02/09/2023
APPOINTING 'TECHNOCRATS' AS MINISTERS WILL TERMINATE OUR DEMOCRACY
Times: People argue that technocrats, instead of politicians, should be ministers. What’s your reaction?
Answer: I totally disagree with that. It is a puerile argument. Who are the technocrats and who are the politicians? Some people are merely promoting this to cause confusion and promote certain personalities. I am afraid too that these people want to stifle our democracy.
Nigerian politics is daily evolving and I can say without any equivocation that there is no degree or level of technocrats lacking in the political circles. Most of the people in politics today are professionals, many highly successful professionals. We have them here and in the diaspora.
I think those promoting the so-called technocrats above politicians and professionals in politics should have a rethink on this. If we cannot outsource a technocrat to be President or governor why then do we need to outsource largely uninformed technocrats as ministers and commissioners.
At best, if a president or governor desires the services of particular apolitical technocrats, the best he can do is to make such persons special advisers or absorb them into the relevant ministries at the chief or directorate cadre where he can rise to become permanent secretary.
What we are practising in Nigeria is democracy, politics and it is being nurtured by politicians.
Let’s take for example the Minister from Oyo State, Bayo Adelabu, who is an accomplished, highly cerebral professional in politics. Out of love to serve his people, to better the lots of Oyo State, he quit the post of Deputy Governor of Central Bank to join politics.
That is dedication, commitment to the growth of our democracy and Nigeria. With his experience in politics, his closeness to the people and the grassroots he would perform far better than an uncared technocrat who is kind of coerced to come and serve.
There is even a big danger there, when a president or governor surrounds himself with non-politicians who would not understand or see the need when it comes to defending our hard earned democracy.
There is no gating in politics. Anybody is free to join and participate in it. It is very unfair to put people that scorn politics and deride politicians to benefit from politics when there are many better qualified professionals sweating it out in politics.
For democracy to grow, we need to seriously encourage the participation of professionals who truly have the interest of the masses at heart in politics. We need lovers of the masses and consistently patriotic Nigerians and not the aloof technocrats who cannot effectively relate to the yearnings of the masses.
A former All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Oyo State and member of the dissolved Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu
