that the administration had wasted so much time already in constituting the cabinet. He charged them to get to work immediately so that the people can see what they can do. “Let them showcase their worth”, he stressed Also speaking, former Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Akin Aduwo said he has no reaction as this was purely a political appointment stressing that he does not comment of politics
Buhari’s APC and the Kogi treasury CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10
even if the policeman charged with the responsibility of handling such a case is a dullard, he would need no person to tell him that he has reached the end of the road. Sadly, this is what the APC in its capacity as the ruling party in Nigeria appears to have done to the EFCC on its case involving Audu. What a wish for the Kogi people! With benefit of hindsight, that the Kogi State people believed in the good intentions of the Muhammadu Buhari’s candidacy is akin to repeating the obvious as it was openly demonstrated through their votes for the APC in the presidential elections that thrust President Buhari to the nation’s number one throne about eight months ago. Even though Kogi State was then predominantly PDP, a rival party to the APC, the Kogi electorate could not resist Buhari’s attraction as a man of integrity. Indeed, Buhari’s call for change must have contributed to what the Kogi people anticipated would be of tremendous benefit to them. Unfortunately, with just the passage of five months in President Buhari’s
leadership, emerging actions from his APC, particularly regarding the support to Audu, are considered contrary indications that the promises of President Buhari on anti-corruption is working in Kogi State. This is certainly an issue of great worry and shock to the Kogi public especially on their support for Buhari’s presidency. The point here is that it is highly paradoxical, that a government which is prosecuting an individual through the nation’s anti-graft agency is on the converse assisting the same individual through its political party to become a state governor, a status which will automatically suspend or terminate a trial of alleged looting of public treasury involving over 11 billion naira. On this, the perception by any objective mind is that should this trial be left inconclusive and an accused like Mr. Audu is allowed to rule again, if truly he is guilty as charged, the possibility of being unrepentant is very high as criminals are known to be continuous offenders where fitting rehabilitative effects of the criminal law is not meted upon them or in situations where justice seems easy escape. To a large extent,
this may permit such a person to go on irreparable damage on the Kogi treasury as much as he may desire. In such a situation, the victim will be the Kogi people and the entire Kogi society may never get justice. As such, the temptation of allowing Mr. Audu to cunningly get a postponement of his trial should be highly resisted as the consequences of further lengthening or delaying of the trial puts the Kogi public at great risk. Without doubt, what President Buhari’s APC is doing in Kogi State by supporting Audu as its candidate for the Kogi governorship election is unrealistic and runs against the common interest of the Kogi people. Supposedly, what the APC wants to do in Kogi State is to impose upon the Kogi people, a man in the complexion of a governor that is already carrying a baggage of alleged financial criminality of multiple charges. This is where there is resounding worry that the APC’s hidden agenda is to use the immunity clause extended to governors to protect an accused, Audu. However, in the spirit of patriotism, the Buhari Administration must be reminded that it owes the society the respon-
sibility to bring accused persons to trial rather than providing a safe haven for them to deceitfully postpone justice in the name of politics. Otherwise, anyone found abetting such irregularity, will be termed an accomplice in irrationally deferring justice. Even though it seems clear that APC may stop at nothing in order to save Audu’s political future and trial, the APC must desist from making the concerted efforts of Nigerians to fight corruption a walking skeleton awaiting death. The very sad fact herein is that with Audu as a contestant in the Kogi election, the Buhari’s anticorruption sword may be assumed to have a double edge. Prof Pius Adesanmi summed is all “…a SAN and Professor of Law and Nigeria’s Vice President, on the same podium with a filthy, corrupt yam eater like Abubakar Audu will set Nigeria back by two centuries. What is wrong with these people? One of the shining lights of the administration, who screams the anti-corruption mantra the loudest, will go and raise his hands on a podium in Okene. So, how is Mangu supposed to mangle Audu now? Osinbajo’s hard-earned rep-
utation will take a terrible hit if photos of him and Audu appear tomorrow…” Nevertheless, any good citizen of Kogi State must understand that the obvious support of President Buhari’s party to Audu will amount to nothing if they decide to cast their votes for the protection of the Kogi State treasury and common good.
Audu