Ministries And The Onus Of Responsibility

Ministries And The Onus Of Responsibility

Abdullahi Musa

“I am in charge here!” That was the quoted cry of General Alexander Haig, when he was reacting immediately after the attempted assassination of the then President of United States, Ronald Reagan. I think it was also related that the Vice President of the time, George Bush (Snr.) was at the scene when Haig made his statement. Constitutionally, a Vice president succeeds the President in the event of death or infirmity (if the reader has access to Nigeria’s Dr Goodluck, he or she may get further insights on succession challenges). Alexander Haig was then Secretary of State, a position which Condoleezza Rice later occupied; and now we have Hilary Clinton.

Of interest to us in this discourse is not who succeeded who in power structure of USA or Nigeria. We are concerned with the question or onus of responsibility. From experience we know that success in any undertaking depends greatly on assignment of responsibility. In a relay race, the positioning is such that someone is in such position that he or she is to take the baton to the finishing line. When in his exuberance Al Haig blurted out he was in charge, it might be to assuage the citizens that someone with his capability was there on-hand to see that harm does not reach them.

But what of us here in Nigeria; who is in charge of what? Do you want to read stories of woes? Then you are advised to either read Nigerian newspapers, or listen to international radio stations, for example: BBC, VOA or RFI. These radio stations give an opportunity for Nigerians to air their views; mostly negative about the government of the day. These Nigerians, because they are hard-pressed in life, never paused to observe that there are no Europeans coming on VON, or Radio Ghana to criticize their governments. And neither BBC Hausa service, nor Muryar Amurka, is interested in giving voice to the under-privileged of Europe or America to air their grievances to world audience.

Governments divide their bureaucracies into ministries or departments for ease of discharge of their responsibilities to the citizens of the territories over which they have sovereignty. It is for that reason we have the following ministries: Ministry of Internal Affairs; Ministry of Defense; Ministry of Agriculture; Ministry of Works; and Ministry of Education to mention just a few. Most relevant to Nigerians today are the Ministries of Internal Affairs; that of Police (if it is still existing); and that of Defense. The reason is quite apparent. Except for the June 12 debacle, Nigeria and Nigerians have not experienced insecurity of this magnitude for a long period of time. As I write today, Kano is still under curfew, and citizens do not move freely within the city area. Add to this is the reported exodus of Southerners, particularly the Igbo back to the domain they can call theirs.

Now who is responsible for the security of the nation and its citizens? Should we have to start looking under the tables and inside chest of drawers to find who the ‘culprit’ is? To hold the fort, says the dictionary, is to have responsibility for something or care of somebody while other people are away or out. You do not change a goal keeper whenever he allows a ball into the net. But we surely see coaches sacked whenever they lose an important tournament. What level of damage do we need to see before someone gets punished for negligence of duty with regards to security? Apparently there is no limit. In Nigeria, the main yardstick for measuring performance is political loyalty.

I am not a researcher. But I would like to make a statement based on assumption: there is no state capital in the Nigerian federation where water flows into all houses and business areas, uninterruptedly, seven days a week. We are not even talking of the quality of the water produced and delivered. Why is it that we do not have it in spite of the colossal amounts expended by the respective ministries of water resources scattered all over the nation? Now who is responsible to see that citizens do have water resources properly managed? The services of underwater divers may have to engaged to literally fish out the culprits, who may have taken refuge at the bottom of the numerous dams we have in the country.

And we now come to the goldmine: ministry of agriculture. Not being a farmer, I do not know the importance of this ministry. But I heard from so many people that governments used to distribute cupfuls of fertilizer to farmers! What do governments seek to achieve with establishment of ministries of agriculture? To improve output? If yes, from what tonnage to what tonnage? Do we really believe we have the mechanism on grounds to really measure annual output? I doubt much. Do we want to encourage our farmers to produce surplus so that we can export? I doubt much; we are unable to produce the rice which we need to feed ourselves. Now we are being told that government is stop subsidy on fertilizer. Has the European Union stopped its subsidies to Europeans farmers? Why should that be my concern, a person in charge of agriculture might ask you? An enraged farmer might want some accountability of the funds so far expended; and he asks where the person in charge of agriculture might be found. Why not let him start checking from Otta farms?

Is the reader not tired yet? Let’s peep into Ministries of Education to acquire knowledge on how to survive in Nigeria. Children are enrolled into primary schools; they later move to secondary schools; some to technical schools. Year in year out we read of dismal performances resulting from NECO and WAEC examinations. Those who fall out are never given thought of. Those who succeed and reach university are never sure when they will graduate. Why is our curriculum different from that of Malaysia, China, India, and Korea etc? And why are we not interested in finding out why the Chinese are creative while we prefer to import their finished products? Is it not due to the quality of education that we received which made our leaders to rely on China to construct talk shop for them at Addis Ababa? Now where is the person in charge of education? Or has he or she sought asylum in Niger fearing Boko Haram?

Final question: what is it that is in us, which prevents us from learning from our mistakes?