By Ahamefula Ogbu

President Goodluck Jonathan has said it is impossible to have a leaner cabinet without an amendment of the relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution which stipulate that each of the 36 states of the federation should have a representative on the Federal Executive Council.

He was responding to the suggestion of the Presidential Advisory Council (PAC), who came to pay him a thank-you-visit as they wound down on their assignment.

Jonathan told his guests that much as he preferred a leaner and more efficient cabinet, such cannot be achieved at the moment, unless the 1999 Constitution was amended.

But the PAC, which is headed by Lt-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, (rtd.), however advised the President to exercise due diligence while picking members of his incoming cabinet by having an eye on integrity and high performance as “a man is known through the type of people around him”.

Inaugurated on March 4, 2010, the Danjuma committee, said there were well qualified Nigerians within the country and in the Diaspora to make the cabinet and get the expected results “that will create Nigeria of our expectations”.

Jonathan however thanked the PAC members for their quality recommendations, which he promised to use to set goals for the incoming cabinet members.

He promised that the recommendations will be handy for the in-coming officials as they would be exposed to the proposals for policy direction at a retreat he intends to organise after their appointments are made.

“Your suggestion for a smaller cabinet is excellent and I agree with you, but this cannot be achieved without constitutional amendment’.

Jonathan thanked them for offering themselves for service at a time the country needed direction and would continue to tap from their wealth of experience.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/jonathan-leaner-cabinet-impossible-for-now/91612/

Dumb comment.
how long did it take David Mark and his band of travellers to shut out new comers from the senate leadership?
If that self serving ammendment can be executed in less than 10 days what stops this motion of utmost national importance from being executed in same or even shorter time.
GEJ, grow some balls and quit maintaining the status quo!!
what the heck do we need 36 ministers for?
we have not even began to count the SA, SSA and PAs to the SSAs and SSAs.

This Fresh Air will stink at this rate o!

mbulela:

Dumb comment.
how long did it take David Mark and his band of travellers to shut out new comers from the senate leadership?
If that self serving ammendment can be executed in less than 10 days what stops this motion of utmost national importance from being executed in same or even shorter time.
GEJ, grow some balls and quit maintaining the status quo!!
what the heck do we need 36 ministers for?
we have not even began to count the SA, SSA and PAs to the SSAs and SSAs.

This Fresh Air will stink at this rate o!

Absolutely pathetic comment in terms of limp defeatist surrender that indicates (1) GEJ does not have the solutions to our most urgent problems or (2) he is a deceitful "business as usual" leader intent on maintaining the horribly repressive status quo. I personally think it is the latter. The entire world , home and abroad , have stated that fiscally unacceptable recurrent expenditure (caused by the expenses incurred maintaining a federal system that is inefficient and unnecessarily bloated) must be reduced considerably. Instead Jonathan shows he supports the status-quo with his action of disbanding the committee that advised him to reduce the wastefully and deliberately bloated federal arrangement. 

It is quite shocking that GEJ , this early in the game , is impotently blaming "constitutional provision" for his failure to do what is best for Nigeria just like some of us predicted he would do . I said it tirelessly that Nigeria needed a reformer who firmly believes in transforming our Nation aggressively to one where the interest of the majority carries the day. It looks like Nigerians have being conned into voting for the poster child of the "business as usual" crew.

Is this what Nigerians voted for ? A president who will confess to being impotent to bring about badly needed change and reform? Is this different to how Yar Adua kept talking about "cabals sabotaging the power sector" while he failed to understand that , as the most powerful Nigerian, we expect him to defeat cabals rather than surrender/pander to them ? It is clear GEJ is already showing , as many of us argued consistently , that he will be a 'Voltron' for the "owners of Nigeria".

^^^^
It is not even like he sent a bill to the NASS and Mark and he co travellers are playing hard to get.
This 'simple' matter that is so fundamental to running a prudent govt, the lucky man throws up his hands in the air.
how will he tackle knotty issues that will entail him going for the jugular of the barbarians that hold us bound as a nation?

mbulela:

“Your suggestion for a smaller cabinet is excellent and I agree with you, but this cannot be achieved without constitutional amendment’.

Jonathan thanked them for offering themselves for service at a time the country needed direction and would continue to tap from their wealth of experience.

What constitutional amendment again?

Kobojunkie:

What constitutional amendment again?

