Onanuga maintained that the President Tinubu has not given specific date for the cabinet reshuffle.
Abuja, Nigeria – The Presidency has confirmed that President Bola Tinubu will soon initiate a cabinet reshuffle, with the exercise set to be guided by performance reports he has received over the past months.
During a joint briefing at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital/New Media, Mr. O’Tega Ogra, revealed the President’s intent to reorganize his team.
Onanuga, while addressing State House correspondents, noted that although no specific timeline has been set for the reshuffle, President Tinubu has clearly expressed his desire to undertake the process. “The President has expressed his desire to reshuffle his cabinet, and he will do it. I don’t know whether it will happen before October 1, but he has not given any specific timeline,” Onanuga said.
Supporting the statement, Ogra emphasized that the President’s decision will not be arbitrary, but rather based on the performance reports compiled by Hadiza Bala-Usman, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination. Bala-Usman also heads the Central Delivery Coordination Unit, tasked with evaluating the performance of the ministers.
“The President’s decision will be based on empirical evidence. He mentioned during the ministerial retreat that there would be periodic reviews, and decisions extracted from these reviews will inform the reshuffle,” Ogra added.
It is understood that the President has already received several reports and is considering them as part of the decision-making process. The reports will determine which ministers will remain in their positions and which will be relieved of their duties.
There are also indications that the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation may be scrapped, with some portfolios likely to be merged or split as part of the restructuring effort. Pressure has been mounting from within and outside the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for Tinubu to remove underperforming ministers.
Despite issuing a stern warning against underperformance 10 months ago, the cabinet has remained largely unchanged, except for the suspension of Dr. Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
Following a three-day retreat for ministers and aides last November, President Tinubu announced that the Central Delivery Coordination Unit, headed by Bala-Usman, would monitor and measure the performance of top officials. The President had previously stated, “If you are performing, nothing to fear. If you miss the objective, we’ll review it. If no performance, you leave us.”
The reshuffle is expected to take place soon, as Tinubu aims to optimize the effectiveness of his administration.
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