Politics
Ministers’ Sack: Just Not Enough
Just when Nigerians have largely given up and merely marking time for the present Federal Government to roll up its acts in the next one year and eight months or so, the President, Muhammadu Buhari, emerged from the blues to relieve two cabinet ministers of their appointment, last week.
Addressing the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday, September 1, 2021, President Buhari gave a synoptic overview of the aspirations of his administration, especially since August, 2019 and how desirous he was to bequeath legacy achievements by the terminal date of the government.
To this end, he said, he had decided to respond to identified weaknesses and strengths in his government with a view to making positive impact in the existential condition of Nigerians.
“Accordingly, a few cabinet changes, marking the beginning of a continuous process, have been approved,” he said, adding that Mohammed Sabo Nanono, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and his counterpart in the Ministry of Power, Engr. Sale Mamman would be marking “their last participation in the Federal Executive Council deliberations”.
“Two years and some months into the second term, the tradition of subjecting our projects and programme implementation to independent and critical self-review has taken firm roots through sector Reporting during cabinet meetings and Retreats.
“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”, he said, declaring that “As we are all aware, change is the only factor that is constant in every human endeavour and as this administration approaches its critical phase in the second term, I have found it essential to reinvigorate this cabinet in a manner that will deepen its capacity to consolidate legacy achievements.”
In an attempt to explain the president’s action, Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity said on national television that “The president must have what he wants to achieve in those two areas within the 20 months left in government and maybe that is why he did what he did. But it was by no means a red card on their performance”.
He, however, admitted that the spheres of supervision of the sacked ministers could not have been without need for improvement and revamping.
“Matter of fact is that the President said he had reviewed the performance of the cabinet and needed to reinvigorate for the last run. He said he wanted to consolidate on legacy performance and projects”, the presidential spokesman emphasised, adding that “If you look at the nine priority areas, you will see that, as much as the ministers did, in my own esteem, there are areas of improvement in those two sectors.”
After more than six years in office, and with less than two years to breast the tape in May, 2023, not a few Nigerians are impressed that the president is suddenly waking up to the need to rework his machinery to deliver governance that addresses the fundamental needs of the people.
They say it probably took the president this long to realise what he should have done years ago because he had not seemed to be sufficiently bothered about improving the quality of life of the Nigerian masses.
Nigerians, over the years, have had to endure a president who had not only been seen to be aloof, indifferent and non-challant but had also not demonstrated sufficient sensitivity to their socio-economic emasculation as their lives progressively deteriorated.
The feeling among Nigerians is that the targeting of only two ministers on the basis of performance or non-performance is not only diversionary but an exercise that is too fickle, feeble and not intended to achieve any results that could change the calamitous circumstances of the majority of our countrymen that are daily buffeted and broken by poverty, hunger, disease and insecurity.
“After six years of weak performance by his government, President Buhari has reportedly fired two Ministers (Agriculture and Power) who, presumably in his judgement deserved to go. It’s the correct decision but very late in the day,” said Kingsley Moghalu, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and former presidential candidate of Young Progressive Party (YPP) in the 2019 general elections.
In its own reaction, the main opposition party in the country, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), described the president’s action as “a ludicrous and ineffective attempt to cover for his failures in office”.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbodinya, the PDP said “the manifest inefficiency of the Buhari administration is a product of the President’s myopic and divisive approach to governance, as well as the impunity and corruption deeply imbedded in his administration and party, the All Progressives Congress (APC)”.
The PDP said it was its considered opinion that the president must have had other motives for sacking the ministers apart from the ones expressed by the presidency, adding that Nigerians were not swayed by the action, but could scarcely wait for 2023 to show the Aso Rock Villa occupant and his party out of power.
Stakeholders in the agricultural sector while hailing the president for the action said the minister should have been let go much earlier, noting that the sector had not performed well in the past 10 years.
Describing the performance of Nanono as selfish, dishonourable and below average, the Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Kano State, Mr Abdulra-sheed Magaji said “He handled the ministry like a personal outfit unprofessionally”.
According to Mr Rotimi Oloye, former president of Catfish and allied Fish Farmers Association of Nigeria (CAFFAN), “The man was a colossal failure on his assignment. He was a mismatch for the big job. He was all about his private agenda and vendetta,” noting that he messed up all efforts of the government through his biased relationship with stakeholders.
