By Abdulateeef Bamgbose
Former governor of Abia State and Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has urged President Bola Tinubu to urgently relieve underperforming ministers and security chiefs of their duties, warning that sentimental leadership decisions could worsen Nigeria’s socio-economic instability.
Speaking in a wide-ranging television interview on Monday, Kalu, who is also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the South-East Development Commission, SEDC, stressed that the president must demonstrate political will and courage in reshuffling his cabinet and security leadership to address insecurity and economic discontent.
“Both security chiefs and ninisters, some of them should go. President Tinubu must be courageous enough to sack some of these Ministers,” Kalu declared during the interview.
He revealed that he has privately advised the president about specific individuals who, in his opinion, have failed to deliver on their mandates.
While declining to name names, Kalu insisted that performance, not loyalty, should be the benchmark for public service saying;
“If he will take my advice, most of these Ministers I have apprised of, and I’ve talked to him privately some of them should go.
“If he (President Tinubu) will take my advice, some of these security chiefs should go. There must be no sentiment when it comes to redeeming Nigeria.
Kalu blamed worsening insecurity, particularly in farming communities, on political sabotage, alleging that some elite interests are sponsoring unrest to destabilize Tinubu’s administration and seize political power.
“The insecurity in Nigeria is politically induced by politicians and businessmen. Some of them are not even looking for money, they just want to grab power,” he said.
He also criticized the widespread use of dollars in real estate and street transactions, calling it a symptom of Nigeria’s weak currency controls and a threat to economic sovereignty.
According to him, the government must outlaw street-level use of foreign currencies and emulate countries like South Africa, India, and the UK which tightly regulate currency exchange.
“The use of dollar bills on the street should stop. Landlords and estate agents using dollars as exchange should not happen in Nigeria. If we want to survive, we must take control of our currency, he charged.
While acknowledging that Nigerians are suffering and many reforms are yet to yield tangible benefits, Kalu argued that President Tinubu’s economic policies are on the right path. He cited improvements in macroeconomic indicators such as exchange rate stability and industrial capacity utilization, but admitted the effects are yet to reach the average Nigerian.
“The macro side is coming up, but Nigerians in the lower area are still suffering.
“These changes are still trickling down; it’s going to take another one to two years.”
He urged Nigerians to give the administration more time, citing historical reform examples such as Singapore under Lee Kuan Yew, while emphasizing the need for unity, economic patriotism, and depoliticization of national development.
“We are all friends Tinubu, Atiku, Amaechi, we were all governors together. Let us come together and think about the man on the street.”
The interview came amid mounting public frustration over economic hardship, rising insecurity, and widespread political tensions as the country nears the midpoint of President Tinubu’s first term.
