Nigerians living in South Africa have welcomed Wednesday’s dissolution of the Federal Executive Council by Acting President Goodluck Jonathan.

A cross-section told the Southern Africa correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the decision would allow for the injection of new blood into the government.

A South Africa-based law professor, Vincent Nmehielle, described the dissolution of the cabinet as “the best thing that can happen to the country”.

Nmehielle is the Head, Witts Programme in Law, Justice and Development, Africa School of Law, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.

He said the acting president should try to strike a balance between the young and the old, as age was not necessarily a prerequisite for good performance.

“We can see David Miliband, the UK Foreign Secretary, who is young and carrying out agenda of the UK government.

“We need people with the drive to give service,” he said, advising Jonathan to go a step further by appointing the right people.

Mr. Dennis Osagie, the President of the Durban chapter of Nigerians in Diaspora, said the poor handling of the controversy over President Umaru Yar’Adua’s absence by the dissolved cabinet gave no justification for their retention.

“During Yar’Adua’s absence, the cabinet compromised in handling the issue by not acting promptly and taking decisions they should take.

“There was no need for such delay tactics and leaving the country ungoverned for some time,” Osagie said, describing their sack as the right step.

He, however, urged Jonathan to show maturity in choosing his new team by allowing merit rather than mere personal allegiance to determine his choices.

“The new cabinet must be men and women of honour who have the will to do the right thing and move the country forward,” he said.

The President of the Nigerian Union, Mr. Jason Osuafor, said the sack news was “a delight” which was necessary for Jonathan to consolidate and have a firm hold on governance.

“Definitely there are certain people who should be returned based on their performance but others who are not loyal to the nation and are individualistic should be dropped permanently,” he said.

Osuafor said the new cabinet should be balanced and based on ability to perform and deliver.

In his contribution, Mr Olalekan Olaitan, a tutor at Khumbulani High School, East London, said the acting president should go for men and women of integrity in order to have meaningful progress in the country.

Describing the cabinet sack as a move in the right direction, he called for a new cabinet made up of people who loved the country above personal interests.

“He should go for men and women of integrity who have the love of the country at heart,” Olaitan said, explaining that the right choices were critical in advancing the nation.

The tutor said with the right team, it was possible to make progress in the country, especially with the “giant problems of power and Niger Delta crisis” which needed concerted effort to overcome.

“With the right team, Jonathan has a better chance to put his name in gold,” he said