By Mukwuzi Joseph
President Muhammadu Buhari said, yesterday, he sacked the Minister of Agriculture, Mohammed Nanono and his counterpart in Power, Saleh Mamman, to reinvigorate his cabinet and consolidate his achievements.
President Buhari in the minor cabinet reshuffle, which came as a shock to the cabinet members, appointed Minister of Environment, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, as the new Minister of Agriculture, while Minister of State for Works and Housing, Abubakar Aliyu, was redeployed to the Ministry of Power.
In a statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in Abuja, Buhari said the ministers were sacked after an independent and critical self-review of their performances.
He also noted that the contributions of the two ministers could be considered weak and not in tandem with the goal of his administration,
“These significant review steps have helped to identify and strengthen weak areas, close gaps,” he added.
The president text at the council meeting read: “On Wednesday, August 21, 2019, the current Federal Executive Council, FEC, was sworn-in after a rigorous retreat to bring returning and new members up to speed on the accomplishments, challenges and lessons drawn from my first term in office and to emphasise the nine priority areas of government for the second term.
“Two years and some months into the second term, the tradition of subjecting our projects and programmes implementation to independent and critical self-review has taken firm roots through sector reporting during cabinet meetings and at retreats.
“These significant review steps have helped to identify and strengthen weak areas, close gaps, build cohesion and synergy in governance, manage the economy and improve the delivery of public good to Nigerians.
“I must commend this cabinet for demonstrating unparalleled resilience that helped the government to navigate the disruption to global systems and governance occasioned by the emergence of COVID-19 shortly after inauguration. The weekly Federal Executive Council meeting was not spared because the traditional mode was altered.
“As we are all aware, change is the only factor that is constant in every human endeavour and as this administration approaches its critical phase in the second term, I have found it essential to reinvigorate this cabinet in a manner that will deepen its capacity to consolidate legacy achievements.
“Accordingly, a few cabinet changes, marking the beginning of a continuous process, have been approved.
“In due course, substantive nominations will be made to fill the consequential vacancies in accordance with the requirements of the constitution.
