A chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Buba Galadima, has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s planned cabinet reshuffle, arguing that the move holds no significance for Nigerians facing harsh economic conditions.
Last week, the presidency announced that Tinubu is preparing to reshuffle his cabinet, although Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, did not provide a specific timeline for the action. “I don’t have any timeline. The President has expressed his desire to reshuffle his cabinet and will do it. I don’t know whether he wants to do it before October 1, but he will surely do it,” Onanuga told State House Correspondents in Abuja.
However, Galadima downplayed the potential reshuffle, asserting that Nigerians are more concerned about their daily struggles. “That [planned cabinet reshuffle] has nothing to do with me or any Nigerian. What is of importance to all of us is bringing down the harsh conditions of living and the buck stops only on the table of one man,” the NNPP chieftain said during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
“That is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. No amount of reshuffling can make a difference. As far as that team is only ‘job for the boys,’ nothing will come out of it.”
Galadima also stressed that the president, like any leader, is ultimately responsible for the performance of his cabinet. “Anybody that calls himself president or governor” is accountable for their cabinet’s actions, he noted.
Accusing some of Tinubu’s appointees of self-interest, Galadima added, “He should be told that some of his appointees are more interested in their pockets than service delivery.”
While Galadima admitted to having higher expectations for Tinubu when he took office, he expressed disappointment in the president’s current performance.
“I expected him to do better than this; and to hit the ground running,” he said. Galadima also called on the president to urgently address the country’s foreign exchange crisis, which has seen the naira continue to decline in value.
