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Enioluwa Adeniyi
Guest
Strong indications have emerged that President Bola Tinubu may abolish the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation as part of a significant cabinet reshuffle.
Sources within the presidency revealed to Punch that this exercise could also involve the merging or splitting of various portfolios, along with the dismissal of some ministers.
Facing mounting pressure from both internal and external factions of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Tinubu is under scrutiny regarding the performance of his cabinet members.
Although he warned about underperformance nearly 10 months ago, the cabinet has largely remained unchanged, aside from the suspension of Dr. Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
Last November, following a three-day retreat with cabinet members and presidential aides, Tinubu announced the creation of a Central Delivery Coordination Unit.
This unit, headed by Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, Mrs. Hadiza Bala-Usman, was tasked with evaluating the performance of ministers and other senior officials.
At that time, the President emphasized that performance would determine job security within his administration.
“If you are performing, there is nothing to fear. If you miss the objective, we’ll review it. If there is no performance, you leave us. No one is an island, and the buck stops on my desk,” Tinubu stated during the retreat.
However, insider sources indicate that the upcoming changes will extend beyond simple portfolio swaps. Some ministries, including the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs—without a permanent head since Edu’s suspension—are expected to be entirely scrapped.
The source said, “I think it is overdue now. In fact, he (Tinubu) was supposed to announce the changes last week, but he was out of the country; that was why. But he wants to do it while he is around.
“It is not just about reshuffling his cabinet. He is also going to restructure some of the ministries for effectiveness and output because the current structure in some of them is not effective.
“Just to let you know, he may be scrapping the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs because he does not think there is a need for it. There are several agencies that are performing those functions already and they can do it without a ministry. So, he sees no need for it.”
On the timing of the reshuffle, another source disclosed that the President planned to finalise it before departing for New York, USA to participate in the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The source said, “Soon, I can say it will happen soon. The arrangement is that he is supposed to do it before leaving for the UNGA this week. And I see nothing hindering that for now.
“It is confirmed. There is a particular portfolio that has to be split into two. Others will be merged, and some will be scrapped. That is what I know.”
Meanwhile, a third source confirmed that some frantic lobbying had begun as some cabinet members had been contacting their godfathers to prevail on the President in their favour.
The source said, “Yes, that is a typical thing. Some of the ministers will be calling their godfathers to influence the President. It is a normal thing. But the President will still do what is on his mind for the country.”
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