President Bola Tinubu's cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday has continued to generate mixed reactions among Nigerians.
Among those who have commented on the matter are the spokesperson for then Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Laolu Akande, and the regional advocacy leader and ECOWAS liaison officer in the West African Democracy Solidarity Network (WADEMOS), Austin Aigbe.
The reshuffle of President Tinubu's ministerial cabinet on Wednesday saw the dismissal of five ministers and the appointment of seven new ones, who are awaiting Senate confirmation.
The exercise also led to the scrapping of the Ministry of Sports Promotion with its functions transferred to the National Sports Commission.
The Ministry of Niger Delta Development gave way to the Ministry of Regional Development, which will oversee the affairs of the Niger Delta Development Commission, South East Development Commission, North East Development Commission and North West Development Commission .
Both Messrs Akande and Aigbe noted that the exercise appeared to be marked by political considerations.
matawalle affair
Speaking on Channels Television's 'Sunrise Daily' program on Thursday, Mr Akande stated that there is no justification for the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to remain minister in the face of allegations of his involvement with bandits.
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Matawalle is a former governor of Zamfara State, one of the northwestern states most terrorized by bandits.
“So, I think the president has barely done more than 50 percent to meet expectations, but I think he should have gone further.
“For example, I am not sure there is enough justification to keep Matawalle in office with all the noise and accusations made by a sitting governor,” Mr Akande said.
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State, who succeeded the minister as helmsman of the state, accused him of patronizing bandits and asked him to resign and address the allegations, including money laundering, during his tenure as governor.
“If I were him (Matawalle), I would resign and face all the accusations against me because, according to all the information we are getting, my predecessor was fully involved in some of this banditry,” Lawal said on a television program in September. .
Akande said such allegations leveled by a sitting governor should not be dismissed without thorough investigation.
“I've heard the explanation that, 'oh, well, you know, those accusations aren't true.' The question is who did the research? I mean, if a governor, a sitting governor in this country, says this is what this minister is doing, “this minister is supporting banditry, this minister's hand is in all of this,” we need to have a public review. to know “This is what we found, this is what's right, this is what's not right,” Mr. Akande said.
Shortly after Lawa's call for Matawalle's removal, an All Progressive Congress (APC) support group, Tinubu Youth Network (TYN), similarly urged Tinubu to take advantage of his planned cabinet reshuffle to remove Matawalle from his position and investigate the accusations against him.
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Some protesters under the auspices of APC's Akida Forum also protested at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja, demanding action on the pending corruption case against Matawalle. In response to the protesters, the EFCC promised a review of the case against the minister.
But Matawalle has vehemently denied the allegations leveled against him. He said the allegations were unfounded and challenged his successor to prove them.
Tinubu's dual role as president and oil minister
Aigbe, who appeared on Arise News Television on Thursday, also criticized Tinubu for retaining the position of Minister of Petroleum for himself.
He said Tinubu needs to question his ministerial role in the face of the poor performance of the oil sector since the president took office in May last year.
He said: “The president needs to question his position as Oil Minister. However, it is consistent with what Buhari had done over time in appointing a Minister of State for Petroleum. We know, technically, that the oil sector is not doing well and we need to renew it.”
He continued: “If the president needs to appoint a substantive minister to direct the affairs of that ministry in a way that delivers public goods to the greatest number of people, I think that would be a good decision for him. The president cannot be a minister.
“He is everyone's minister. He cannot hold the position of minister again. The president is the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is the Minister of Economy. He is the 'Minister of Everything'. He cannot serve as Minister of Petroleum again. No, not at all.”
Mr Aigbe, however, praised the abolition of the Niger Delta Ministry and the creation of the Ministry of Regional Development. He stressed that it was a way to cut costs and reduce duplication of offices.