ISHOLA WILLIAMS DISSATISFIED WITH QUALITY OF MINISTERS

The former President of Transparency International, Nigeria, Maj.-Gen. Ishola Williams (rtd), has said that apart from Mr. Olusegun Aganga, who is the new finance minister of Finance, there is no technocrat in the new set of ministers.

William, who spoke to our correspondent on Tuesday after being told of the portfolios given to the new ministers, maintained that the posts given to them were a clear indication that party, personal, group and several other interests played a major role in the selection and designation of offices.

He said, 'Most of them came on the party's platform. I usually tell people whenever they say the Acting President would appoint technocrats as ministers that personal, group, party and other interests wouldn't allow him to do so. In Nigeria, people like government job, even if it means being there for three months because of the money they intend to make.'

He also told our correspondent that the selection of ministers and ministries they were sent to showed that the interest of the Peoples Democratic Party overweighed everything, adding 'I don't see any wonder the ministers can perform in the next one year.'

Also speaking, the governorship candidate of the Democratic Peoples Alliance in Lagos 2007 election, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, said that both Prof. Dora Akunyili and Mr. Godsday Orubebe, who retained their positions as ministers of Information and Communications and Niger Delta Affairs respectively, should be able to perform better since they are on familiar terrain.

Agbaje, however, maintained that what mattered most was for all the ministers appointed to key ministries to perform well in order to assist Acting President Goodluck Jonathan in the task of developing the country.