National President of Agriculture Bureau Association, Suleiman Dikwa pointed out that recent data ranked Nigeria fifth in the world on the food affordability index while another report showed that about $6.7 billion is lost annually to poor post-harvest handling.
Dikwa lamented that most of the funds and farm inputs did not get to the farmers because they were allegedly cornered by politicians who have connections at CBN.
“He has not shown any leadership in the sector. He did not show the capacity to drive up the performance of the agencies and entities in the market”, was the assessment of Dr Sam Amadi, former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on the sacking of Engr. Mamman, submitting that the minister “basically failed “ and had a “woeful” performance.
However, in the view of the civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), Engr. Mamman and Nanono are not the only ministers that should have been shown the way out on account of equally dismal execution of their assignments.
The National Coordinator of HURIWA, Emmanuel Onwubiko said those also deserving of the big stick of the president include the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, his Defence Counterpart, as well as the National Security Adviser (NSA).
“The NSA should have been sacked about two years ago. The country has never had it so bad in terms of security threats”, he said.
Other ministers that have had Nigerians openly demanding for their ouster from office include Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health for their handling of the protracted industrial crisis in the health sector.
“I want to ask Nigerians to tell those that are the cause of the strike and have not done their work, that they should be sacked or resign from the positions they hold”, the President of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi said.
There is no denying the fact that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has not lived up to its promise to Nigerians in the overall. The President must therefore go beyond just cabinet reshuffle, no matter the scale, (and there many who believe that the entire cabinet should have been removed) wake up from his reverie to the fact that the only way he could avoid ending up a failure (as he fears) is to jettison ethno-political and sundry considerations in favour of integrity, competence and capacity to deliver in the remaining part of his administration.
By: Opaka Dokubo
In a statement issued on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Obiora Ifoh, the party said it had taken note of Mr Obi’s defection alongside some of his supporters, as well as what it called a “lacklustre speech” delivered by the former Anambra State governor at the defection event.
“We wondered what new he intends to sell to Nigerians,” the party said, adding that it was not surprised by the move, having “since September 2024, parted ways with Peter Obi and some of his blind supporters in the National Assembly.”
According to the statement, the faction said it had patiently awaited Mr Obi’s exit, describing it as a blessing.
“The party is finally liberated by this defection and as party leaders, we count it as a blessing,” the party said.
The faction further disclosed that it had previously urged Mr Obi and his supporters to leave if they were unable to work with the party leadership.
It claimed that several lawmakers had been suspended for anti-party activities and that similar action would have been taken against Mr Obi but for the intervention of “some well-meaning Nigerians.”
It also blamed its internal crisis on Mr Obi and Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, accusing them of sponsoring what it described as an insurrection against the Julius Abure-led leadership.
“The crisis we had in the Labour Party was caused by Peter Obi and the Abia State governor, Alex Otti,” the statement alleged, adding that it was surprising Dr Otti had not followed Mr Obi out of the party despite his suspension.
Reacting to Mr Obi’s defection event in Enugu, the faction claimed the gathering was largely boycotted by prominent political and traditional institutions in the South East, insisting that those present were “political spent forces who cannot win in their wards should there be an election today.”
It warned that this development signalled the failure of any future Mr Obi presidential or vice-presidential ambition, claiming he had “clearly lost the charm that had endeared him to the people prior to 2023.”
The faction also accused Mr Obi of misleading the South East during the 2023 elections, alleging that the region suffers political marginalisation under President Bola Tinubu’s administration as a result.
“He must be told that the South East lost out completely in President Ahmed Tinubu’s government because they trusted and believed in him in 2023,” the statement said, alleging disparities in ministerial appointments and infrastructure allocation to the zone.
The Abure-Led LP apologised to Nigerians for its decision in the last election.
“We gave Nigerians a candidate we thought was good for the nation in 2023, but time has since proved that we made the greatest political mistake. We plead for forgiveness from Nigerians,” the party said.
It urged Nigerians to watch out for a rebranded Labour Party, promising to present “the best prospect” capable of returning Nigeria to what it described as its “glorious days.”
steadily toward unity, justice, and shared prosperity”, he said.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday at his country home in Ikere-Ekiti, Dr Oluyede said the development came as a shock, stressing that INEC supervised and monitored the PDP governorship primary that produced him as the party’s candidate.
According to him, INEC officials documented the process, completed all required forms, and even affirmed his candidacy in court through sworn affidavits arising from cases linked to the primary election.