This is classic Nigerian political double speak . What Jonathan really means to say is that "I am here , first and foremost, to do what is best for the owners of Nigeria". To that extent we must then resign ourselves to accepting that , as many of us consistently argued , GEJ is not "fresh air" or the man to bring an end to the regressive ways of doing things. The greatest enemies of Nigeria's progress did not unite behind GEJ for nothing. Minimally , they expect him to preserve the wasteful structures that continue to enslave majority of Nigerians.

Kobojunkie:

What constitutional amendment again?

their is a constitutional clause that each state must be represented in the FEC.
that is 36 ministers.

mbulela:

their is a constitutional clause that each state must be represented in the FEC.
that is 36 ministers.

Well, he can have that and drop the hundreds of "special advisers" to his tooshie, and still come out good.

^^^^
you know that ain't gonna happen.
he needs his SSA, SA and PAs.

our democracy is too elaborate and therefore very expensive.lets start with 36 and see how it goes.

The least chrismatic leader in Nigerian history trying to confirm our initial expectation of him i.e 'extensoin of obj's failed third term'.

While this shouldn't be a surprise to any one with reasonable knowlegde of 'mr fresh air', it's still baffle's me how this 'Doctor' was able to be elected, at a time when leadership should be base on ideologies and capability.

For sure i never expect camel to lay eggs. Sorry fo naija.

Kobojunkie:

Well, he can have that and[b] drop the hundreds of "special advisers" to his tooshie, and still come out good.[/b] 

precisely what I was insinuating when I stated that GEJ is engaged in classic Nigerian political double speak . GEJ , before talking about "constitutional provisions" , if at all serious and[b] willing[/b] to lead by example, should reduce the numerous positions he has direct control over . He should start by getting rid of wasteful positions he created to curry favours such as that given to Bianca Ojukwu. Anyway , it is instructive that GEJ has now silenced disbanded his own advisory committee that suggested scathingly that he must drastically reduce recurrent expenditure , to aid capital spending, through the drastic reduction of the huge cost of running an unwieldy and unproductive federal structure.

Let us not forget that this is how Yar Adua , as if it was yesterday , also began giving excuses mitigating for the prolonged continuation of regressive practices that keeps Nigerian unproductive and stagnant while some continue to laugh all the way to the bank . Deleterious history repeating itself for those who don't care to learn from the past.

mbulela:

^^^^
you know that ain't gonna happen.
he needs his SSA, SA and PAs.

That na political settlements

naija, get ready for the rotten air!

mbulela:

^^^^
you know that ain't gonna happen.
he needs his SSA, SA and PAs.

Yes, it has as much chance of happening as turkeys voting for Thanksgiving and Christmas

GEJ is talking crap…, what constitution is he talking about?? The one made by man or by God. Ok….lets say it was made by men and put in the constitution….can he do something about it…,

After all can he sponsor a bill to amend the constitution But Since he knew all the while that it was in the constitution why is it now that he is saying it is in there afterall he has been a president for the past one year!!!

OK we all agree its there so must it be there for ever more?? Must we be slave to our constitution??All over the world, govts are trimming down the cost of governance and he is telling us abt one constitution bull shit!!!Am sure he is a direct beneficiary of this rubbish!!

He's planning bigger things. Don't worry over nothing folks!

am not suprise cos i saw it coming , this should have form the question asking during the presidential debate.

mbulela:

By Ahamefula Ogbu

President Goodluck Jonathan has said it is impossible to have a leaner cabinet without an amendment of the relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution which stipulate that each of the 36 states of the federation should have a representative on the Federal Executive Council.

He was responding to the suggestion of the Presidential Advisory Council (PAC), who came to pay him a thank-you-visit as they wound down on their assignment.

Jonathan told his guests that much as he preferred a leaner and more efficient cabinet, such cannot be achieved at the moment, unless the 1999 Constitution was amended.

But the PAC, which is headed by Lt-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, (rtd.), however advised the President to exercise due diligence while picking members of his incoming cabinet by having an eye on integrity and high performance as “a man is known through the type of people around him”.

Inaugurated on March 4, 2010, the Danjuma committee, said there were well qualified Nigerians within the country and in the Diaspora to make the cabinet and get the expected results “that will create Nigeria of our expectations”.

Jonathan however thanked the PAC members for their quality recommendations, which he promised to use to set goals for the incoming cabinet members.

He promised that the recommendations will be handy for the in-coming officials as they would be exposed to the proposals for policy direction at a retreat he intends to organise after their appointments are made.

