… PDP Crisis Likely Influenced Action
SAN FRANCISCO, September 11, (THEWILL) – After months of speculations on the impeding shake-up in the federal cabinet, President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday effected the much anticipated reshuffle as he dropped nine of his ministers.
The sacked ministers included those of Foreign Affairs, Olugbenga Ashiru; Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i; Lands and Housing, Ms. Ama Pepple; Power (State), Zainab Ibrahim Kuchi; National Planning, Shamsudeen Usman; Defence (State), Erelu Olusola Obada; and Agriculture (State), Bukar Tijjani.
Others are; Minister of Science and Technology, Ita Okon Ekwa and Minister of Environment, Hadiza Mailafia,
Their sack which took immediate effect was announced at the close of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting which held on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja which some of the dropped ministers also attended.
Briefing newsmen on the development after the meeting, Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, who said he also now oversees the Ministry of Defence, denied that the sacking of the ministers had nothing to do with the crisis in the ruling party, saying cabinet reshuffle is a global practice and a prerogative of the president, adding that he acted solely in order to refocus the administration.
“This has nothing to do absolutely with any other factor other than having come two years into his administration in the last lap, the President refocused his government, to inject in fresh blood to achieve greater service delivery to the people of Nigeria…
“If you know the President, he is not the kind of person that will take decision at the spur of the moment. He is a highly studied person, highly focused leader, he is a patient person and he is someone that when you see him taking any decision he has thought about it over and over again…” Maku told state house correspondents.
Despite Maku’s position, sources close to the Presidency however told THEWILL that the sack may not be unconnected to the lingering crisis in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as four of the sacked ministers – Rufa’i, Pepple and Kuchi and Usman – are from states which governors are currently in a running battle with President Jonathan.
Governors Sule Lamido, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu and Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso of Jigawa, Rivers, Niger and Kano States , respectively, are among the G7 governors who moved to the Kawu Baraje- led faction of PDP following their disagreement with the Bamanga Tukur led faction which is backing the President.
The three other governors in the G-7 are Murtala Nyako of Adamawa, AbdulFatah Ahmed of Kwara and Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto.
Sokoto’s representative in the cabinet, Barrister Inuwa Abdulkadir, had earlier been sacked on August 27.
Despite the sack of Rufa’I and Pepple, Jigawa and Rivers where they come from respectively, still have representatives in the cabinet with Minister of State (Education), Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, who has been having a running battle with Amaechi running affairs at the education ministry until a replacement is announced.
Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed is now the only Minister from Jigawa.
While Ashiru may have been dropped for his closeness to Obasanjo and Obada for coming from the Olagunsoye Oyinlola’s camp in Osun, Usman who is from Kano is believed not to have any political closeness to Kwankwaso.
Maku said the Ministers of Power and Agriculture, Prof. Chinedu Nebo and Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina will now run the portfolios of their sacked junior ministers, Kuchi and Tijjani.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs (State I), Prof. Viola Onwuliri and Minister of State for Niger Delta, Arch. Darius Ishaku, will now run the portfolios of Foreign Affairs and Environment respectively.
The ministries of Science and Technology, Land and Housing as well as National Planning are to be taken over by Mrs. Omobolaji Johnson, Arch. Musa Sada and Amb. Bashir Yuguda, Maku added.
