Tinubu to rejig cabinet based on ministers’ performance

The Presidency has confirmed that President Bola Tinubu will soon rejig his cabinet.

However, it said the exercise will be based on the empirical evidence from performance reports the President has received in the past months.

It said Tinubu had verbalised his intent to rejig his cabinet, confirming earlier PUNCH reports of an impending cabinet rejig.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital/New Media, Mr. O’Tega Ogra, revealed this to State House Correspondents during a joint briefing at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday.

Onanuga said although there is no timeline for the impending reshuffle, the president has “expressed his desire” to do it.

He said, “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.”

For his part, Mr. Ogra said the decision would not be arbitrary but will be based on performance reports presented by the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala-Usman. Bala-Usman also heads 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.”

Tinubu has been facing increasing pressure from within and outside his party, the All Progressives Congress, to sack underperforming ministers in his cabinet.

Strong indications emerged that the President may scrap the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation as part of the cabinet rejig.

A presidency source told The PUNCH that the exercise would also see some portfolios split and others merged into a single entity, while some ministers would be relieved of their duties.

Although the President warned against underperformance about 10 months ago, the cabinet remained largely intact, save for the suspension of Dr. Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

Last November, after a three-day retreat for cabinet members and presidential aides, Tinubu announced that a Central Delivery Coordination Unit headed by Mrs. Hadiza Bala-Usman, would measure the performance of ministers and other top government officials.

Their performance would determine who would leave or remain, Tinubu stated.

“If you are performing, nothing to fear. If you miss the objective, we’ll review it. If no performance, you leave us. No one is an island and the buck stops on my desk,” the President told participants.