Ahead of the planned cabinet shake-up by President Bola Tinubu, several ministers and their political backers have intensified lobbying to retain their positions.
The presidency had disclosed on Thursday that President Tinubu would soon re-jig his cabinet.
Following that disclosure, reports claim that some ministers have started frantic lobbying to be given the push to scale the hurdle.
“Yes, that is a typical thing. Some of the ministers will be calling their godfathers to influence the President. It is a normal thing. But the President will still do what is on his mind for the country,” a report quoted an unnamed presidency source as saying.
Reports further said that some ministers, who are scared of being dropped from the Federal cabinet and their godfathers, have intensified lobbying, seeking the intervention of members of the President kitchen cabinet.
A top official of the presidency is said to have expressed concern over the intense lobbying and pressure on Tinubu by those seeking assurances on the fate of their protégés in the Federal Executive Council.
Said another report: “Since the news filtered out that the president would soon reshuffle his cabinet, he has been under pressure from political godfathers and ministers, who fear of being dropped from the cabinet.
“Due to the intense pressure, the (name withheld) had to advice the president to take some days off in the United Kingdom after concluding the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit in China two weeks ago.
“Remember that for some days, Nigerians did not know about Tinubu’s whereabouts. After pictures of his meeting with King Charles surfaced online, people started speculating that he went to London for medical checks. The fact is that he was advised to spend a few days to allow the pressure and lobbying to abate.
“Anyway, it is not unusual for politicians to lobby on behalf of their wards but Nigerians are not satisfied with the performance of many of the ministers and the President would have no choice but to let them go. If you are not performing, you have to go, regardless of who your godfather is,” the source reportedly added.
Already, there are speculations that the president may announce the shake-up by October 1, but that could not independently verified.
Speaking on Arise TV’s News Night in April, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala-Usman, had affirmed that the unit had received performance reports from at least 20 of the 35 ministries. She also explained that the assessment reports would be a product of a joint effort of the ministers, citizens and industry experts.
Bala-Usman said: “Our submission is for the first quarter. So, the first quarter has just ended, and we have initiated the assessment process. The ministers have all been asked to submit their performance based on the deliverables.”
She asserted ministers would be assessed “based on what is out there in the public space. They would write to say, ‘Based on every deliverable you have given me, this is what I’ve done within the first quarter of the year.’”
Recent reports claim that President Tinubu has already demanded score cards from the cabinet ministers, which will form the basis for their appraisal.
Meanwhile, Nigerians have expressed increasing frustration and anger over what they perceive as poor performance of some government ministers.
The discontent stems from various issues, including economic challenges, corruption, unemployment, insecurity, and lack of infrastructural development.
Despite the high hopes when the ministers were appointed, many Nigerians feel that the promises made during campaigns have not been fulfilled.
Nigerians also feel that the government has not delivered on promises to improve roads, electricity, healthcare, and education.
Other areas of concern include rising inflation, unemployment, and a stagnant economy which have left many Nigerians struggling to make ends meet.
Also, the continued threat from insurgent groups, bandits, and kidnappers has worsened, with many blaming the defence ministers for not doing enough to strengthen security forces or bring lasting solutions to the crisis.
The general hardships and frustration resulted in the #EndBadGovernance protests, which rocked the country in August.
The group has also announced another round of protests in October.
*Media Report