Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Thursday, July 26, 2007

A cabinet in Nigeria

Can Yar'Adua legitimize his presidency after an illegitimate election with his cabinet choices?

Nigeria's leader to name cabinet

"President Umaru Yar'Adua of Nigeria is due to announce his long-awaited cabinet in the capital, Abuja, almost three months after he was elected.

"Thirty-two men and seven women will be sworn in as ministers at a ceremony...

"Political analyst Malam Mahmud Jega told the BBC the main tasks for the new ministers will be fighting corruption, improving security and efficiency.

Mr Jega, Nigeria's Daily Trust newspaper editor, said that 'reforming the electoral system of the country so that we are guaranteed better elections next time' was also another challenge...

"The Nigerian constitution requires that at least one minister is appointed from each of the country's 36 states to ensure fair representation...

"Correspondents say that the list of nominees includes few high-profile supporters of the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, suggesting that his influence might already be on the decline...

"The list of ministers also includes some opposition figures, apparently backing up Mr Yar'Adua's promise to form a unity government.

"A key challenge for Mr Yar'Adua's government is fixing Nigeria's power sector to ensure constant supplies of electricity across the country...

"Already, the new president has been saying the right things about sorting it out.

"But critics point out that his predecessor started out in a similar fashion in 1999 - but failed to deliver during his eight years in power..."


See also: Yar’Adua Heads Energy Ministry from This Day (Lagos)


Labels: , ,

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home