The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has revealed that public perception significantly influenced President Bola Tinubu’s decision to dismiss five ministers from his cabinet.
On Wednesday, Tinubu reshuffled his cabinet, reassigning 10 ministers to new portfolios, relieving five others of their duties, and nominating seven new individuals for Senate confirmation.
He also made structural changes, renaming the Ministry of Niger Delta Development to the Ministry of Regional Development, merging the Ministries of Tourism and Arts and Culture into the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy, and scrapping the Ministry of Sports Development.
The ministers dismissed include Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye (Women Affairs), Lola Ade-John (Tourism), Tahir Mamman (Education), Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim (Youth Development), and Abdullahi Gwarzo (State for Housing and Urban Development).
Onanuga explained that the decision to remove the ministers was guided by public feedback and empirical data. According to him, Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, introduced a system allowing Nigerians to rate the performance of the ministers.
“It wasn’t done arbitrarily. Hadiza Bala Usman brought in technology, asking Nigerians to rate the ministers. So, the removal of these ministers was based on empirical facts, shaped by the public’s perception.
The scorecards were filled out by the people, and the President acted on those results,” Onanuga said during an interview on Wednesday night.
He emphasized that the reshuffle reflected not just the President’s expectations but also the concerns of the public. Onanuga recalled how Tinubu had recently urged ministers to communicate their achievements to Nigerians, as there was a growing perception that the government was underperforming.
Additionally, Onanuga hinted at upcoming measures aimed at reducing the cost of governance. “The President will soon announce significant cuts to government expenditure, starting with the ministers, to demonstrate the government’s commitment to reducing the cost of governance,” he stated.
He concluded by noting that while the government is focused on addressing the country’s challenges, the emphasis remains on having competent hands to drive its agenda, rather than the size of the government.
