The Presidency on Sunday revealed that President Bola Tinubu addressed ministers affected in the recent cabinet shake-up in a private meeting before their dismissal, conveying the decision with courtesy.
Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga shared this insight during his appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
On Wednesday, Tinubu discharged five ministers and reassigned 10 others. This announcement followed the Federal Executive Council meeting and was detailed in a statement from the Presidency.
The dismissed ministers included Uju-Ken Ohanenye, Minister of Women Affairs; Lola Ade-John, Minister of Tourism; Prof. Tahir Mamman (SAN), Minister of Education; Abdullahi Muhammad Gwarzo, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development; and Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim, Minister of Youth Development.
Onanuga clarified that the dismissals were based on performance assessments, which were overseen by Hadiza Usman, Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination. These evaluations were part of a formal review process, not a sudden decision.
“The president did not just change his ministers whimsically,” Onanuga explained. “The change went through some procedure. From October last year when we had a retreat, the president told the ministers that they would be assessed. Hadiza Usman was put in charge.”
He continued, “She also didn’t do it whimsically. She set up the use of technology, asking citizens of Nigeria to actually score the ministers. To assess this process, I think some data were gotten from what people were saying and the scoring that the Nigerians themselves made. It was on that basis that the president acted upon.”
Onanuga added that the President used “a milder word – discharged” when addressing the ministers. “When he asked them to go on Wednesday, he was very polite and told them about his decision. He thanked them for their services to the country and wished them well. That was unlike what we are used to before, people just being sacked on radio or television.”
