Nigeria Content Online

On April 6 2010,
Goodluck Jonathan, then the acting president, inaugurated a new cabinet
after prolonged speculations and lobbying, injecting much needed
authority into the federal administration as he faced a wavering
political system created by his late boss’s illness.

It is two months
since then today, and barely a year left to serve if they do not have
other political ambitions. A random overview of selected ministries’
decisions within the past 60 days however shows that, while not much
has been remarkable, there has been steady progress.

Ministry of Finance

Within two months,
the new minister, Olusegun Aganga, and the Minister of state, Remi
Babalola, have promoted a renewed effort against a total dependence by
the states on the federal excess crude account, highlighting the
already known extreme risk the national economy may face as a result of
such continued depletion of the account.

Mr. Aganga has
challenged the states to evolve newer ways of sourcing funds, leading
to a stalemate at the Federation Account Allocation meeting last month
where finance commissioners left without any money for their states.
The decision was however later overturned by the president.

The former Goldman
Sachs Managing Director, is also credited with advising Mr. Jonathan to
order the audit of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation – the
first in years – while also urging the National Assembly to review the
2010 budget which he has said contains unrealistic benchmarks and
assumptions.

Mr. Aganga also
admitted that the federal government lost over $19 billion to the
global economic crisis, leading to depleted reserves – the first such
admittance by a top government official.

Ministry of Petroleum

The first female
head of the ministry, Diezani Allison-Madueke is credited with the
prompt launching of the Nigerian local oil content law passed by the
National Assembly and signed into law by Mr. Jonathan. The law is
expected to increase the participation of Nigerians in the oil
industry, with the creation of an estimated 30,000 jobs in five years
and saving of about N2.7 trillion.

Within the past two
months also, the ministry said the nation’s gas supply has reached
1billion scf, – a far mark from the previous level – and supply to
power stations have accordingly improved. The ministry has also
released new regimes for gas price. The pricing is expected to
reinforce investors’ trust and promote production that will help deal
with Nigeria’s perennial power challenges.

Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory

On assumption of
office, the former senator now in charge of the ministry, Bala
Mohammed, dissolved the past council cabinet and vowed to deal with
corruption. No official has been prosecuted yet, though.

He revoked several
questionable land allocations made since 2007 and merged the Federal
Capital Territory Administration and the Federal Capital Development
Administration.

Perhaps the most
notable of Mr. Bala’s efforts is reversal of his predecessor’s (Adamu
Aliero) decision to erect speed breakers on the expressways. The
controversial bumps drew the ire of the National Assembly members and
other residents of the city. But the decision has been mired by
allegations that the contract for the removal was awarded at a cost
four times more than the amount used in constructing them.

Ministry of Education

In a rapidly
decaying educational system, Ruqayya Rufa’i, the new minister and
former Jigawa state commissioner of Education, said on assumption of
office that her administration would be concerned with raising the
quality of education in general, and ensuring the excellence of
examination bodies.

After the nation
recorded over 90% failure rate in the last Senior School Certificate
Examinations, she admitted the government was embarrassed by the
results and gave a four-week order to the bodies to re-position, work
against mass failure and ensure quick release of results.

Her ministry also
mandated the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board to end the
practice of charging N10, 000 from candidates who doubt the results and
wish to access their answer scripts.

Back in Jigawa, the
minister’s pet drive was to raise the enrolment of girl-child in
school. Her administration has just introduced a project to improve
access to education across the country.

Ministry of Science and Technology

After inauguration,
the professor of biochemistry, Muhammed Abubakar, said his ministry
would be concerned with translating research into realistic results. In
a ministry where several agencies have existed for decades without
producing marketable products, Mr. Abubakar told the institutes to
leave the laboratories and liaise with investors in marketing their
inventions. He has given ultimatum to two institutes under the ministry
to produce marketable solar panels and solar cells respectively.

Ministry of Justice

The new Attorney
General, Bello Adoke, in collaboration with his colleague in the
Interior Ministry, has highlighted the issue of prisons reforms, with
more than 30,000 awaiting trial individuals locked up in prisons across
the country.

Mr. Adoke’s letter
to the Senate President, David Mark, helped resolve the protracted
refusal of the Senate to honour repeated court orders and swear-in
Alphonsus Igbeke to replace Joy Emordi.

Mr. Adoke has also
promised that the justice ministry is considering the now famous Okigbo
report on the missing $12 billion gulf oil windfall. He said the
government is checking for the veracity of the document and if it can
support criminal charges against the major personality involved, former
military ruler, Ibrahim Babangida.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The controversial
listing of Nigeria by the United States as a terror-promoting nation
was reversed under the watch of Odein Ajumogobia, the former Minister
of state for Petroleum, who is now in charge of Foreign Affairs. Mr.
Ajumogobia has harped on collaborating with the National Assembly for a
new foreign policy for Nigeria, and establishing the Diaspora
commission.

Ministry of Labour

The new minister,
Emeka Wogu, assumed office while a strike threat by workers awaited
him. The ministry has slowed the outbreak of renewed industrial crisis
and under his administration, the president announced a new wage regime
for workers will begin July, 2010.