President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was sworn – in into office last Tuesday and he delivered an inaugural speech that dwelled so much on what his administration will do in the different segments of the society including the security, economy, among others .
The speech with clear fundamental position of the government on different sectors of the country was seen by many Nigerians as a sign that Tinubu is well-prepared for the task ahead and they praised him for kick-starting his administration’s policies on time, giving the feeling of a departure from the slow pace of works by his predecessor in office .
One issue that was however raised in the inaugural speech that has been generating reactions is the removal of the subsidy on petroleum products.
The reactions of Nigerians have however exposed Tinubu’s inability to make key appointments, especially those of his personal aides, that will assist the administration in settling many questions that are being raised on the issue of removal of subsidy and other issues that are cropping up.
Many Nigerians expected that by now, some key appointments ought to have been made to give the people a clear picture of people in charge of the administration.
Those key positions include the Chief of Staff to the President; Spokesperson of the Government; Secretary to the Government of the Federation; Director of Protocol and Special Adviser to the President on Security Matters.
Many personal aides of the President who have been with him before he assumed power have been signing releases and statements without being able to clearly state their positions in government.
These positions are very key and important as the government has started having dialogue with the Nigerian Labour Congress, (NLC); the Central Bank of Nigeria; (CBN) and the Service Chiefs, among others.
THEWILL recalls that most state governors, even the new ones, have announced key appointments almost immediately after they were sworn in into office this week.
In fact, the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has sworn in four commissioners to assist him in running the affairs of the state.
THEWILL however reliably gathered that Tinubu’s inability to announce the key appointments has to do with some political scheming that is on ground.
A source said that Tinubu cannot announce the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt.Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, his preferred choice for the office of Chief of Staff because such announcement will mean that Gbajabiamila must leave his position in the House immediately.
“Given the situation in the House where Gbajabiamila and his deputy, Hon. Idris Wase, is openly not on good terms, will mean leaving the affairs of the House to an ‘enemy’. It is to avoid this scenario that Tinubu is delaying the appointment”, a source informed THEWILL.
The source further disclosed that the current ‘war’ over the leadership of the 10th National Assembly leadership also means that Gbajabiamila must assist the president in settling the issue before he assumes office as the Chief of Staff.
