News Thumb Magazine ..news reporting..
After more than one year in office, some of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ministers are likely to be axed.
Some others may swap ministries as the President moves to add pep to governance.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga confirmed the likelihood of the cabinet rejig yesterday during an interaction with reporters at Aso Villa.
He did not, however, give a timeline to the imminent action that will shake up the Federal Executive Council (FEC) inaugurated on August 21, last year.
There were 49 ministers at inception but two – Simeon Lalong, who left to take his seat as a senator and Dr. Betta Edu, who is on suspension – are out.
While the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs previously headed by Dr. Edu has been without a minister, Mrs. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Minister for State Labour and Employment, has been doing the job.
Plateau, where Lalong comes from, is the only state without representation in the FEC.
The President has expressed his desire to reshuffle his cabinet and he will do it. I don’t know whether he’s going to do it before October 1, but he will surely do it.
“He has not given us any timeline, but he will do it. He has expressed his plan he wants to do it.”
O’tega Ogra, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital and New Media, who accompanied Onanuga to the news conference, said: “We also need to realise that the President’s decision to reshuffle is also based on empirical evidence.
“He said during the retreat for the ministers that they were going to have periodic reviews, and the decisions that are extracted from these reviews will be used to make that final decision.
“I know he’s gotten a couple of reports, and as Mr. Onanuga said, when he’s ready to do that, I believe he will.”
President Tinubu has instructed the ministers to actively promote the accomplishments of his administration.
He said the President has also directed the ministers to publicise the administration’s successes, particularly how it has worked to achieve the realisation of the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda.’
He explained that the President would be guided by an empirical process, referring to the performance indicator, which is being coordinated by the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination and the Head of the Central Delivery Coordination Unit, Hajia Hadiza Bala Usman.
Onanuga stressed: “The President at the FEC meeting (Monday) gave an order to all his ministers to go out there and speak about the activities of his administration.
“Some of them have been media shy, television shy, radio shy, and he wants them to overcome all that and go out there and speak about what they have been doing.
“Because the feeling out there is that the government is not doing enough and the government has been doing a lot.
“It is up to them to go out there and blow their own trumpet. They should go out there and talk about what their ministries have been doing.”
‘Fed Govt won’t dabble into petrol pricing’
The Federal Government will not intervene in the ongoing controversy between the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and Dangote Refinery over petrol pricing, the presidency said.
Onanuga emphasised that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) allows NNPCL to operate independently, despite being owned by the federal, state, and local governments.
According to Onanuga, private marketers who find NNPCL or Dangote’s prices too high can import fuel and sell it at a reasonable price, benefiting consumers.
He noted that this is made possible by the deregulated market, which ultimately benefits consumers if a price war starts.
“As far as this government is concerned, the PMS regime has been deregulated, Dangote is a private company. We should not forget that NNPCL is a limited liability company. Whatever controversy both of them are having is their problem.
“If you go by the terms of PIA, NNPCL operates as a limited liability company.
“The private marketers said if think they find the NNPCL or Dangote’s prices too much for them, they will resort to importing fuel because it’s a deregulated market.
“At the end of the day, it’s the consumer who benefits if a price war starts.
“If NNPC’s fuel is expensive, the private marketers can go to the market and bring in their fuel and sell at the price that they think is very reasonable and profitable for them.
“So my answer is that, as far as government is concerned, government is not dabbling in this controversy,” Onanuga said.
Economic Stabilisation Bills to strengthen naira
The government has taken bold steps to bolster the naira against the dollar with the Economic Stabilisation Bills currently before the National Assembly, the presidency said.
An aspect of the bills aims to guide the operations of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Port Authority, ensuring that all accrued revenues are collected in naira.
Onanuga said the bill will enable agencies to collect fees, charges, levies, and fines in naira at the applicable exchange rate, rather than solely in dollars.
This move is part of the government’s efforts to strengthen the national currency and prevent dollarisation of the economy.
“As the government wants to emphasise the use of our national currency, payments will now be made in naira, eliminating the need for dollars,” Onanuga explained.
He said the Economic Stabilisation Bills also propose amendments to the National Identity Commission Bill 2004.
The revised bill seeks to provide all Nigerians, including foreigners earning income in the country, with a registered National Identification Number (NIN).
This will enable them to be enlisted in Nigeria’s tax structure, ultimately shoring up the nation’s revenue base.
“The Economic Stabilisation Bill comprises multiple bills, including the amendment to the National Identity Management Commission Bill 2004,” Onanuga noted.
