Cabinet reshuffle sparks comments on Tinubu, Matawalle’s ministerial roles

President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday has continued to generate diverse reactions from Nigerians.

Among those who have commented on it are the spokesperson for then-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Laolu Akande, and the Regional Advocacy Lead and ECOWAS Liaison Officer at the West Africa Democracy Solidarity (WADEMOS) Network, Austin Aigbe.

President Tinubu’s ministerial cabinet shake-up on Wednesday led to the removal of five ministers and appointment of seven new ones, who are awaiting Senate confirmation.

The exercise also led to the scrapping of the Ministry of Sports Development 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, the South East Development Commission, the North East Development and the North West Development Commission.

Both Messrs, Akande and Aigbe noted that the exercise appeared to be marked by political considerations.

Matawalle matter

Speaking on Channels Television’s programme, ‘Sunrise Daily’ on Thursday, Mr Akande, said that there is no justification for the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to be retained as minister in the face of the allegations of his involvement with bandits.

Mr Matawalle is a former governor of Zamfara State, one of the North-west states most terrorised by bandits.

“So, I would think the president has barely just done more than 50 percent to meet expectations, but I think he should have gone further.

“For instance, you know, I’m not sure that there is sufficient justification to keep Matawalle on the job with all the noise and the allegations that were tendered by a sitting governor,” Mr Akande said.

Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State, who succeeded the minister as the helmsman of the state, accused him of sponsoring 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 allegations against me because, from all the information we are getting, my predecessor was fully involved in some of this banditry,” Mr Lawal said on a television programme in September.

Mr Akande said such allegations by a sitting governor should not be waved aside without a thorough investigation.

“I have heard the explanation that, ‘oh, well, you know, those allegations are not true’. The question is who made the investigation? I mean, if a governor, a sitting governor in this country, says that 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 tell us ‘this is what we find, this is what is right, this is what is not right’,” Mr Akande said.

Shortly after Mr Lawa’s call for Mr Matawalle’s removal, a support group of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Tinubu Youth Network (TYN), similarly urged Mr Tinubu to take advantage of his planned cabinet reshuffle to remove Mr Matawalle from office, and investigate the allegations against him.

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Some protesters under the aegis of APC Akida Forum also protested at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) headquarters in Abuja, demanding action on the pending corruption case against Matawalle. Responding to the protesters, EFCC promised a review of the case against the minister.

But Mr Matawalle has vehemently denied the allegations levelled against him. He said the allegations were unfounded and challenged his successor to prove them.

Tinubu’s dual roles as president and petroleum minister

Mr Aigbe, who appeared on Arise News Television on Thursday, also criticised Mr Tinubu’s retention of the office of the Minister of Petroleum for himself.

He said Mr Tinubu needs to question his ministerial role in the face of the poor performance of the petroleum sector since the president assumed office in May last year.

He said, “The president needs to interrogate his position as Minister of Petroleum. However, it is consistent with what Buhari had done over time by appointing a Minister of State for Petroleum. We know, technically, that the petroleum sector is not doing well, and we need to revamp it.”

He continued, “If the president needs to appoint a substantive minister who will run 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 one for him. The president cannot be a minister.

“He is the minister of all. He cannot sit as a minister again. The president is the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is the Minister of Economy. He is the ‘Minister of Everything’. He cannot again sit himself as Minister of Petroleum. No, not at all.”

However, Mr Aigbe commended the scrapping of the Ministry of Niger Delta and creating the Ministry of Regional Development. He highlighted that it was a way of cutting costs and reducing the duplication of offices.