President Muhammadu Buhari is set to retain at least 70 per cent of his first-tenure cabinet members in this second term of his presidency.
A reliable source at the presidency told newsmen that the President is retaining most of cabinet members based on trust.
The top government source said that it was in the nature of Buhari to trust his allies despite the public outcry for him to change some of his previous appointees.
According to the source, a list which was submitted yesterday, contains the names of mostly the now ex-ministers.
The President is bound by the constitution to appoint a minister from each of the 36 states of the federation.
According to the source, “Nigerians should expect to see most of the old faces. There are no two ways about it.
“President Buhari is retaining at least 70 percent of his cabinet members. He works on trust. These are people who served with him in the last tenure and have not been found guilty of any offence.
“Most of his Ministers and aides are returning and most of them will still continue from where they stopped. The President does not believe in changing people just for the sake of doing so.
“You should have known this with the re-appointment of the Chief of Staff and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.”
Another government source, who spoke with newsmen on the condition of anonymity, was already frowning at the President’s decision to return some ministers, who according to the source, did not meet the expectations of Nigerians during his (Buhari) first term.
The source, who spoke in anger, wondered why the ex-Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Tunde Fashola; ex-Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalong; ex-Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige; FCT Minister, Mohammed Bello; among others, are coming back to serve in the second term of President Buhari.
The source, who also confirmed the names of the appointees in Buhari’s second term list, said, “To tell you the truth, these men did not do anything that should warrant them coming back.
“Yes, the President has submitted a list to the National Assembly containing some of Fashola, Amaechi, Ngige and others, in fact 80 per cent of his previous cabinet members even the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Bello, who obviously didn’t bring any change in Abuja in the last four years are there.
“Talking about Fashola, it is not obvious to Nigerians that this man did not bring any visible transformation, or anything new to the country.
“Has the power sector witnessed any change as promised by this administration? How about the housing? I’m telling you that Fashola did absolutely nothing to warrant his return.
“Some of us were thinking that President Buhari will reward good works and dedication in his second term appointments but right now we are disappointed even with the inclusion on Ngige who had serious issues with Labour towards the end of the first tenure.
“The President’s decision means that Nigerians should expect little or nothing from his administration in the next four years because the people he has appointed have nothing to offer and this is a slap on the face of Nigerians who gave him a second chance.”
