President Mohammadu Buhari, just like other politicians elected in the last general elections, recently marked his first 100 years in office.
Before then, the President had announced his much awaited cabinet members made up of Ministers and Ministers of State, with only 16 returnee Ministers.
The President had clearly stated that these Ministers who were able to scale all the hurdles for re-appointment, deserved to be retained in the Federal Executive Council because of their first tenure performance.
Key among the Ministers are Minister of Transport, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi; Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika; and Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN.
Aside the aforementioned Ministers holding transport and transport related portfolios, it is instructive to note that they did not just come back into the cabinet, but were able to retain their various ministries.
As a result, so much is expected of them because they are not green horns in their ministries, and they must have laid a solid foundation during their first coming.
Stakeholders are looking forward to the successful completion of the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge railway line, a project which has made the Minister of Transport to suspend his sleep for a long time. We also expect the government to commission the second phase of the project towards Kano before the end of this dispensation.
Other projects like the Ajaokuta/Itakpe railway line, dredging of seaports, regulation of ports terminal operations, streamlining transport agencies to meet Key Performance Indexes etc should be the concerns of the former governor of Rivers state.
A key and vexatious issue the Minister of Aviation cannot run away from is the proposed national carrier tagged Nigeria Air. Interestingly, shortly after resuming office, the Minister assured that the project has not been jettisoned.
The Transport Minister should also be concerned about recent reports of the blacklisting of the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), by the World bank, since the company is a major contractor.
However, the former Senator and Aviation enthusiast has the task of throwing more light on this project in order to douse barge of criticisms that have trailed it since it was unveiled.
Sirika also faces the task of resolving the issues surrounding the concessioning/privatisation of airports as well as ensure adequate funding for navigational equipment and training.
Fashola, having lost the Power Ministry, should have more time to tackle our roads. Interestingly, the FEC has approved funds for some roads nationwide.
We would also urge the former Lagos State governor to explore the use of toll gates on some federal roads, hinged on the understanding that such roads would be constantly maintained. The re-introduction of weigh bridges should also be a top priority of Fashola.
Being arrow heads, they should not forget that they cannot do it all alone. They must ensure team spirit with their Ministers of state and other public servants in order to maximise their achievements.