He maintained that no court order or injunction currently restrains INEC from listing his name as the PDP candidate, arguing that the electoral body lacks the constitutional power to determine who emerges as a party’s nominee.
Dr Oluyede described such decisions as the exclusive responsibility of political parties, not the electoral umpire.
While playing down panic over the released list, Dr Oluyede noted that electoral processes often involve reviews and corrections.
He disclosed that he had commenced wide consultations, including engagements with PDP leadership and formal correspondence with INEC, to seek clarification on the omission and determine the next line of action.
The PDP candidate assured his supporters across Ekiti State that he would appear on the ballot, expressing confidence that the situation would be resolved in his favour.
He described attempts to exclude candidates from elections as dangerous and undemocratic, warning that such tactics undermine the people’s right to freely choose their leaders.
Dr Oluyede called on the people of Ekiti to reject any form of disenfranchisement, insisting that elections should be contests of ideas, records, and acceptance by the electorate rather than exclusionary maneuvers.
He also declared that the PDP in Ekiti had resolved its past internal crises and was now united, focused, and ready to win the forthcoming governorship election.
He urged party members and supporters to remain calm and focused, expressing optimism that, with divine grace and the will of the people, the PDP would emerge victorious at the polls.
Mr Obi spoke while formally declaring for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) at a well-attended event in Enugu on Wednesday, where he outlined what he described as a fresh roadmap for rescuing the country from its socio-economic challenges.
Addressing party members, supporters and other stakeholders, the former governor stressed that leadership must be driven by integrity and accountability, warning against the culture of double standards in public office.
“We cannot continue to deceive our people. Leadership is about telling the truth and leading by example. You cannot promise one thing in public and do another in private. That is not leadership, and that is not the change Nigeria needs”, Mr Obi said.
He maintained that genuine national rebirth would only be possible if entrenched wrongs were corrected, adding that governance must be guided by competence, discipline and a clear sense of purpose.
Mr Obi also underscored the need for fresh thinking in the nation’s political space, urging political actors to move away from recycled ideas that have failed to deliver sustainable development.
“We must come with new ideas,” he said, adding that “Nigeria’s problems are not mysterious; what has been lacking is the courage and competence to address them differently. We need a new approach that puts people first and focuses on production, not consumption.”
Calling for a broad based political collaboration, Mr Obi appealed to parties and stakeholders across ideological divides to work together in the national interest.
“This country is bigger than any party or individual. All parties must come together to change the present trend. What matters is not the platform, but the future of Nigeria and the wellbeing of its citizens”, he declared.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, Mr Obi challenged aspirants seeking elective offices to ensure transparency in their credentials, warning that the era of falsified certificates was drawing to a close.
“Anyone contesting for any position in 2027 must come with genuine certificates. All the machinery is now in place to verify what is genuine and what is not. Integrity must start from the very foundation of leadership”, he stated.
Drawing lessons from international development models, Mr Obi cited Rwanda and Indonesia as examples of countries that rose from difficult beginnings to become thriving economies through disciplined leadership and sound policies.
“These countries were once behind us,” he noted, adding that “Today, they are moving ahead because they chose competent leadership, clear vision and policies that support local production and human capital development.”
He also criticised the economic policies of the present administration, particularly the continued importation of food items that can be produced locally, describing such practices as inimical to national development.
“You cannot grow an economy by killing local production. Importing food that we can produce in Nigeria destroys jobs, weakens our farmers and drains our foreign exchange. A serious country must produce what it consumes”, he argued.
The event featured renewed calls from ADC supporters for sustained engagement and mobilisation, as Mr Obi reiterated his belief that Nigeria remains redeemable if led with honesty, competence and a commitment to shared national progress.
In his remarks, the National Chairman of the ADC, Senator David Mark, expressed confidence in the emerging coalition, assuring Nigerians that the party would deliver good governance at all levels of administration if entrusted with power.
The gathering also witnessed the defection of several prominent politicians from different political parties across the South-East and beyond.
The motion endorsing the defection was moved by a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, and seconded by former economic adviser to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Prof. Osita Ogbu.
Goodwill messages from notable political figures, including Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Mrs. Aisha Yesufu, Chief Sam Egwu, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, Chief Achike Udenwa, Mr Onyema Ugochukwu and Senator Gilbert Nnaji among others, further underscored the growing momentum within the ADC.
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