... Maku rules out politics in reshuffle

From JULIANA TAIWO-OBALONYE, Abuja

Sixteen days after the Youth Minister, Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir, was relieved of his post, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday, carried out a major cabinet reshuffle that removed nine ministers. The President announced the sack of the ministers shortly after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja even as he said that the names of new ministers will be sent to the Senate for approval.
One of them, former Minister of the Environment, Hadiza Mailafia, betrayed her emotions, when she shed tears. To discourage insinuations, the government said the dropping of the ministers had nothing to do with politics.
The sacked ministers are Education, Prof Ruqayyatu Rufai, Science and Technology, Ita Okon Ekwa, Foreign Affairs, Olugbenga Ashiru,  Environment, Mailafia, National Planning, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman, Housing, Lands and Urban Development, Ama Pepple.
The ministers of state affected are those of Defence, Olusola Obada, Agriculture, Alhaji Bukar Tijani and Power, Zainab Kuchi. Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting, the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, said the reshuffle is with immediate effect. He said the President, through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, also named the ministers that will oversee the affected ministries.
The Minister of State, Foreign Affairs II, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, will  be in charge of the ministry, Education is to be supervised by the Minister of State, Nyesome Wike, the Minister of Solid Minerals, Musa Sada will monitor the Ministry of Housing, Lands and Urban Development, the Minister of Communications Technology is to oversee the Science and Technology Ministry, the Minister of State for Works, Amb. Bashir Yuguda, is to supervise the Ministry of Planning, Maku is to oversee the Ministry of  Defence while Mr Dairu Ishaku, Minister of State for Niger-Delta, will look after the Ministry of the Environment.
Maku said that the Ministers of Agriculture and Power, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina and Chinedu Nebo, respectively, will take charge of their ministries pending the appointment of new ministers of state. According to him, the President expressed satisfaction with the services of the affected ministers, since their appointment, assuring them that he would continue to engage them in the future.
“These ministers have been affected in the cabinet reshuffle and the President-in- Council expressed his satisfaction and happiness over their commitments to government since they were appointed.
He also thanked them for their service to their fatherland and said he will continue to engage them in one way or the other in the implementation of the Transformation Agenda and of course, in the various challenges that government faces around the country and in terms of efforts to transform our country.
He was indeed pleased to say because of what they have done in serving this country, he reassured them that this government will continue to use their services in the development of the country and thanked them for their services to this administration and to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Also following this, a list will be sent to the National Assembly for the confirmation of new ministers and once that is ready and sent, I am sure the Presidency will announce, the list of the new ministers to replace the ministers that were affected in the reshuffle.
“Surely, we are very supportive of our colleagues in council who were affected in the reshuffle, we have worked together with them over this period of time, that the President gave us the opportunity to serve and we do know their commitment, but as the President said government is re-tooled from time to time to bring new lease of life to an administration. It is a normal process and the President has given them the assurance that they will continue to be useful to this administration and to this country,” Maku noted.
On whether the change had political undertone, Maku said; “you know even the press has been speculating cabinet reshuffle for a long time, I can’t remember how many times in the last one year that the press has been speculating that there would be cabinet reshuffle. In fact, some have been writing almost openly, saying they want cabinet reshuffle. There is no government in the world where the leaders do not reshuffle their cabinets, there is none. And cabinet reshuffle is part of a systematic public administration and I believe what the President has done is simply to address the issues of re-tooling his government to achieve service delivery.
“It is at the discretion of the President at all times to reshuffle his cabinet. It is his own prerogative under the constitution and this has nothing to do absolutely with any other factor other than having come two years into his administration in the last lap, what I see the President doing is to refocus his government, to inject in fresh blood to achieve greater service delivery to the people of Nigeria.
“That is the only reason for it, any other thing is has nothing to do with the decision of the President. I believe this must have been coming over time. It cannot be something you do overnight.
“So, this cannot be something that has resulted in a month or two or three months, this must be something he has been working on for a long period of time.
“So I want to assure you, this is definitely a decision to refocus government and to reshape his administration in order to achieve greater service delivery. The President is trying to eject fresh blood into the system while retaining again the loyalty of all those who have worked. And like I said, he has assured them that they will continue to be relevant to this government in one area or the order. But cabinet reshuffle has been the tradition of every government in Nigeria whether military or elected. And this indeed has been something that has been long in coming, so for him to come into this conclusion means he has been working on it for a period of time.
“What is most important is that this is all part of the process of improving service delivery and that is exactly what is all about it has nothing to do with any order matter,” the minister said
Meanwhile, a source at the meeting, said the President had at the end of the meeting caught the ministers unawares. He was quoted to have said, “some of you will not be with us at the next Federal Executive Council meeting, is not because you didn’t do well, but that is the ingredient of democracy. You will hear the details from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation”.
He then reeled out the affected names and then hurriedly left the Council Chambers.

The Sun