Tinubu’s minor cabinet reshuffle

In an apparent minor cabinet reshuffle, President Bola Tinubu recently relieved the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and the Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, of their posts. Initially, it was reported that both officials were sacked. Later, the Presidency clarified that they actually resigned. While Edun resigned on health grounds, Dangiwa resigned to pursue his political ambition ahead of the 2027 election season.

Regardless of the reasons adduced for the development, Edun’s sudden exit from Tinubu’s cabinet came as a surprise considering their cordial relationship right from when the president was the governor of Lagos State. Following the cabinet reshuffle, there are insinuations that more ministers will be relieved of their jobs in the coming days. 

Cabinet reshuffle is a legitimate practice by governments all over the world. From time to time, leaders rejig their cabinet by either redeploying officers to new positions or relieving them of their jobs. Sometimes it could be for political reasons, and at other times, for administrative and other reasons.

President Bola Tinubu has worked with the same set of ministers since he assumed office in 2023. Given the below par performance of some of the ministers, many Nigerians feel that a cabinet reshuffle is long overdue. Let the President hasten that process forthwith. The reforms in the economy mean that the Finance Ministry and the Economy have been the major focus since the inception of the administration, and, as expected, Wale Edun has received more attention.

If the president is convinced that replacing some ministers with new ones is desirable for achievement of the Renewed Hope Agenda, then the decision is commendable and a welcome development. In choosing new ministers, the president should appoint the best hands and competent persons to serve. He should go for the best. Although political alignment and ideological leanings are major factors that may guide such appointments, we believe that persons with proven track records should make the list.

The appointment of ministers should not be for patronage alone, where round pegs are put in square holes. The two ministries, Finance & Economy and Housing & Urban Development, are strategic sectors that require persons of proven competence. Since the exit of Wale Edun and Ahmed Dangiwa, new persons have been appointed to take their positions. The new Finance Minister and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy is Taiwo Oyedele. Taiwo was the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Tax Reforms under Tinubu. The new minister has his work cut out for him. He must hit the ground running, given the state of the country’s economy, especially the latest revelations by the World Bank that Nigeria is mired in poverty.

Nigeria’s economy is still in the doldrums. The effect of the removal of the oil subsidy is biting hard on Nigerians. Many households are daily battling for survival. The purchasing power of the naira is also weak. Therefore, millions of Nigerians cannot adequately meet their daily needs. No doubt, the economy needs urgent revival and repositioning and that makes the work of the new minister challenging. Perhaps Wale Edun did his best in that capacity, but obviously, from demonstrable indices, his best was not good enough.

Surely, Nigerians are grappling with unprecedented hardship. It means that the government’s famed economic reforms are not yielding desired results. Nigerians earnestly demand a turnaround in their economic fortunes from the government. Therefore, the new minister must go to work immediately.

The new Housing and Urban Development Minister, Dr Muttaqha Darma, has enormous work at hand considering the nation’s growing housing deficit. His predecessor did not make significant impact in addressing the housing challenge. Millions of Nigerians are still faced with housing challenges, especially civil servants working in urban areas. During the tenure of the former minister, the government did not do much in the provision of mass housing.

Let the new Minister of Housing work towards the provision of mass housing for Nigerians. We have in mind the type of housing provided by former governor of Lagos State, Lateef Jakande. Anyone interested in mass housing in the country should emulate the housing template of Jakande in Lagos. The absence of a concrete and implementable housing policy has been the bane of mass housing in the country.

In fact, this government has not really done much in addressing the nation’s housing deficit put at 14.5 million units. Despite the official figure, Nigeria’s housing deficit may reach up to over 20 million units. The Tinubu administration needs a team that will enable him fulfil his campaign promises. Nigerians should benefit immensely from the money that came from the removal of petrol subsidy and the recent windfall from the Middle East crisis.