By Lawrence Nwimo and Sunday Njoku
President Muhammadu Buhari has issued reasons behind the sacking of two ministers from the cabinet he constituted on August 21, 2019.
Mohammed Sabo Nanono, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Sale Mamman, Minister of Power, were fired and were replaced by Dr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, Minister of Environment, and Abubakar D. Aliyu, Minister of State, Works & Housing.
Speaking through his media aide, Femi Adesina, the President said the changes followed the need to reinvigorate his achievement and consolidate legacy achievements.
His words: “This is a tradition of subjecting our projects and programmes implementation to independent and critical self-review”.
“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 meetings were not spared because the traditional mode was altered.
“As we are all aware, change is the only factor that is constant in every human endeavor 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.”
Buhari is not known for reshuffling his cabinet. During his first term between 2015 and 2019, the ministers who left the cabinet resigned on their own.
Among them were Kemi Adeosun, former Finance Minister, who was involved in a certificate scandal, and Amina Mohammed, former Environment Minister, who got a UN job.