President might not name ministers till September

Nigerians who are eagerly awaiting President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial list might have to wait a little longer as the President is said to be in no hurry to announce cabinet members.

This was disclosed to Punch on Sunday, June 28, 2015, by a source close to the President.

“Mr. President is reluctant to build on a rotten foundation he inherited from the Peoples Democratic Party administration. You cannot even begin to imagine the situation we have met on the ground; almost everything is in a state of decay,” the source said.

“There is absolutely no way the new government can hope to achieve anything long-lasting without first building a new foundation,” the source added.

“The President plans to cut down the number of ministries and parastatals. He wants to cut down the cost of running government. He wants to make sure that all the loopholes that enable corruption to thrive are blocked. All these are procedures that require time and careful planning. You cannot do it in a rush. Remember that he has to make sure that all this is done without any job losses or mass retrenchments. All this is not a day’s or one-month job,” the source said.

Buhari has been severely criticized for the delay with many asserting that the lack of ministers is preventing the new administration from officially taking off.