Strong indications have emerged that President Bola Tinubu has finalized the list of names and designations for his reshuffled cabinet.
Multiple sources within the Presidency disclosed to Saturday Punch that the president has completed the selection process, identifying which ministers will be retained and which will be dropped.
The much-anticipated announcement is expected to be made on Thursday night, shortly after Tinubu arrived in the United Kingdom for his two-week annual leave.
The looming reshuffle comes in the wake of significant economic hardship and nationwide protests experienced last August.
President Tinubu has faced mounting pressure from both within the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the broader public to remove underperforming ministers.
Despite periodic warnings from the president regarding performance standards, his cabinet had largely remained intact, with the only notable change being the suspension of Dr. Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, in January 2024.
During a three-day retreat for cabinet members and presidential aides last November, Tinubu established a Central Delivery Coordination Unit, led by his Special Adviser on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala-Usman.
This unit is tasked with evaluating the performance of ministers and other senior government officials, using periodic reports to inform decisions about cabinet membership.
“If you are performing, there’s nothing to fear. If you miss the objective, we’ll review it. If no performance, you leave us. No one is an island, and the buck stops on my desk,” the president emphasized during the retreat.
Following a year since his cabinet’s inauguration in August, the anticipated reshuffle promises to bring about more than just portfolio changes.
Sources indicate that some ministries, such as the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, may be abolished, while others could be split or merged to enhance efficiency.
Although officials who spoke to our correspondent remained cautious and requested anonymity due to a lack of authorization to discuss the matter, they confirmed that the president initially planned to release the new cabinet list on Thursday but opted to take more time to finalize his decisions.
“We are just waiting for the go ahead. All I know is that we are waiting for him to send the new names of those he wants to drop and those he wants to appoint.
“We have been expecting them since yesterday (Thursday). I am not sure of any specifics regarding names for now.
“The last I know, he (the President) said he wants to sleep over the list again before he releases it. Maybe he still wants to change his mind about some names,” a source said.
Another source, who asked not to be named, said, “I’m surprised the list did not come out yesterday (Thursday). That thing is almost finalised already.”
Similarly, another official debunked reports that lobbyists crowded the President’s residence in the UK.
“That’s not true. You know there would be speculations all over the place. Do they know where he is? Even if they know where he is, can they access him?
“Some say lobbyists are just visiting him from left, right and centre. But on this trip, he will likely undergo medicals, too. The way he is resting now, no one can see him just like that. They won’t allow people to access him like that. I can guarantee that,” said the source.