Strong indications have emerged that President Bola Tinubu is planning to reshuffle his cabinet in a bid to remove underperforming ministers.
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The move comes amid growing pressure from within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and from other stakeholders who have expressed concerns about the inactivity of some ministers.
According to sources within the Presidency who spoke with Punch, the reshuffle is expected to result in the dismissal of certain ministers, while others may be reassigned to different ministries to enhance their effectiveness.
These developments follow the recent resignation and subsequent replacement of the directors-general of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Department of State Services (DSS).
The President had established the Result and Delivery Unit last year, under the leadership of Mrs. Hadiza Bala-Usman, the Special Adviser on Policy Coordination.
The unit was tasked with evaluating the performance of ministers and other top government officials, with the warning that any underperformance would lead to their removal.
Although the specific ministers who may be affected by the reshuffle have not been disclosed, it is evident that President Tinubu is keen on ensuring that his cabinet is composed of effective and proactive leaders.
A source said, “What I can tell you is some (ministers) will go. A few will swap positions, then new people will be brought on board. But the President will be focused more on capacity now; on people who can easily add value to his government.”
Another source disclosed that Tinubu’s close associates agreed that the President required a stronger cabinet to implement his policies effectively.
The source stated, “The general concern among some of his aides, friends, and even the public is that the cabinet can be far better than this. There is a consensus among his (Tinubu) close friends that he needs a stronger cabinet to push through with his policies. It is one thing to announce policies and it is another thing for your ministers to deliver the outcomes you want. Oftentimes, it is the capacity of your cabinet members and heads of agencies that determines how you will deliver on those outcomes.
“If you look at the editorial by Financial Times earlier this week, it was not palatable at all. And what they were saying is that, yes, he has taken bold decisions, the reforms are good, but he has a weak cabinet that cannot help him to deliver on those reforms. That is why it appears like we are wobbling. So, he needs to bring in people with more energy and expertise, who are more patriotic and willing to roll up their sleeves and work for Nigeria and turn things around.
“If the past one year has not been eventful, he cannot afford to waste another year. This next one year is very critical. It is the next one year that will define the government.”
