NEW HANDS, OLD EXPECTATIOONS

The new ministers have their work cut out, writes JOSHUA J. OMOJUWA

As if he was not already under some pressure, President Bola Tinubu found himself in the unusual position where his own staff confirmed that a cabinet reshuffle was imminent. Most people expected that this would have happened around the Independence anniversary celebrations, but it has now happened just over three weeks after. In the end, five ministers lost their jobs, thus increasing the country’s unemployment numbers but in the same move, seven new ministers were appointed, so a fair balance on employment numbers. However, that also meant that an already large cabinet got even bigger. That bit is not a good look on calls for a smaller unit.

In the end, the Tinubu administration took some major decisions on the day. The Ministry of Niger Delta Development was renamed to Ministry of Regional Development. The new ministry is expected to oversee the activities of all the Regional Development Commissions including the Niger Delta Development Commission, the Southeast Development Commission, the North-East Development and the North-West Development Commission. You’d expect that to include other development commissions soon.

The Ministry of Sports Development was dissolved as the National Sports Commission became the new tool for sports development. Shehu Dikko was appointed as Chairman. Shehu Dikko has been involved in sports in Nigeria at the highest level for several years now so this will especially be celebrated in football circles.

The Federal Ministry of Tourism and the Federal Ministry of Arts and Culture got merged to become the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy. Then, ministers got reassigned to new portfolios, what you’d call the real reshuffling. Whilst some will probably wonder why they went from being substantive ministers to being ministers of state, they’d feel a little better than the five who got fired.

Not surprise that Uju-Ken Ohanenye, former minister of Women Affairs, got fired. I think there is a part of her that’d appreciate being finally let free from the expectations of being a minister. She was out of sorts, looked like she had been elevated way above her level of competence and has now been done a favour by the president. Now that she can finally get involved in something she is capable of. That thing cannot be public administration.

Lola Ade-John got fired from the Ministry of Tourism. Did you know there was a Minister of Tourism? I did not. I need to pay more attention to these things. Prof Tahir Mamman SAN CON got fired as the Minister of Education. Many Nigerian students would have been surprised to hear this announcement because they will be so pained to find out that they had a Minister of Education. Abdullah Muhammad Gwarzo, a minister of state in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development also got fired. And finally, Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim got fired as Minister of Youth Development. They all served for about 13 months.

The seven new ministers have their work cut out because expectations could not be higher. The other ministers that got moved to new ministries are also going to have to start exploring new resources and capabilities to deliver value to Nigerians.

Muhammad Maigani Dingyadi comes in as Minister of Labour & Employment, Bianca Odinaka

Odumegu-Ojukwu as Minister of State Foreign Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Jumoke Oduwole gets elevated to the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment as Minister, Mukhtar Maiha goes to the Ministry of Livestock Development as Minister, Rt. Hon. Yusuf Abdullahi is Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development and Sirwaha Said Anmad PhD is now the Minister of Education. Whilst they

may all be tempted to celebrate their appointments, they’d be better off getting to work immediately because soon enough, Nigerians will be asking what difference they are making in the different ministries.

Former Minister of Sports and longtime ally of the President, Sunday Dare made a return to government as Special Adviser to the President on Public Communication and Orientation. He has been a vocal promoter of the CNG vehicle conversion. He now has a formal platform to do that and a few other things to ensure a stronger linkage between the Villa and the Ministry of Information and National Orientation.

What was coming has finally come. Nigerians will be looking to see what differences these changes make to their lives. The reforms are biting hard and more needs to be done to cushion their effects. A real tragedy would be to see that on account of not managing these effects, the government is then forced to do a reversal. That’d prove even more costly.

I expect another cabinet rework before May 2027, after all, this lasted for 13 months or so. What the president has done differently from the immediate past is to adjust his team according to their performance or lack of and based on his expectations and agenda. There is nothing to say he will not make another go before the general elections. Then, it’d be with as much an eye on governance as it will be one on politics.

It will be two years of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration in about seven months. Half term is here soon enough. Whilst the president’s reforms are what the World Bank and other well-meaning doctors who understand the nature of development ordered, the people expect that these reforms are balanced with interventions that’d ensure the most vulnerable are carried through these toughest of times. That is the essence of this cabinet changes, I believe, and everyone who remains on board must be put on notice about the rules of engagement; service to the Nigerian people.

Soja go, soja come, soja come, soja go. Like the ones who were let go on Wednesday, others will ultimately be let go or be timed out by the clock of the constitution. Like the president himself, there is a limited time left to serve, even if they are trusted with another term. In that time, everyone must do more than their best; they must leave Nigeria better than they met it.

Omojuwa is chief strategist, Alpha Reach/BGX Publishing

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