The confirmation
by the Senate of former Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka
(UNN), Professor Chinebu Nebo and Mr. Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN), as ministers
is presently giving President Goodluck Jonathan some grey hair as they may not
make the senior ministerial portfolio which they are meant to occupy. This was
made known by sources in the Presidency who also disclosed that a cabinet
reshuffle is imminent.
The sources from the Presidential Villa, Abuja, told Saturday
Mirror that some ministers of states who have served as junior ministers since
May 2011 are lobbying to be promoted and have argued that the two new
minister-designates should be made to climb the ladder by first serving as
minister of states.
Barring any change in plans, President Jonathan may reshuffle
his cabinet to further strengthen his National Transformation Agenda as he moves
towards May 29, which would mark the halfway of his four-year term in office.
The Senate had last Wednesday confirmed Jonathan’s two
ministerial nominees to fill the vacant positions in the ministries of Power
and Defence. They are to replace Haliru Bello Mohammed who was removed as
Minister of Defence on June 22, 2012 and the Minister of Power, Professor Barth
Nnaji, who resigned his appointment based on conflict of interest on August 28.
Meanwhile, while disclosing the imminence of a cabinet reshuffle,
it was gathered that the exercise would be to accommodate the new ministers who
may not necessarily occupy the vacant positions in the cabinet.
“There is a possibility that the two ministers may not be
attached to the separate vacant portfolios of the Defence and Power because
some ministers may moved round to achieve set objectives of the
administration”, the source said.
The source, however, could not confirm whether some ministers
who may be found to have performed below expectation in relation to the
transformation agenda of the administration would be dropped.
The Presidency had consistently denied reports of an impending
cabinet reshuffle. Jonathan, at the weekly FEC meeting of Wednesday, October 31
last year effected a minor cabinet reshuffle with the directive that the then
Minister of State for Power, Darius Dickson Ishaku, swap position with his
counterpart, Zainab Kuchi, who was then the Minister of State for Niger Delta.
The October 2012 minor cabinet reshuffle was announced by the
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, at a
press briefing after FEC meeting. Jonathan had on Wednesday, January 9 at the
first Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting for this year told his ministers
to sit up and improve on their performance towards the realisation of the
Transformation Agenda of his administration.
At the meeting, the president outlined the priorities of his
government for this year which are geared towards development in all sectors of
the economy. Jonathan had last year signed Performance Contract Agreement, PCA,
with the ministers where they were expected to set agenda and programmes for
their ministries which would form the basis for assessment of their performance
and contribution to the transformation agenda of the administration.
Source: National Mirror
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