The presidency on Wednesday confirmed long-standing speculations that a cabinet reshuffle is imminent in the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration.
Although ministers likely to be affected are still being kept top secret, there are indications that those who have not measured up to sterling performance in the last one year since their appointment would be shown the way out in the next few days.
The development is already causing apprehension among some cabinet members of the government, Daily Independent has uncovered…..CONTINUE READING
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, gave the hint while briefing State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Onanuga, who was joined in the briefing by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital and New Media, O’tega Ogra, however, did not give any timeline to when the president will reshuffle his cabinet.
Onanuga confirmed that the president was indeed tinkering with the idea of rejigging his council, but declined to be specific on how soon the ministers will be moved around or dropped.
“It’s true President Bola Tinubu has plan to reshuffle his cabinet but I can’t say specifically whether that will be done before the Independence celebration on October 1”.
Tinubu appointed his cabinet members in August of last year, and organised a retreat where he gave them clear mandate to work assiduously in line with his Renewed Hope Agenda.
But one year down the line, there are insinuations that some of the ministers have not lived up to expectations.
The plot to sack some of the cabinet members may also be hinged on the performance reports, which the presidency has gotten from various ministers over the past few months.
Onanuga explained, “Let me tell you, I don’t have any timeline. The president has expressed his desire to reshuffle his cabinet, and he will do it.
“I don’t know whether he’s going to do it before October 1, but he will surely do it. So that’s what I will say. He has not given us any timeline when he wants to do it, but he will do it. He has expressed his plan that he wants to do it.”
Ogra added that the decision to reorganise the cabinet would not be random but rather based on detailed performance reviews. These reviews have been gathered by Hadiza Bala-Usman, the Special Adviser on Policy Coordination, who leads the Central Delivery Coordination Unit.
“The president’s decision to reshuffle his cabinet is also based on empirical evidence. You know, he had said when he was speaking at the retreat for the ministers that they were going to have periodic reviews and the decisions that are extracted from these reviews will be used to make that final decision.
“I know he has gotten a couple of reports, and as Mr. Onanuga said, when he is ready to do that, he will.”
Pressure has been mounting on the Tinubu administration to dismiss underperforming ministers. Both members of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and external critics have urged the president to take action against officials who are not meeting their targets.
There are speculations that one significant outcome of the reshuffle could be the dissolution of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
In addition, there are discussions about merging some ministries while splitting others to enhance efficiency. Certain ministers are also expected to be relieved of their duties.
President Tinubu had issued warnings to his ministers about underperformance as far back as 10 months ago, but there have been few changes to his cabinet so far.
The most notable exception was the suspension of Dr. Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, over allegations of funds diversion.
Beyond the cabinet reshuffle, Tinubu has instructed his ministers to actively promote the accomplishments of his administration.
According to Onanuga, Tinubu urged the ministers to “go out there and blow your trumpet and the administration’s successes.”
He noted that some ministers were hesitant to speak publicly, adding, “Many Nigerians believe the president isn’t doing much, while the government is actually making significant strides.”
Tinubu emphasised that his ministers should focus more on communicating these achievements to the public.
