President Muhammadu Buhari has concluded plans for a
major overhaul of his administration, reliable sources in government told SUNDAY
PUNCH over the weekend.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity
because of the sensitive nature of the subject, said the changes were going to
be ‘earth-shattering’
because a few of the President’s powerful aides and
prominent members of the administration would be affected. SUNDAY
PUNCH’s findings also
revealed that the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, is
likely to be affected by the changes.
senior government official, who preferred anonymity said, “In the next few
weeks, we are entering the second half of this administration. I can tell you
that a major cabinet reshuffle is on the way. Ministerial vacancies for
Kogi and Gombe states would be filled, while there would also be an exchange of
portfolios.
“Some junior ministers, whose
relationships with their senior counterparts are not smooth would also be
redeployed.”
A source within the
administration, who is privy to the details of the planned changes, said the
country would soon witness greater synergy between the President and
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo. The source added that under the new scheme of
things, the President intended to assign more important national duties to
Osinbajo.
Buhari, who will resume duty on
Monday after a 49-day medical vacation in London, is said to have been very impressed
by what a source in government described as the ‘performance, competence and
loyalty’ of the Vice President, who served as Acting President while he
was away.
When asked why it took the
President two years to synergise fully with his deputy, the source replied that
both men had always been closer than the public knew.
“The President and the Vice
President have always been on the same page. They are close. He likes to
delegate tasks to the VP. However, not much could be done in the past because of
the interference of some people close to the President. The President is
determined to remove those who interfere so that his administration can build
on its recent strides,” the source, who is a senior government official, said.
SUNDAY
PUNCH learnt on
Saturday that besides filling vacancies in his cabinet, the President
would redistribute some ministerial portfolios. He may also divest the former
Governor of Lagos State and current Minister of Power, Works and Housing,
Babatunde Fashola, of one of his portfolios.
The senior government officials
who spoke to SUNDAY PUNCH were
however not forthcoming with the names of those likely to be affected by the
changes. They said the President liked to keep such things close to his chest.
However, independent findings by one of our correspondents revealed that
those to be removed may include the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba
Kyari; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal; and
some ministers who have been adjudged as under-performing. A former Governor of
Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, is expected to join the cabinet.
The source explained the criteria
the President would use in reshuffling his cabinet.
He said besides measuring the
performance of each cabinet member, the President would also examine the
relationship between senior and junior ministers.
Currently, two states, Kogi and
Gombe, have no representatives in the Federal Executive Council.
Kogi State’s position became
vacant following the death of a former Minister of State, Labour and
Employment, Mr. James Ocholi (SAN), in a road accident on March 6, 2016.
The Minister of Environment,
Amina Mohammed, who hails from Gombe, left the Federal Executive Council last
month when she assumed duty as the Deputy Secretary-General of the United
Nations.
There has been speculation since
late last year that the President would carry out a major cabinet reshuffle.
In Kogi State, it was
learnt that already, there was intense rivalry among various groups to
fill the vacant slot for the state
According to a report, the Kogi
East zone, where Ocholi hailed from, had expressed concern about the
delay in picking one of them to replace the late minister.
Also, the All Progressives
Congress in Kogi West was reported to be interested in filling the vacant
slot of the state.
The President, after his
return on Friday, promised to rededicate himself to serve Nigerians.
He said he returned on
Friday deliberately so that he could continue his rest while the
Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo continued working.
“I deliberately came back towards
the weekend so that the Vice-President will continue and I will continue to
rest,” the President said.
He also took a retrospective look
at his about-two-month medical sojourn in London, and declared that he had never
been this sick.
His statement contrasted sharply
with that of top government officials who had insisted that he was hale and
hearty.
“I couldn’t recall being so sick
since I was a young man, including in the military with its ups and downs,” he
said.
Buhari added that He said he
remained grateful to all Nigerians who had been praying for his good health.
He said the support he had
received was a testimony that in spite of the hardship being experienced,
Nigerians were behind the government in its efforts to tackle the country’s
challenges.
Buhari’s spokesmen, Garba Shehu
and Femi Adesina denied knowledge of the impending reshuffle.
Punch
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