President Tinubu is reportedly planning a major shake-up of his cabinet, with some ministers expected to be removed as part of the changes.
According to OBASANJONEWS report on Sunday, President Bola Tinubu is said to be getting ready for a cabinet overhaul by axing ministers who have failed to deliver.
The need for this shakeup has been intensified by mounting pressure exerted from both internal and external sources on the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In the previous year, Tinubu created a Result and Delivery Unit underneath Mrs. Hadiza Bala-Usman who is his Special Adviser on Policy Coordination. Its purpose was to oversee how effectively his ministers and high-ranking personnel were performing.
Tinubu had cautioned that anyone who did not live up to expectations would face termination. As of late, Tinubu has taken action by replacing the directors-general for both the National Intelligence Agency and Department of State Services in a move indicating his readiness to shake up crucial positions.
Imminent insider sources suggest that there will be a cabinet reshuffling which could entail the removal of some ministers and possibly reassignment to new roles aimed at improving effectiveness.
The ministers who are likely to be affected were not disclosed by the sources.
According to a source, some ministers will depart while others may switch positions and new individuals will be added. However, the President’s focus is presently on capacity – seeking those who can effectively contribute to his administration.
It was revealed by another source that people close to Tinubu acknowledged the need for a more robust cabinet in order for the President’s policies to be properly executed.
According to the source, there is a widespread belief among some of Tinubu’s associates, allies and members of the public that his cabinet could be improved. His close friends share a consensus on this matter – they maintain he requires an even more capable team in order to execute his policies successfully. It is easy enough to articulate plans but it takes much more than that for Ministers under your watch to produce desired results; invariably it rests on their individual abilities alongside agency executives’ competence which will determine whether or not you’ll succeed in achieving those objectives.
The editorial published by Financial Times earlier this week was quite unappetizing. Essentially, they acknowledged that bold decisions have been made and reforms are positive, however the current cabinet is weak and unable to fully execute these changes – causing a sense of instability. Therefore, it’s imperative for Nigeria to enlist individuals with greater prowess who possess more fervor towards patriotism while also being willing to put in hard work in order for significant progress to be achieved within the nation.”
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If the previous year lacked significant events, he cannot afford to squander another one. The upcoming year is exceedingly crucial as it will determine the government’s fate.
Tinubu, APC have no positive expectations from us.
However, opposition political parties anticipate unfavorable outcomes from the Federal Government led by APC.
Yunusa Tanko, the campaign spokesperson for Peter Obi, a former Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, emphasized that their main focus is on enhancing electoral reforms while discussing with OBASANJONEWS
According to him, their focus is not on whether Tinubu alters or dismisses his ministers. Rather, they believe that electoral reform must be given precedence for improvements. They assert that by improving the electoral system, it can lead to credible elections in the future.
The act of removing or substituting individuals in your cabinet is essentially a form of state capture. The President will most likely replace them with his favored supporters as part of his plan leading up to 2027. However, if he truly desires to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of his current administration, he should contemplate reorganizing his cabinet since many ministers are failing to meet expectations.
Ibrahim Abdullahi, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party, claimed that Tinubu’s disregard for Nigerians was responsible for the ministers’ poor performance.
Abdullahi stated that altering the cabinet is not the root of the issue. He claimed that obtaining power through deceitful and desperate methods would require extensive endeavors, projects, and strategies to rectify because a structure cannot endure without a solid foundation. Therefore, what represents President’s fundamental basis is crucial here. PDP does not foresee any positive developments during this period characterized by celestial benevolence in which God will prolong his stay in authority as they firmly believe it to be unlikely.
Peter Ameh, the National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Party, advised Tinubu to avoid repeating his predecessor Muhammadu Buhari’s mistake by retaining his ministers for a prolonged eight-year term.
CUPP was informed that Tinubu’s ministers failed, and he noted that a government with responsibility would have terminated their service much earlier.
Debo Adeniran, the Executive Director of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, stated that out of all ministers in Nigeria only a limited number, less than 15 specifically met Nigerians’ expectations with their performance.
To achieve success, he contended that Tinubu should eliminate subpar ministers and consolidate ministries and agencies with overlapping responsibilities.
Included in his list of underperforming ministers were Prof. Tahir Mamman, the Minister of Education; Muhammad Pate, the Minister of Health; Ekperikpe Ekpo, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources; Sa’idu Ahmed Alkali, the Minister of Transportation; and Adebayo Adelabu, the Minister of Power.
According to Adeniran, certain appointments made by Tinubu were merely opportunities given to his acquaintances and should be referred to as “jobs for the boys”. Adeniran urgently requested that the President take action on implementing Steve Orosanye’s recommendations in order to decrease both government size and expenditure.
The majority of the ministers are not carrying out their duties effectively, appearing to be making noise without comprehending their assigned tasks. Our evaluation reveals that a mere few, numbering less than 15 ministers, show evidence of performing satisfactorily.
We recommend that the President remove at least 36 members from his cabinet in order to identify and retain only the ministers who are performing effectively, given a total of 48 existing positions.
Adeniran stated that Tinubu’s association with certain individuals is hindering his mission in office, contributing to Nigeria’s current problems. He suggested removing these ministers would bring stability and focus to the administration. Instead of replacing them, he proposed merging ministries and directly supervising others.
In addition, Abiodun Bamgboye, the Secretary of the Joint Action Front stated that Tinubu’s anti-people policies were to blame for the ministers’ inadequate performance. He further expressed his belief that even if angels replaced them after being sacked by the President himself, failure would still be inevitable.
He claims that the President’s strategy to dismiss underachieving ministers is an attempt to maintain his reputation, and he further suggests that these ministers’ inadequate performance reflects on Tinubu’s leadership.
According to Bamgboye, the current state of the country’s economy indicates that no minister has met Nigerians’ expectations. However, it is not solely a matter of evaluating ministers; rather, it stems from analyzing the economic policies implemented by this administration.
Aliyu Ilias, an economic specialist, contended that decreasing the number of ministers and holding them accountable could act as a performance check and enhance governance.
Misguided was Ilias’ assertion that the present administration’s choice to uphold a substantial number of government officials lacked wisdom.
