Only three members of President Buhari’s Federal Executive Council have access to President Buhari, investigations by SIGNAL have revealed.
The three ministers, former governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Abdulrahman Dambazzau and former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, SIGNAL gathered are the privileged trio who barely enjoy access to the President. More recently, Minister of Budget and National Planning Udoma Udo Udoma has been seen at frequent meetings with the President owing to the 2016 budget scandal which portrayed the Nigerian presidency as incompetent and uncoordinated.
President Buhari’s style of governance has built a wall around him, keeping him closely shielded from his ministers and other top government officials, many of whom he regards as corrupt.
Fashola, the Super Minister in President Buhari’s cabinet presiding over the three ‘juicy’ ministries of Works, Housing and Power came under harsh criticisms shortly before his appointment by Buhari as minister for spending N78 million on the design of his personal WordPress website while serving as Governor of Lagos State.
Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi was former governor of Rivers State. His tenure as governor has come under heavy anti-corruption scrutiny after being indicted for corruption by a Rivers State Judicial Panel of Enquiry. He was the Director-General of President Buhari’s campaign organization during the last presidential election.
Dambazzau is in charge of the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) as Minister of Interior. Former President Jonathan sacked him as Chief of Army Staff, reportedly for his alleged role in the secret entry of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua to the country in February 2010.
Working under fear
Informed sources about the development who did not want to be named disclosed to SIGNAL on Monday how Buhari’s ministers carry out their assignment under an atmosphere of complete fear.
“The ministers can’t even talk to their boss. Everyone works in an atmosphere of fear. Many of them have been digested into a system that makes it a crime to argue or have policy debates with the President. If you have noticed, most of the ministers speak with lack of confidence and some of them have withdrawn into their shell,” a top government official told our reporter.
The ugly situation in Aso Rock, inside sources say is largely responsible for the lack of coordination and failure of ministers to get a grip of their ministries,
