Members of my committee not automatic ministers – Joda

Weekly Trust reports that since the inauguration of the committee, there have been reports that its members were going to make the ministerial list of the in-coming administration after handing over on May 29.But Joda said in an interview aired on Freedom Radio Kano that members of the committee were appointed mainly to facilitate the […]

Weekly Trust reports that since the inauguration of the committee, there have been reports that its members were going to make the ministerial list of the in-coming administration after handing over on May 29.
But Joda said in an interview aired on Freedom Radio Kano that members of the committee were appointed mainly to facilitate the transition process. “We were appointed to do this singular job but there is possibility that some of our members may make it to Buhari’s cabinet but they were not brought here to become ministers,” the former federal permanent secretary said in the interview, monitored in Kano.
Joda, who is regarded as the link between the first generation of civil servants and the present day, said his committee would constitute sub-committees that would comprise experts and resource people from all fields of human endeavour to effectively discharge their job.
“Truly speaking, the time frame of our committee is short and it cannot be enough. There are signs that we cannot finish under the period, we will set up committees of people with track records in different fields and we will give them time to do sector by sector analysis. From their reports, we will submit an interim report to the president-elect before he takes over but it won’t be our final report,” the elder statesman.
“Before he takes over, by God’s grace, we will complete our work but he cannot get our final report before assuming office. If there are areas to be investigated, we will let them know and it would be assigned to people who will do the investigation, it is not our responsibility to investigate,” he said.
On how ready he was to manage disagreements between members of the committee, he said: “I don’t think we will have problems with members of our committee because of the calibre and exposure of our members. Yes, we may see things from different perspective and argue but we will definitely overcome our differences.”
Recalling how he met Buhari, Joda said he met him during the civil war in Awka, Anambra State.
“The first time I met Buhari was on the 9th of January, 1970 in Awka. It was on a Saturday during the civil war when I was permanent secretary of the ministry of information. During the war I used to visit our soldiers in the warfront, so it was during one of my visits that I met Buhari. That day he returned from the battlefield and he met me discussing with other officers,” Joda recalled.
Talking about the personality of the president-elect, he said from afar the Buhari is seen as a difficult person but that he is a very simple and understanding leader who always wants to see to the plight of people under him.