“Your suggestion for a smaller cabinet is excellent and I agree with you, but this cannot be achieved without constitutional amendment’.

Jonathan thanked them for offering themselves for service at a time the country needed direction and would continue to tap from their wealth of experience.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/jonathan-leaner-cabinet-impossible-for-now/91612/

So what is stopping the commencement of the amendment?

[size=19pt]SEUN, THANKS
YOU ARE REALLY DOING GOOD PR FOR GEJ![/size]

THE TITLE ON FRONTPAGE IS DILUTED TO MAKE IT SWEET

Even the so-called clause that makes provision for one member each from our 36 states was not adhered to. Was his last cabinet not made up of over 45 jobbers, members? about 40 with defined portfolios while the others had the esoteric SAs, SSA, SSSSA, etc

God help Nigeria from the hands of devourers

I'm no fan of GEJ . . . but how is this his fault? He's just telling it like it is.
We have functioned like this since 1999. Why do you all expect him to jettison the constitution just like that?

^^ Exactly! The president took an oath to abide by the constitution which he is doing, and some nigerians are blaming him for obeying the constitution.

^^ Nothing in the constitution binds him to 200 or so Special Advisors. 36 Ministers actually make sense in a country like Nigeria. 200 Special Advisors/carry alongs . . . NO SENSE at all.

^ 200 what? Where did you get that figure?

for real!!

AjanleKoko:

I'm no fan of GEJ . . . but how is this his fault? He's just telling it like it is.
We have functioned like this since 1999. Why do you all expect him to jettison [/b]the constitution just like that?

I'm not sure anyone is asking GEJ to jettison anything.

I guess we all assumed he is. . .er the president? you know, the big guy in Aso Rock who has the powers [b]to table before the NASS [i]amendments [/i]to the constitution?

of course we are all aware of the complexities involved: suppose he trims it to less than the stipulated 36, it means some states will not be represented at the FEC. Of course one can predict the outcome: howls of marginalization from the affected quaters, no doubt.

Nonetheless, I believable the PAC is (was) not made up eddoits. They obviously would have done their homework and would not have made recommendations they were aware the president is incapable of implementing.

J12:

^^ Exactly! The president took an oath to abide by the constitution which he is doing, and some nigerians are blaming him for obeying the constitution.

AjanleKoko:

I'm no fan of GEJ . . . but how is this his fault? He's just telling it like it is.
We have functioned like this since 1999. Why do you all expect him to jettison the constitution just like that?

is that a joke??
pls see my earlier comment.
David Mark and his band of travellers ammended a portion of the rules of the senate to close the door on Saraki et al from seeking positions in the senate in less than 10 days.
If GEJ has an interest whatsoever in reverting this status quo of buz as usual that is ruining this country he could get that silly clause in the constitution ammended in less than a month in the NASS and all state house of assembly.
Yet he has been in power for over a year.
Let him make an attempt and let us see those who will attempt to frustrate it and we will know who to direct our ire at.
He just throws up his hands at the first opportunity and tells us that it is in the constitution.
Who told him we are too dumb not to know it is in the constitution?
36 ministers!!!
for what?this democracy is becoming too expensive (after you factor in the allowances of Mark and his fellow clowns).
Fresh Air needs balls not just mouthing it on FB and stickers.

YOU ASKED FOR IT. OH DEAR LORD! ARE WE INTO ANOTHER 4 YEARS OF BUSINESS AS USUAL?  SAVE US FROM THIS INSENSITIVE GOVERNMENT.  WAIT TILL YOU SEE HIS CABINET . HE TOLD US HE WAS PÔOR EVEN THOUGH I WAS NEVER CARRIÈD AWAY BY HIS ANTICS. WE ARE BEGINNING TO SEE THAT HÉ WAS ONLY POOR IN APPEÀRANCE NOT AT HEART.

J12:

^ 200 what? Where did you get that figure?

Consult suggested number of people who flew with him on his trip last year to Canada, and then to London(I am not certain which of the two were actually cancelled).

But yes, NOTHING in the constitution states he cannot have a leaner Cabinet, if he wanted to.  NO be im, or was it yar adua that created ministry of Niger delta sometime ago? I am sure the same laws that allow him to add also

i guess the harlem of SSAs, SAs and PAs are in an unwritten constitution?
that one is even more difficult to ammend than the Naija constitution.

[b]MARK MY WORD [/b]gej Govt. will tell if Nigeria will still be one or not