President Bola Tinubu is reportedly planning a major cabinet reshuffle, with underperforming ministers facing the sack, sources in the presidency have revealed.
The move comes as pressure mounts from within and outside the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for Tinubu to fire inactive ministers.
Last year, Tinubu established the Result and Delivery Unit to measure the performance of ministers and top officials, warning that underperformers would be fired.
The impending reshuffle follows the recent replacement of the directors-general of the National Intelligence Agency and the Department of State Services after the heads of the agencies resigned their appointments.
A presidential source confirmed to Punch that some ministers would be dismissed while others would be reassigned to improve effectiveness but did not disclose the ministers likely to be affected.
“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,” the source stated.
According to another source, Tinubu’s close associates have reportedly agreed that a stronger cabinet is needed to implement his policies effectively, with concerns raised about the capacity of current ministers to deliver desired outcomes.
Tinubu’s close associate also reportedly claimed that the president has a weak cabinet that cannot help him deliver on the reforms he plans to implement.
The undisclosed associate added that the president cannot afford to waste another year, noting that Tinubu 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.
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.”
