Don urges Buhari to assign old portfolios to re-appointed ministers

A Don, Dr Austine Nwaeze, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to assign previous portfolios re-appointed cabinet ministers for them to complete their ongoing projects.

Nwaeze, who lectures Economics at the Pan Atlantic University, Lekki, Lagos, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Wednesday.

According to the lecturer, the re-appointment of the ministers to their former positions will reduce the time to learn on the job and hasten completion of national projects initiated by them.

“Assigning a former minister to a new portfolio will lead to time wasting because it is unfamiliar terrain.

“The completion of legacy projects such as the Second Niger Bridge and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway are what the government will be remembered for after it tenure ends,” he said.

Nwaeze also urged President Buhari to invest more in the education and skills acquisition programmes to enhance the country’s human capital development.

“The upgrade of human capital development is crucial so as to reduce the number of expatriates taking over jobs that should be done by Nigerians.

“This will reduce  capital flight which has been detrimental to the economy,” he said

waeze advised that the current administration must sustain the development of critical infrastructure to spur growth.

According to him, the completion of the Ajaokuta Steel Plant is very important for the country’s industrial development, while completion of the Mambilla Power Plant will change the energy narrative in the country.

He said that the government’s effort in tackling security challenges in the country should also be sustained to secure the confidence of foreign investors.

-NAN