An Interview With Barrister Onu Eke Uche On The Woman In The Ministry of Education.

This is an interview with Barrister Onu Eke Uche , a Lagos-based legal practitioner. He is a human rights activist per excellence, who had instituted several cases to challenge insensitive of government at various levels to its responsibilities. In this chart with SENIOR REPORTER, Tunde Opeseitan, Uche spoke on security; the need for the establishment of special court to try corruption cases and other issues.   

would like you to access the pedigree of members of the recently inaugurated Federal Executive Council (FEC). Has the president been able to live up to the promise of selecting the best team?

You see, I got the news of the composition with mixed feelings because here is a man (I mean Mr. President) that promised Nigerians, during his campaign tour. Maybe he has forgotten that he made catalogue of promises that it will not be business as usual; that the era of weeping is all over and that we are entering into a new Eldorado and the only way to actualize these promises is for him to come up with the best team. But unfortunately or regrettably, President Goodluck Jonathan allowed political consideration to override national interest. Because if you look at some of the people, even the ones that were re-appointed to man the various ministries, one will begin to make some posers that on what basis were they re-appointed? What were the benchmarks and what were the achievements that made in office that qualified them for re-appointment? Take for instance the woman in the Ministry of Education. What business has she to be there again?  What did she perform during Mr. President’s first tenure? Is it a way of rewarding her for the mass failure that we had in the NECO, WAEC and JAMB exams? Or is it to compensate her for the incessant strikes that we witnessed over the years?  To me, 85 percent of the cabinet members were party nominations. People had expected Mr President to go far beyond his political enclave. I have always said it that there are other ways through which Mr President can compensate members of his party. The critical ministries that will drive his transformation agenda or whatever he had sets for himself, should have been manned by competent individuals like Works, Education, Power, Health and other critical ministries that needs immediate attention. Then, if Mr. President think that he want to reward those that put him there, there are so many ministries, boards and parastatals to take care of that and certainly not critical ministries. It seems Mr President has forgotten that what we are practicing is Presidential system of government and the failure or success depends largely on him. He has unimaginable powers under the Constitution that will make him succeed and one would have expected him to go for the best hands. I mean, what is wrong in appointing someone like Dele Momodu as Senior Special Adviser to the President on Diaspora? Is he not competent to do that? Why should you go and pick somebody like Bianca Onu, who is more or less ex-beauty pageant. Someone like Momodu, who has media background and he is well travel. Is there anything wrong in appointing somebody like him? I don’t know him. People of right pedigree should have made the team just like he rightly appointed Ruben Abati. He should have gone for competent hands. Square pegs in square holes. To me, Mr President made some critical mistakes in his appointment especially key ministries.