There are strong signs that President Bola Tinubu has finalized plans for a major reshuffle of his cabinet, leaving the fate of many ministers hanging in the balance. According to multiple sources within the Presidency, Tinubu has completed a list outlining which ministers will be retained and which will be removed. However, the final announcement has yet to be made.
Sources revealed that the President was expected to release the list of changes on Thursday, just a day after arriving in the United Kingdom for his two-week annual leave. But despite the anticipation, the President decided to delay the release to make further considerations.
“We are just waiting for the go-ahead,” one source disclosed. “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.”
Another source confirmed the delay, saying, “I’m surprised the list didn’t come out yesterday (Thursday). That thing is almost finalized already.”
President Tinubu has been under mounting pressure to reshuffle his cabinet due to the worsening economic situation in Nigeria and the nationwide protests that took place in August. Many Nigerians have called for the removal of ministers who are perceived as underperforming. Even within Tinubu’s party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), voices have grown louder for a more effective and efficient government.
Despite these pressures, the President has so far only made one significant change to his cabinet, suspending the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, in January 2024. However, the President has repeatedly warned his ministers to perform or face removal, stating that their positions were not guaranteed.
“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,” Tinubu said during a retreat for cabinet members in November 2023.
Tinubu introduced a performance monitoring system led by his Special Adviser on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala-Usman, to measure the achievements of ministers and other top officials. These reports would be used to determine which ministers would stay and which would be dismissed.
As the President’s cabinet marks its one-year anniversary since its inauguration in August 2023, rumors of an impending reshuffle have grown stronger. Sources indicate that the changes could be more than just portfolio swaps. There are reports that entire ministries, like the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, may be scrapped or merged with others.
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One official also dismissed rumors that lobbyists had flooded Tinubu’s residence in the UK to influence his decision on the reshuffle. “That’s not true. You know there would be speculations all over the place,” the source said. “The way he is resting now, no one can see him just like that.”
President Tinubu’s working leave in the UK began on October 2, 2024, and will end on October 16. During this time, he is also expected to undergo medical checks. The cabinet reshuffle is likely to be announced after his return, once the President finalizes his decisions.
The Presidency had earlier confirmed in September that Tinubu would soon reshuffle his cabinet, based on performance data collected by the Central Delivery Coordination Unit over the past months. However, the exact timing of the announcement remains unclear, as the President continues to “sleep on” the decision.