ABUJA HEARTBEAT: Blue blooded ministers in Abuja

I have always wondered what it takes to be the minister of any ministry, especially in Nigeria; but since I discovered that there are no special training programmes to qualify individuals for such positions, I have shifted my curiosity to why most ministers of the Federal Republic behave like ‘local almighties'.

Those of us who have reason to visit one or two ministers regularly in Abuja would understand where I am coming from; moreso, now that we have been opportuned to visit and meet with ministers from other parts of the world, especially the western world.

It is this privilege of serving as minister that becomes a do-or-die affair after elective posts have been canvassed and won. Individuals who feel they have contributed to the victories of the president, governors or senators begin to breathe down the throat of these victorious politicians with a clear and very obvious assertion: "it is because of our unshakable support that you are where you are, so remember to pay back with this or that position".

They actually choose, according to their perceived level of godfatherism, the juiciest of ministries for their wards in order, some say, to recoup and plan for the next election. And the circle continues because, to them, it is business and a very profitable venture at that.

Our thrust however is to draw the attention of the would-be minister to the little fact that they are there to serve and not to be served. It is about time we started getting our priorities right. A minister is a servant; in fact, even all those elected who have more legal authority over the people are supposed to be our servants and, now that our votes are beginning to count, they should be more conscious of this fact and drop the act of thinking that they are ‘local almighties'.

It can be very annoying, to say the least, when the convoy of a minister almost runs you off the road; then his bodyguards and aides add insult to injury when you have genuine reason to do business with that minister's office. Let us go down memory lane and we would be amazed at the number of ministers who have actually performed; individuals who have dared to be different; people who have really transformed their sector or produced landmark projects that left their imprints on the rocks of time. Well, a few have complained about their inability to perform, blaming it on the inept or wicked civil servants under them who strive to sabotage their genuine efforts. Well, that claim should be left for another discussion.

Man made demi-gods

When I visited the United States in 1997, we were about 15 people from 14 different countries in the world attending a programme on "Drug abuse prevention and education". In the first hotel we were to lodge, as we were registering at the hotel reception, one black man directly in front of me was almost shouting at the front office girl,

"I said I am a junior minister from Mauritius, junior minister". The girl continued writing as if nobody has spoken in front of her, obviously filling out his data in the guest form. But the man, who felt a bit hurt at not receiving enough attention, repeated emphatically, "didn't you hear what I said, I said I am a junior minister from Mauritius and you didn't bother to look up".

The girl, very calmly, raised her head and said, "I heard you the very first time you spoke and I'm already writing down your details." With that she continued as if nothing had happened.

I almost choked with fear where I was standing. Does this girl really know who a minister is? Knowing where I was coming from and looking back now, I realized that a minister is nothing, unless we make them something by the way we fear and tremble in their presence.

Perhaps it is a black thing to behave like a tin god. That man was from Mauritius and he wanted to be given preferential treatment like most Nigerian ministers are wont to do.

However, for the next three weeks we stayed together, that man from Mauritius never made the mistake of dropping that title anywhere else and we ate together, attended lectures together, partied together, laughed, held ourselves as we took photographs together. Can I try that with any Nigerian Minister? The answer is very obvious, because the moment most of them get to that seat, their blood automatically changes to blue.