Nigerian leader sacks officials in major reshuffle

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has sacked five cabinet members in a major reshuffle, appointing seven new ministers and reassigning ten to new positions. The move on Wednesday is part of “far-reaching actions” aimed at reviving the government’s ability to operate effectively in the West African nation, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said in a statement.

Tinubu appointed new heads to the ministries of humanitarian and poverty reduction, trade and investment, labor, and livestock development, as well as junior ministers of foreign affairs, education, and housing.

He, however, “discharged” the cabinet members responsible for women’s affairs, tourism, education, youth development, and the state minister of housing, Onanuga announced.

Key officials in the 45-member government, including the ministers of finance, defense, national planning, and two junior energy ministers, all retained their portfolios, according to the reshuffle list.

“The president thanked the outgoing members of the Federal Executive Council for their service to the nation while wishing them the best in their future endeavors,” Onanuga said.

“All appointees must understand the administration’s eagerness and determination to set Nigeria on the path to irreversible growth and invest the best of their abilities into the actualization of the government’s priorities,” President Tinubu said, according to the statement.

The cabinet shakeup came shortly after the presidency announced that Tinubu had scrapped the ministries of sports and Niger Delta as part of cost-reducing and efficiency measures.

The National Sports Commission will manage the activities of the Ministry of Sports, while the new Ministry of Regional Development will be in charge of all regional commissions, including the Niger Delta, the government stated.

The tourism and culture ministries have been merged to form the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy.

Since taking office in May last year, Tinubu has sought to address the economic troubles in Africa’s top oil-producing state. However, reforms, including the scrapping of a controversial fuel subsidy and the devaluation of the local currency – the naira – have triggered the worst cost-of-living crisis and protests against the government. Nigeria’s headline inflation rate jumped to 32.70% in September, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.