I joined political party before my appointment confirmation – Jonathan’s Minister, Usman

A former Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Shamsudeen Usman, has disclosed that he had to join a political party before his confirmation as a minister.

Usman said such was an indication that the life of ministers are not simple and straightforward.

He noted that the political system makes it difficult for ministers to get some of the things they want done.

Featuring on Channels TV’s Politics Today, Usman, who was Minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan said: “If you come in as a technocrat or an economist, there are a lot of things you try to do but the political system is set in such a way that it’s very difficult to get things done properly.

“Public servants have been put there to protect public interest but unfortunately for me, and majority of the public servants; their personal interest tends to over take public interest.

“Instead of being agents for the public, they become principals because it’s their own interest that is prime.

“The day I was appointed Minister, somebody alerted me that for you to get confirmed as a minister you have to register as a member of a political party. As of that time, I was not a member of any political party, so I had to rush to Kano to register.

“This tit-bits I have showed that the life of a minister is never simple, straightforward.

“During my confirmation, some senators from my state decided not to support for political reasons, somebody set them up to do that and I was going to face a serious embarrassment.”