President Tinubu’s Long Awaited Cabinet Reshuffle
Few months ago, it was rumoured that President Bola Tinubu would reshuffle his cabinet. So for some federal ministers who were shown the red card recently, it did not come as a surprise. What is surprising to many Nigerians who spoke to this reporter is the scrapping of the Niger Delta Ministry and the Ministry of Sports Development as well as the merge of some ministries. Others consider the cabinet reshuffle as a big surprise in the sense that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu dropped five Ministers in the major cabinet reshuffle announcement and re-appointed seven. The ministers dropped by the President are: Uju-Ken Ohanenye (Women Affairs), Lola Ade-John (Tourism), Tahir Mamman (Education), Abdullahi Gwarzo (Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development), and Jamila Ibrahim (Youth Development).
By Ovie Edomi
Those redeployed are: Dr Yusuf Tanko from Minister of State, Education to Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction; Dr Maruf Olatunji Alausa, Minister of State, Health to Minister of Education; Barrister Bello Muhammad Goronyo, Minister of State, Water Resources and Sanitation to Minister of State, Works; Dr Abubakar Mommoh, Minister of Niger Delta Development to Minister of Regional Development; Uba Maigari Ahmadu, Minister of State, Steel Development to Minister of State, Regional Development; Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment to Minister of State, Finance; and Senator John Ewa Enoh, Minister of Sports Development to Minister of State, Steel Development.
Others are: Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Minister of State, Police Affairs to Minister of Women Affairs; Ayodele Olanwande, Minister of State for Youth Development to Minister of Youth Development; and Dr Salako Isiaq, Minister of State, Environment to Minister of State, Health.
According to Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the departing ministers were not sacked but rather discharged from their duties.However, Onanuga said that the term “sacked” does not accurately describe their departure.
Meanwhile, former Federal Commissioner for Information and South-South Leader, Chief Edwin Clark has taken a swipe at President Bola Tinubu for scrapping the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, the Elderstatesman noted that there was no basis for the scrapping of the Ministry. He accused the Federal government of plans to use the money from the South-South geo-political zones to develop the various development Commissions from the geo-political zones that have been established.
According to the Leader of Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, President Tinubu has no good plans for the people of Niger, just as he said that late President Umaru Yar’Adua created the ministry for the development of the Zone, ensure permanent peace as well as the nip in the bud, cases of pipeline vandalisatione Leader of the Southern and Middle-Belt Leaders Forum, SMBLF said, “The news came to me as a surprise
There’s no basis for scrapping it now, Yar’Adua had a poised for creating it, to develop the Niger Delta Region and Nigeria, to bring peace to the region.
“What I have noted so far is that there is no basis for scrapping it. Yar’Adua had a clear purpose to address the security situation in the Niger Delta, which led to the creation of the Ministry to focus on the development of that area. We have been working for some time now, managing our commissions.
“It is not about that; it is the administrative structure created by the President. Unfortunately, it was misunderstood by Nigerians due to its complexity.
“Why would you take over a Ministry without any development plans, funding, or concrete actions? Even the East-West Road, which was meant to be under the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, is not being addressed; it has been handed back to the Ministry of Works.
“What I am saying is that the federal government lacks special arrangements for this region. When I saw that every region was establishing its development centres or Commissions, I anticipated these issues would arise.
“Are there going to be multiple ministries within one region? One would expect that 30 or 40 people would have walked out to share the details. “I remember during the national conference in 2014, it was decided to increase the revenue allocation to the regions from 13% to 25%. Ultimately, it was settled at 18%, but we disagreed, which led to further discussions about a separate fund to support development post-Boko Haram.
“There was also an agreement that 5% of the federation account would be allocated annually to support regions affected by the conflict. Unfortunately, this has not been implemented.
“We also agreed that 5% of the revenue account should be dedicated to developing mineral resources and other industries to enhance local capacity. I was pleased with these discussions, but they haven’t translated into action, which is disturbing.
“The government needs to consult with the leaders of the Niger Delta and the South-South region. What we ate saying is that these unresolved issues cannot be overlooked by the government.”
Clark further said, “The government must explain why they decided to halt critical legislation. This raises concerns about how the benefits of regional developments are being managed. Many people feel disconnected from the process, and it seems resources are being diverted from local needs.
“We need to ensure that regional development isn’t scrapped without a clear plan for its replacement. We will not allow it to be scrapped, the government wants to use South South money to develop other Development Commissions.
Aso Rock sources said the newly created Ministry of Regional Development will now supervise several regional commissions, providing greater coordination and oversight across Nigeria’s diverse regions.
As for the National Sports Commission. Tinubu has appointed Shehu Dikko as the Chairman.He is expected to develop Nigeria’s sports sector, transitioning it from federal oversight to a more professional, market-driven model. Also appointed is Sunday Akin Dare as Special Adviser to the President on Public Communication and Orientation, working under the Ministry of Information and National Orientation.
“Our goal is to set Nigeria on an irreversible path to growth. These changes reflect our commitment to reform, and I expect all appointees to work tirelessly toward achieving the priorities of this administration,” Tinubu said during the FEC meeting.The President also said that this cabinet reshuffle is part of his broader strategy to position Nigeria for long-term growth.