Ex-Minister Lashes Buhari For Calling Ministers Noise Makers

A former Minister of Communication Technology (ComTech), Mrs. Omobola Johnson has reacted to a comment made by President Muhammadu Buhari, in an exclusive interview with France 24 TV’s François Picard, during his 3-day visit to the country, where he said that Nigerian Ministers are only there to ‘’make a lot of noise’’.

The ex-minister, who served in former president Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, accused Buhari of being unfair to ministers who worked hard but did not make much noise about it.

She reacted to Buhari’s statement via her Twitter handle @OmobolaJohnson.

She tweeted: “President Buhari is being unfair to Ministers who work hard and don’t make noise. The civil service is broken and it needs to be fixed.”

It would be recalled, President Buhari, when asked if the absence of a finance minister was affecting the Nigerian capital market and economy, said:

‘’No. It is what we know –and which we learnt from the western system. The civil service provides the continuity, the technocrat. And in any case, they are those that do most of the work.

“The ministers are there, I think, to make a lot of noise; for the politicians to make a lot of noise. But the work is being done by the technocrats. They are there; they have to provide the continuity, dig into the records and then guide us, [those of us] who are just coming in.

“They have been there, some of them for 15 years, some for 20 years. So I think this question of ministers is political. People from different constituencies want to see their people directly in government, and see what they can get out of it.

“As for the cabinet, I said we will have one by the end of the month, and time flies. The end of the month is coming too quickly for my liking.

“Yeah, I will stick to it. I will send the names to the national assembly.”