Strong indications have surfaced that President Bola Tinubu has finalized the list of individuals who will serve in his reshuffled cabinet. This list includes the names of ministers who are set to be replaced and those who will retain their positions. According to multiple sources within the Presidency, the president had planned to release the cabinet list on Thursday, just a day after arriving in the United Kingdom for his two-week annual leave. However, the official announcement is yet to be made.
In recent months, President Tinubu has been under increasing pressure to make changes to his cabinet. This pressure stems largely from the economic difficulties the country has been facing and the widespread protests that occurred last August. Many inside and outside his political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), have been calling for the removal of underperforming ministers as a way to address the growing dissatisfaction. Despite these calls, Tinubu’s cabinet has remained largely intact, with only minor changes being made. One of the few notable actions was the suspension of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, in January 2024.
The president had earlier expressed his commitment to holding his ministers accountable for their performance. During a three-day retreat held in November for cabinet members and his senior aides, Tinubu announced the creation of the Central Delivery Coordination Unit. This unit, led by his Special Adviser on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala-Usman, was established to monitor and evaluate the work of ministers and other key officials. According to Tinubu, these performance reports would play a critical role in determining who stays in the cabinet and who will be replaced.
At the retreat, Tinubu made it clear that ministers had nothing to worry about if they were delivering on their responsibilities. “If you are performing, nothing to fear. If you miss the objective, we’ll review it. If there is no performance, you leave us. No one is irreplaceable, and the ultimate responsibility lies with me,” Tinubu said to the attendees. His statement sent a clear message that underperforming officials would not be tolerated in his administration.
One year after Tinubu first appointed his cabinet members in August, there have been ongoing discussions about an impending reshuffle. Reports have suggested that the changes could be significant and not limited to just swapping roles among ministers. According to sources, certain ministries, like the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, may be scrapped altogether, while others may be restructured or merged with different departments. The aim is to streamline operations and improve the overall efficiency of the government.
On Friday, officials speaking anonymously revealed that the president had initially planned to release the new cabinet list on Thursday but decided to delay it. One official said, “We are just waiting for the green light. All I know is that we are expecting him to send the names of those he wants to drop and those he wants to appoint. We’ve been waiting since Thursday, but nothing specific has come through yet.”
Another source added that President Tinubu had expressed a desire to “sleep on it” before making the final decision. “The list is almost done. The only reason it hasn’t been released is that the president wants to make sure everything is in order. He might still be considering a few names before he makes his final announcement,” the source explained.
There were also rumors circulating that lobbyists were pressuring Tinubu during his stay in the UK, hoping to influence his decisions regarding the new cabinet appointments. However, officials close to the president dismissed these claims. One source clarified, “That’s just speculation. Even if they know where he is, can they actually access him? The president is resting, and no one can just walk in to see him. He is also undergoing medical checkups during this trip, so it’s not as easy as people think.”
In late September, the Presidency confirmed that a cabinet reshuffle was imminent. However, it emphasized that the changes would be based on performance reviews that the Central Delivery Coordination Unit had submitted over the past few months. These reviews are meant to help the president determine which ministers have met their targets and which ones have fallen short.
The president’s two-week working leave in the United Kingdom, which began on October 2 and is scheduled to end on October 16, is expected to be a time for him to reflect on the upcoming changes to his cabinet. The extended timeline has given Tinubu more space to carefully consider his next steps. Once he returns, it is anticipated that the new appointments and changes will be made public, setting the tone for the next phase of his administration.
As Nigeria continues to grapple with economic challenges, many are looking to the new cabinet to bring fresh energy and ideas to the government. With protests over the cost of living still fresh in people’s minds, there is considerable pressure on President Tinubu to assemble a team that can effectively address the country’s most pressing issues. The reshuffle represents an opportunity for the administration to make course corrections and build momentum for the future.
Ultimately, the nation will be watching closely to see which ministers will stay, which ones will be replaced, and how the changes will impact governance moving forward. With the final cabinet list still under wraps, speculation continues, but the focus remains on delivering tangible improvements for the Nigerian people.