Strong indications suggest that President Bola Tinubu has finalized the list of individuals who will make up his reshuffled cabinet.
Reports indicate that Tinubu has determined which ministers to retain and which to dismiss, with an announcement expected on Thursday night, shortly after his arrival in the United Kingdom for a two-week annual leave.
Amid significant economic challenges and widespread protests last August, President Tinubu has faced mounting pressure from both within his party, the All Progressives Congress, and beyond to replace underperforming ministers.
Although the president has frequently cautioned against inadequate performance, his cabinet has seen little change overall, aside from the suspension of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, in January 2024.
During a three-day retreat for cabinet members and presidential aides held last November, President Tinubu revealed the establishment of a Central Delivery Coordination Unit, which will be led by his Special Adviser on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala-Usman. This unit is tasked with assessing the performance of ministers and other senior government officials.
Tinubu emphasized that the periodic performance evaluations conducted by this unit would play a critical role in deciding the future of cabinet members, determining who would be retained and who would be let go.
“If you are performing, nothing to fear. If you miss the objective, we’ll review it. If no performance, you leave us. No one is an island and the buck stops on my desk,” the President told participants.
It has been reported that the upcoming cabinet shakeup will involve more than just swapping portfolios. Some ministries, including the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, are set to be eliminated, while others may be divided or consolidated.
According to officials who spoke on Friday under the condition of anonymity due to lack of authorization to discuss the matter, President Tinubu was anticipated to unveil the list on Thursday but chose to “sleep on it” for some additional time.
“We are just waiting for the go ahead. All I know is that we are waiting for him to send the new names of those he wants to drop and those he wants to appoint.
“We have been expecting them since yesterday (Thursday). I am not sure of any specifics regarding names for now.
“The last I know, he (the President) said he wants to sleep over the list again before he releases it. Maybe he still wants to change his mind about some names,” a source said.
Another source, who asked not to be named, said, “I’m surprised the list did not come out yesterday (Thursday). That thing is almost finalised already.”
Similarly, another official debunked reports that lobbyists crowded the President’s residence in the UK.
“That’s not true. You know there would be speculations all over the place. Do they know where he is? Even if they know where he is, can they access him?
“Some say lobbyists are just visiting him from left, right and centre. But on this trip, he will likely undergo medicals, too. The way he is resting now, no one can see him just like that. They won’t allow people to access him like that. I can guarantee that,” said the source.
On September 25, 2024, the Presidency confirmed that Tinubu would soon rejig his cabinet.
However, it said the exercise would be based on the performance data from reports the Central Delivery Coordination Unit submitted to the president in the past months.
Tinubu’s working leave in the UK began on October 2 and will end on October 16.
