Ahead of President Bola Tinubu’s planned cabinet reshuffle, several ministers and their political allies have started lobbying to retain their positions. Reports indicate that ministers and their “godfathers” are pressuring the President and key aides like Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila to secure favorable outcomes. Tinubu, however, intends to base the reshuffle on performance reports he has received over the past months.
Tinubu had earlier directed all ministers to submit their scorecards, with the Central Delivery Coordination Unit, led by Hadiza Bala-Usman, assessing their performances. The President is expected to make changes based on these assessments, which will determine who stays or leaves the cabinet.
Tinubu’s government has faced increasing public dissatisfaction over issues like economic hardship, insecurity, and poor infrastructural development. While some ministers have been praised for their achievements, many others are perceived as underperforming. As the shake-up approaches, Tinubu aims to improve the administration’s effectiveness, dismissing underperforming ministers regardless of political connections.
There are indications that certain ministries might be merged, portfolios split, or ministries like Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation scrapped entirely as part of the reshuffle.
