Tinubu Faces Pressure to Revamp Cabinet Amid Claims of Ministerial Underperformance

Strong indications suggest that President Bola Tinubu is preparing to overhaul his cabinet, aiming to remove underperforming ministers.

Amid mounting internal and external pressure, Tinubu’s focus is now on ensuring that only those who can “easily add value” to his government remain. A source stated, “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.”

Critics argue that the current cabinet lacks the energy and expertise needed to effectively implement Tinubu’s policies, as highlighted by a Financial Times editorial that labeled the cabinet as “weak” despite the President’s bold reforms.

The source added, “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.”

Opposition parties, however, remain skeptical. Yunusa Tanko, spokesperson for a former Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, dismissed the significance of a reshuffle, claiming it would merely be “an extension of state capture.”

The PDP’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Abdullahi, echoed this sentiment, attributing ministerial underperformance to what he described as Tinubu’s “lack of empathy for Nigerians.” He argued, “When you acquire power through fraudulent and desperate means, it would take a million efforts, programmes, and policies to correct it.”

Additionally, the Executive Director of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, criticized the President’s appointments, referring to some as “jobs for the boys” and calling for a drastic reduction in the size of the cabinet.

Adeniran stated, “Most of the ministers are not performing; they are just noise makers and they seem not to understand the job they have been appointed to do. From our assessment, few of the ministers, less than 15 of them are performing.” He urged Tinubu to “weed out” underperforming ministers and to merge ministries with overlapping functions to reduce costs and improve efficiency.

As Tinubu faces the critical task of reshaping his cabinet, the next few months will be pivotal in determining the direction of his administration and the effectiveness of his governance.