NEW MINISTERS: ROUND PEGS IN …

Now that Nigeria has a new set of ministers, everybody is waiting for things to start happening in earnest. While some people groan at the inclusion of certain names, others are celebrating that their people are found worthy to be part of Acting President Goodluck Jonathan's government.

For some of them, it is a chance to get a share of the national cake, for others, it is another chance to continue to amass wealth. There are still the few who may see it as a chance to serve their fatherland.

However, there are still those who are worried that some ministers may not be able to perform in certain ministries. Many people have wondered what parameters were used to allocate portfolios to the ministers. From the way the ministries were distributed to them, it is obvious that not much thought was given to their professional experience. Some people say that a nominee's godfather has a way of determining which ministries he/she will end up in. Some of the ministers whose 'backbones' are not strong enough are sent to the 'gba jen'simi' (have this and let me rest) ministries.

Going by the woeful performance of a good number of them in the former cabinet, some Nigerians were wondering why they were returned. But then, there are the 'brand new' ministers in their midst. There is the saying that a new broom sweeps cleanest and Nigerians are hoping that these new ministers will 'work' and have visible results to show for their efforts.