EMERGING indications are that governors and development partners played major roles in the nomination of ministers that are undergoing screening at the Senate
Investigation reveals that the governors, mostly from the Southern part of the country and particularly from the Niger Delta, put pressures on President Jonathan to accept the candidate lists from their areas.
It was gathered that the governors contributed to the delay in sending the names of would-be-ministers to the National Assembly for screening.
Similarly, Nigeria's development partners reportedly have their inputs in the nominating process, particularly favouring the return of ministers who had handled strategic ministries.
"So, usually, they made suggestions behind the scene either directly or through proxies for the retention of some ministers," said a knowledgeable source in Abuja.
According to another source, the governors "tacitly and tactically avoided the inclusion of the names some ministers, who were deemed to have performed well in the last dispensation."
These governors, the source noted, had a feeling that the president might likely favour these former ministers "because they were known to be transformers and technocrats who had made positive impacts in their ministries."
"This is one of the reasons some old ministers' names have not appeared in the list," said one of the sources.
"Again, those whose names are not appearing in the new appointments were dropped as a result of pressure form the governors of the states where the ministers come from," the source added.
Meanwhile, it was gathered that the diplomatic community is expecting to see at the helm of affairs former ministers perceived to be hardworking in sensitive ministries that handle technical projects that relate to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and sustainable development the country.
The international community believes that these are technical development areas "where tested and trusted hands are always needed to help continuity."
Indeed, there was concern among Nigeria's international development partners in Abuja last week during the screening of the ministerial nominees by the Senate.
They reportedly expressed worry that if some ministers, who had paved the way for some technical and bilateral agreements, did not come back, it might slow the pace of projects development and overall advancement in the country.
The Guardian