By Kenneth Ojobor
The Presidency has confirmed that President Bola Tinubu will soon rejig his cabinet.
However, it said the exercise will be based on the empirical evidence from performance reports the President has received in the past months.
It said Tinubu had verbalised his intent to rejig his cabinet, confirming earlier reports of an impending cabinet rejig.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital/New Media, Mr. O’Tega Ogra, revealed this to State House Correspondents during a joint briefing at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday.
Onanuga said although there is no timeline for the impending reshuffle, the president has “expressed his desire” to do it.
He said, “Let me tell you, I don’t have any timeline. The President has expressed his desire to reshuffle his cabinet, and he will do it.
“I don’t know whether he’s going to do it before October 1, but he will surely do it. So that’s what I will say. He has not given us any timeline when he wants to do it, but he will do it. He has expressed his plan that he wants to do it.”
“I know he has gotten a couple of reports, and as Mr. Onanuga said, when he is ready to do that, he will.”
Tinubu has been facing increasing pressure from within and outside his party, the All Progressives Congress, to sack underperforming ministers in his cabinet.
Strong indications emerged that the President may scrap the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation as part of the cabinet rejig
A presidency source told journalists that the exercise would also see some portfolios split and others merged into a single entity, while some ministers would be relieved of their duties.
Although the President warned against underperformance about 10 months ago, the cabinet remained largely intact, save for the suspension of Dr. Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
