PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has expressed a desire to reshuffle his cabinet.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed this to State House correspondents on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He noted that contrary to insinuations in some quarters, the current government has recorded significant achievements in its quest to transform the economy, of which members of the public are unaware.
Onanuga noted that Tinubu has ordered his ministers to ensure they engage the public by publicising what the government is doing in their various ministries.
He said, “I don’t have any timeline. The President has expressed his desire to reshuffle his cabinet and will do it soon. I don’t know whether he wants to do it before October 1, but he will surely do it.”
Explaining further the reason for Tinubu’s decision, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital Strategy Engagement and Communications, O’tega Ogra, said it is based on empirical evidence.
Ogra noted that during the retreat that was organised for the ministers shortly after their inauguration in August 2023, Tinubu made it clear that there would be periodic reviews of their performance and that the review would guide the President’s decision.
Last Thursday, News Point Nigeria reported that there are strong indications that President Tinubu may scrap the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation as part of a major cabinet rejig.
The exercise would also see some portfolios split and others merged into a single entity, while some ministers would be relieved of their duties, a Presidency source told this newspaper.
Tinubu has been facing increasing pressure from within and outside his party, the All Progressives Congress, to sack underperforming ministers in his cabinet.
Although the President had warned against underperformance about 10 months ago, the cabinet had remained largely intact, save for the suspension of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu.
