President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reshuffled his cabinet, relieving several ministers of their duties based on a performance review driven by public perception.
Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, stated that this decision followed a careful assessment process led by Hadiza Bala Usman, the President’s Social Adviser on Policy.
In an interview on AriseTv, Onanuga explained that the appraisal was taken seriously and had been part of the President’s plan since the ministers were sworn in last year. He recalled that during the swearing-in ceremony in August 2023, President Tinubu made it clear that he had the authority to hire and fire ministers, warning that he would not hesitate to remove those who did not meet expectations.
The President reinforced this message during a ministerial retreat in October 2023, where he reiterated his intention to consistently review the performance of his cabinet. Hadiza Bala Usman was tasked with overseeing a performance appraisal, which involved gathering public feedback on the ministers’ work through a technology-driven process, allowing Nigerians to score the ministers based on their effectiveness.
“Hadiza brought technology to it, asking Nigerians to score the ministers,” Onanuga said. “The results were based on empirical facts, the public perception of these ministers, and it was the people who actually did the scorecard. The President acted on those results.”
As a result of the review, several ministers were removed from the cabinet, including Prof. Tahir Mamman (Education), Uju Kennedy Ohanenye (Women Affairs), Mohammed Gwarzo (State for Housing), Jamila Ibrahim (Youth Development), Lola Ade-John (Tourism), and the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, who has since been replaced.
This reshuffle is part of President Tinubu’s commitment to ensuring that his administration delivers on its promises to Nigerians and continues to make progress in key areas of governance.