At last, the long awaited cabinet reshuffle of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has happened. Six ministers have been shown the way out. Seven new ones have been nominated awaiting Senate confirmation, while 10 serving ministers were reassigned to other ministries.
This is quite interesting. Tinubu has also given directives on how to reduce government wastages by directing that ministers and Federal Government agency heads must reduce their convoys and security details.
We at Tentacle have seen some sense and sanity in these two presidential actions. The implementation of the directives is of utmost importance. But beyond the directive, how these actions can bring succor to the ailing economy and starving Nigerians, remains a big question for Tinubu and his gogernment.
The Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) has been clamouring to bear firearms to control traffic on Nigeria’s highways. The FRSC is desperately pursuing this objective with a sense of passion. Just recently, the House of Representatives has passed for a Second Reading the Bill seeking to empower the FRSC to bear firearms.
But many Nigerians are kicking against the bill. They estimate that giving firearms to the traffic management agency is equal to arming its officials against motorists on Nigerian roads. Citizens lament that high handedness, oppression, intimidation, brutalization and even killing of motorists and commuters by FRSC operatives will be a recurring decimal. Never give FRSC firearms, citizens insist.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is in the eye of the storm over the push by 19 state governors to proscribe it through the Supreme Court. The governors alleged that the anti-graft agency lacked the Constitutional powers to investigate federating states’ financial dealings. They also argued that the EFCC’s establishment lacked concurrence by the states Houses of Assembly.
As the apex court has reserved its judgement on the case for a date that would be communicated to the parties, there is apprehension and suspense in the air- Will the Supreme Court proscribe the EFCC?
Some governors have considered the raging hardship in the land and decided to add to the N70,000 statutory minimum wage. State Governments are outdoing one another in their efforts to relieve civil servants in their domain from the economic crunch. Now, minimum wage in some states range from N72,000 to N80,000, kudos to the considerate governors.
These burning issues we serve you in this edition. Enjoy it.
