Confusion in Presidency over Buhari’s sack of 2 ministers

The Presidency may have been thrown into confusion over the sack of two ministers on Wednesday by President Muhammadu Buhari.

President Buhari had in his statement at the FEC meeting on Wednesday indicated that “two years and some months into the second term, the tradition of subjecting government projects and programs implementation to independent and critical self-review has taken firm roots through sector Reporting during Cabinet meetings and at Retreats.”

According to President Buhari, “these significant review steps have helped to identify and strengthen weak areas, close gaps, build cohesion and synergy in governance, manage the economy and improve the delivery of public good to Nigerians.”

The president further said that as the administration approaches its critical phase in the second term, he found it essential to reinvigorate the cabinet in a manner that will deepen its capacity to consolidate legacy achievements.

“Accordingly, a few cabinet changes, marking the beginning of a continuous process, have been approved. “They are as follows:

“Ministers Leaving the Cabinet: Mohammed Sabo Nanono, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Engr. Sale Mamman, Minister of Power.

“Redeployment: Dr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, Minister of Environment, to assume office as the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development; Engr. Abubakar D. Aliyu, Minister of State, Works and Housing assume office as the Minister of Power,” President Buhari declared.

He added: “Today, effectively marks their last participation in the Federal Executive Council deliberations and I wish them the best in all future endeavours.

“Finally, I wish to reiterate once more, that this process shall be continuous.”

Throwing the Nigerian presidency into unnecessary confusion, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said that the ministers were not sacked by the president because of their weak performance.

Adesina had argued: “If you look at the President’s statement, in no place will you see that; not at all. In no place will you see those words that performance was weak, he didn’t say that.

“Rather, he said he had called them personally to thank them for their services to the country and so, they needed to move on to other things and he replaced them; in no place did he say that their performance was weak.”

However, the president stated categorically the tradition of subjecting government projects and programs implementation to independent and critical self-review has taken firm roots through sector Reporting during Cabinet meetings and at Retreats.”

He maintained that:  “these significant review steps have helped to identify and strengthen weak areas, close gaps, build cohesion and synergy in governance, manage the economy and improve the delivery of public good to Nigerians.”

Apparently, any decision taken by President Buhari in reshuffling the federal cabinet is predicated on the above compendium.

Adesina insisted that there was no place the President said the performance of the sacked ministers was weak.

Adesina, in self-contradiction, admitted that President Buhari said he had reviewed the performance of the cabinet and he needed to reinvigorate it for the last run as the administration enters a critical phase of the second term.

The SA Media highlighted: “The government is just but 20 months left, and the President said he wanted to consolidate on legacy performance and legacy project.

“There are areas of improvement in those two sectors – agriculture and power; we can always improve in whatever we do, but the President must have what he wants to achieve in those two areas within the 20 months left in government, and maybe that was why he did what he did.

“It was by no means a red card on their performance; no, he didn’t say that in that speech.”

Meanwhile, the two ministers have gone and been replaced. The President promised to make new nominations.