Tinubu briefed ministers before firing them

Bayo Onanuga, the spokesperson for the President, revealed on Sunday that President Bola Tinubu addressed the recently dismissed ministers in a respectful manner during a private meeting prior to their removal.

Onanuga shared these details during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics. On Wednesday, Tinubu relieved five ministers of their duties and restructured the roles of ten others, as outlined in a statement released after the Federal Executive Council meeting.

The ministers who were let go include Uju-Ken Ohanenye (Women Affairs), Lola Ade-John (Tourism), Prof. Tahir Mamman (Education), Abdullahi Muhammad Gwarzo (State for Housing and Urban Development), and Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim (Youth Development).

Onanuga emphasized that their dismissal was a result of an evaluation based on the scorecard presented by Hadiza Usman, the Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination, which utilized key performance indicators.

He explained that the ministers were informed of the president’s decision in a courteous manner before the public announcement. “The president did not make these changes on a whim. There was a structured process in place. Since last October, during a retreat, he indicated that ministers would be assessed. Hadiza Usman was in charge of this evaluation,” he stated.

He also noted that technology was employed to gather feedback from Nigerian citizens, allowing them to rate the ministers. This data informed the president’s decisions.

“Some have referred to it as being sacked, but the president preferred the term ‘discharged.’ When he met with them on Wednesday, he expressed gratitude for their service and wished them well, which contrasts with previous practices of abrupt dismissals via media announcements,” Onanuga added.