The Central Results Delivery and Coordination Unit (CDCU), with President Bola Tinubu’s second anniversary in office approaching, is racing to deliver a fresh set of ministerial scorecards.
Naijaonpoint understands that the scores will assess the performance of various ministries for the first quarter of 2025, marking a pivotal moment as Tinubu’s administration enters its mid-term on May 29.
According to multiple presidency sources who spoke with Punch, the confidential assessment is expected “any time now,” and ministries that have underperformed are already feeling the pressure of the renewed scrutiny.
The CDCU, tasked with evaluating ministers’ performance quarterly, is currently verifying the submissions made by the ministries, which include evidence of projects and policy milestones.
Led by Hadiza Bala-Usman, the head of the CDCU, the verification team has been rigorously reviewing the data submitted by ministries. Sources familiar with the process revealed that the unit is working to present the finalised reports to President Tinubu as soon as possible.
“There are certain ministries where performance has been rated as average, with only a few ministers performing above expectations,” an insider noted.
While the full results will provide President Tinubu with a clearer picture of his cabinet’s performance, immediate actions based on the findings are not expected at this time.
The performance reviews come on the heels of President Tinubu’s announcement during the opening of the 2023 cabinet retreat.
At that event, the President emphasised that ministers’ positions would be determined by their performance, with quarterly assessments serving as the key benchmark.
“If you are performing, nothing to fear. If you miss the objective, we’ll review it. If there’s no performance, you leave us. No one is an island, and the buck stops on my desk,” Tinubu said at the time.
In October 2024, the President made notable changes to his cabinet, including the reassignment of ministers and the removal of two underperforming individuals after just 16 months in office.
The CDCU’s findings were crucial in informing this shake-up, leading to the reallocation of portfolios and the removal of ineffective ministers.
A former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Bala-Usman, was appointed as Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination in June 2023.
Under her leadership, the CDCU was modelled after similar units in the UK and Rwanda, with a mandate to track key performance indicators, publish quarterly reports, and highlight projects that may require presidential intervention.
During an interview on TVC, Bala-Usman emphasised that the CDCU’s scorecards go beyond just an academic exercise.
“Quarterly assessments will feed directly into presidential decisions,” she stated in February 2025, adding that the unit’s previous report had already led to “targeted conversations” and adjustments in at least three ministries.
In preparation for these assessments, over 140 officials from 35 federal ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) were trained in early 2024 to evaluate the performance of ministries.
This effort ensures that the CDCU’s evaluations are comprehensive and accurate, with directors and planning officials from each ministry actively involved in the process.