Tinubu’s cabinet shake-up is not really about superior minds – Former Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu

Former Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, has expressed his disappointment with President Bola Tinubu’s recent cabinet shake-up, labeling it as politically motivated rather than a move to bring in more capable minds to the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

In an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, October 24, Shittu discussed Tinubu’s decision to sack five ministers, redeploy 10 others, and nominate seven fresh candidates, whose confirmations are pending in the Senate.

"If you look at the changes we had yesterday (Wednesday), I doubt whether it is necessarily bringing in superior minds or better minds, in terms of governance, in terms of expectations, in terms of performance," Shittu remarked. "As far as I am concerned, it is just a case of some Nigerians being asked to move on, some other Nigerians are being brought in, which does not necessarily mean that those who have been shoved aside are inferior to the new people being brought in."

President Tinubu initially appointed 48 ministers in August 2023, three months after his inauguration. Following mounting criticism over the ministers’ performance amidst Nigeria’s struggling economy, rising inflation, and security challenges, Tinubu made adjustments, dismissing five ministers, redeploying 10, and nominating seven new candidates.

Shittu, who served under former President Muhammadu Buhari, described the cabinet overhaul as a “political ritual” aimed at appeasing dissatisfied citizens. He argued that many decisions about appointments in Nigeria are politically driven, rather than based on merit.

“You’ll agree with me that because of the Nigerian factor, a lot of decisions have political colourations than meritocracy in determining who becomes a minister,” Shittu stated.

He also emphasized the importance of thorough screening of ministerial nominees by the Senate, urging against appointing unqualified individuals in critical roles.

"I would rather prefer that people are taken through a screening process to know their suitability," he added. "Nigerians certainly don’t have too much time for a learning process."

Shittu praised the appointment of a civil engineer as the Minister of Works, noting that their expertise has had a positive impact. However, he warned against assigning individuals to roles outside their areas of expertise, as it would lead to 

inefficiency and slow progress.