Outrage over Jonathan’s Decision to Spare Some Controversial Ministers

Lots of angry reactions appeared following President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to spare some of his most controversial ministers in a Wednesday cabinet reshuffle that saw the removal of nine ministers.

Activists and political leaders criticised the president’s decision to sack only nine ministers from a cabinet that had 42 largely non-performing ministers, many facing serious allegations of corruption.

They specifically expressed outrage that the Ministers of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, Finance/Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke; Police Affairs Minister, Caleb Olubolade and others were left untouched.

The National Publicity Secretary of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP, Osita Okechukwu said although the president had the discretion to sack any minister, he disappointed Nigerians by keeping Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke and Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, in government.

Mr. Okechukwu said the economic policies introduced by Mrs Okonjo-Iweala, who is also the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, were anti-people and at variance with the social condition of the people.

He also said the petroleum minister had shown that she did not understand that the nation’s refineries could be rehabilitated or that new ones could be constructed.

A group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, applauded the sack of the ministers, but insisted that the president “must carry out further surgical overhaul of the Executive Council of the Federation to weed out other lazy and incompetent persons currently constituting grave cog in the wheel of progress of Nigeria.”

The Chairman of the Civil Society Network Against Corruption, Olarenwaju Suraj, said there was nothing to celebrate about the cabinet reshuffle, stressing that the President should have sacked the non-performing ministers and those variously linked with corruption cases. In particular, he referred to Mr. Wike, said he had no business remaining in government because he was behind the political crisis in Rivers State.

“Except the sack of the Education Minister and that is because there have been crises in the education sector, there is nothing to celebrate about this (reshuffle),” the Chairman said.

President Jonathan on September 11, 2013 Wednesday, fired Ruqqayyatu Rufa’i (Education), Olugbenga Ashiru (Foreign Affairs), Hadiza Mailafa (Environment), Shamsudeen Usman (National Planning), Ama Pepple (Housing and Urban Development) and Ita Bassey Okon (Science and Technology), saying he wanted to retool.

Three ministers of state- Zainab Kuchi (Power), Olusola Obada (Defence) and Bukar Tijjani (Agriculture), were also affected.

The President’s decision came after months of speculations on possible cabinet reshuffling.