By Caleb Ishaya, Abuja
Ten months after President Bola Tinubu, ordered ministers to perform or quit their positions, the presidency has confirmed that Tinubu is ready to reshuffle his cabinet.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this yesterday while addressing a press conference at the State House, Abuja.
AljazirahNigeria recalls that Tinubu had last year established Results Delivery Units, headed by former Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, Hadiza Bala, to access performance as the administration thrives to achieve its Renewed Hope Agenda.
Onanuga, who was not specific on the date the president intends to wield the big stick on low performance ministers hinted that it could happen before October 1st.
In this vein, he said that “the President has expressed his desire to reshuffle his cabinet and he will do it. I don’t know whether he wants to do it before October 1st, but he will surely do it. That is what I will say, although , he has not given us any timeline”.
According to him, Speaking of the performance of the present administration, Onanuga said Tinubu had during the last Federal Executive Council meeting urged all ministers “to go out there and speak about the activities of his administration”.
Some of the Ministers he added have been “media shy, television shy, radio shy, and he wants them to overcome all that and go out there and speak about what they have been doing”.
“Because the feeling out there is that the government is not doing enough while the government has been doing a lot. And it is up to them to go out there and blow their own trumpet.
“They should go out there and talk about what their ministries have been doing”, Onanuga said.
It would be recalled in an address at 2023 Cabinet Retreat for Ministers, Presidential Aides, Permanent Secretaries and top government officials under the theme: ”Delivering on the Renewed Hope Agenda”, Tinubu told his ministers that ”if you are performing, there is nothing to fear. If you missed the objectives, we review it, if no performance you leave us. No one is an island and the buck stops on my desk”.
The President reminded the Ministers of their responsibility to serve the people who entrusted their mandate to him.
”That is why we established Results Delivery Units. At the end of this retreat, you are going to sign a Bond of Understanding between the Ministers, the Permanent Secretaries and myself.
”If you are performing there is nothing to fear. If you missed the objectives, we review, if no performance, you leave us. No one is an island and the buck stops on my desk.
”I assure, you will have a free hand. You must be intellectually inquisitive to ask how, where? when? and why it must be immediate.
”I have taken a young lady, very dynamic Hadiza Usman to head the delivery units. If you have any complaints about her, see me. If you are ready to work with her, stay there. Delivery, yes! We must achieve it for the sake of the millions of the people”, he said.
Meanwhile, reliable sources in the administration say the imminent cabinet reshuffle has triggered panic among some ministers who fear losing their jobs.
One insider who does not want to be named in this report because he is not authorised to speak stated that the President is not pleased with the performances of “a good number of ministers and those that will go” have already seen the red flag.
Be that as it may, another anonymous source say panic level is high among ministers and “at the moment those not performing can only wait to be sacked”.
However, of President Bola Tinubu’s 47 ministers the coast sources say is clear for Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of Transportation, Adegboyega Oyetola, Minister of Works, David Umahi and Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, Nyesom Wike haven maintained a high tempo in delivering their mandates as well as visibility on behalf of the administration.
Although, “there are others (ministers) who are also performing quietly but the president is not comfortable with such disposition”, a source stated.
