INDICATIONS emerged on Friday that over 80 per cent of names submitted to the presidency for appointment as ministers to serve President Goodluck Jonathan as from June this year may have failed to scale the huddles.
Consequently, the president, according to a source, is said to have tactically discarded the said list, while contemplating searching on his own for men and women that would be most acceptable to Nigerians as ministers, with potentials to deliver dividends of democracy to the citizenry.
This is coming as there are clamours from various quarters that in–coming governments in the country should consider trimming the size of political aides to be appointed as ministers, commissioners and special advisers, on account of huge public funds expended on them as salaries and allowances.
In fact, the Presidential Advisory Committee (PAC) headed by General Theophilus Danjuma, had enjoined President Jonathan to reduce the number of ministers to be appointed in the coming dispensation.
The advice came during the week when the Danjuma panel was being dissolved after it had submitted its final report.
However, the president, who lauded the suggestion made by the panel, stated that the constitution would have to be amended before such idea could be effected.
A seven-man presidential panel is currently screening the various lists which President Jonathan ordered submitted by the state chapters of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from all over the federation, with sources revealing to Saturday Tribune that the prospective candidates failed to meet the standards set by the panel.
Reports show that most of the lists forwarded to the presidency for appointment included names of former governors, incumbent governors and senators who failed their elections.
The said list, containing 10 nominees from each state of the federation is already causing disaffection among party members in states like Ondo and Ekiti.
According to Saturday Tribune findings, the panel is said to have put the candidates for ministerial position to task in four key areas namely, integrity, electoral value, corruption and security.
Jonathan has repeatedly hinted that he wants men and women of integrity to work with him and the panel was said to have insisted on knowing who the successful candidates for ministerial positions would be and how Nigerians generally perceive them in terms of what they had achieved in previous positions they had served.
“The president is really looking for people of integrity and where they are coming from in terms of what meaningful contributions they had made to the society. He is not looking forward to having any controversial individual to be appointed as minister,” a source said.
For instance, it was gathered that on the issue of electoral value, the panel had reasoned that it would be immoral to appoint as minister somebody who lost an election, believing that the loss would have been occasioned by the fact that such individual was not popular with the people, otherwise he ought to have secured victory at the last poll.
The screening panel was also said to have reasoned that since some of the nominees had corruption charges against them on account of where they served last, it could amount to causing distraction for Mr. President and his regime, which Nigerians expected much from in terms of delivering real dividends of democracy.
Consequently, the president, according to a source, is said to have tactically discarded the said list, while contemplating searching on his own for men and women that would be most acceptable to Nigerians as ministers, with potentials to deliver dividends of democracy to the citizenry.
This is coming as there are clamours from various quarters that in–coming governments in the country should consider trimming the size of political aides to be appointed as ministers, commissioners and special advisers, on account of huge public funds expended on them as salaries and allowances.
In fact, the Presidential Advisory Committee (PAC) headed by General Theophilus Danjuma, had enjoined President Jonathan to reduce the number of ministers to be appointed in the coming dispensation.
The advice came during the week when the Danjuma panel was being dissolved after it had submitted its final report.
However, the president, who lauded the suggestion made by the panel, stated that the constitution would have to be amended before such idea could be effected.
A seven-man presidential panel is currently screening the various lists which President Jonathan ordered submitted by the state chapters of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from all over the federation, with sources revealing to Saturday Tribune that the prospective candidates failed to meet the standards set by the panel.
Reports show that most of the lists forwarded to the presidency for appointment included names of former governors, incumbent governors and senators who failed their elections.
The said list, containing 10 nominees from each state of the federation is already causing disaffection among party members in states like Ondo and Ekiti.
According to Saturday Tribune findings, the panel is said to have put the candidates for ministerial position to task in four key areas namely, integrity, electoral value, corruption and security.
Jonathan has repeatedly hinted that he wants men and women of integrity to work with him and the panel was said to have insisted on knowing who the successful candidates for ministerial positions would be and how Nigerians generally perceive them in terms of what they had achieved in previous positions they had served.
“The president is really looking for people of integrity and where they are coming from in terms of what meaningful contributions they had made to the society. He is not looking forward to having any controversial individual to be appointed as minister,” a source said.
For instance, it was gathered that on the issue of electoral value, the panel had reasoned that it would be immoral to appoint as minister somebody who lost an election, believing that the loss would have been occasioned by the fact that such individual was not popular with the people, otherwise he ought to have secured victory at the last poll.
The screening panel was also said to have reasoned that since some of the nominees had corruption charges against them on account of where they served last, it could amount to causing distraction for Mr. President and his regime, which Nigerians expected much from in terms of delivering real dividends of democracy.
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