Nigeria's cabinet will be expanded to bring in "more people and fresh ideas, for the ultimate benefit of the people of Nigeria", President Muhammadu Buhari said on Tuesday.
Earlier, President Muhammadu Buhari confirmed speculations about an impending cabinet reshuffle and the reconstitution of the boards of federal agencies.
Buhari made his plans public in an address to party leaders during the NEC meeting.
While admitting that the reconstitution of boards had been long in coming, the President explained that the need to ensure the right balance was largely responsible for the delay.
This is coming two years after he took office in 2015. Those familiar with the President’s plan, indicate that the planned cabinet reshuffle is likely to lead to a split of the Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Works, Power and Housing.
Observers are of the view that the President’s latest move is aimed at dousing growing tension within the party.
He said, “I am keenly aware that our supporters are very eager for these appointments to be announced. By the Grace of God, these appointments will be announced soon, especially now that the economy is improving; we will have the resources to cater for the appointees.
“By the same token, the compressed Federal Executive Council will be expanded to bring in more supporters at federal level, with fresh ideas to be injected into the government.
“Some of us in this meeting may know I had given instructions since October 2015 for this exercise to start. But there have been inordinate delays through several committees in an attempt to get the balance right and to make sure all parts of the country are equitably represented.”
Buhari claimed his administration had delivered on most of its campaign promises within the last two years.
He said, “We can be proud of our achievements in the last two years: Boko Haram, Niger Delta, regular fuel, improved power, TSA, agriculture and fertiliser; above all, the knowledge that corruption will not be tolerated in this government. We all know there is change.
“In my remarks to the caucus meeting yesterday, I enumerated the progress that our government has made in the implementation of the programmes of government and the party manifesto.
“Nigeria’s prestige has gone up, Nigeria is now creditworthy, a clear testimony of which was the over-subscription of the Euro-Bond by four times.
Nevertheless, we are not resting on our achievements; I am quite aware of the challenges before us.”
Although almost all notable party leaders attended the event, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was absent.
Government officials have privately raised the prospect of Buhari reshuffling his cabinet since he returned from medical leave in Britain in August, but the presidency had not discussed any changes until Tuesday's comments on Twitter.
However, Buhari did not immediately provide any further details, nor mention any potential reshuffle of ministers' current portfolios.
The president's relationship with his cabinet has at times been tense. It took him six months to appoint his initial team after he was inaugurated in May, 2015.
Ministers have struggled to get access to Buhari since then and some are unhappy with their portfolios, according to people familiar with the situation.
A letter from Nigeria's oil minister to Buhari, leaked at the beginning of last month, said he had failed to secure an appointment with the president despite many attempts to do so.
Reuters/Punch
