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Tag: Tunde Rahman

  • Key takeaways in Tinubu’s cabinet reshuffle by Tunde Rahman

    Key takeaways in Tinubu’s cabinet reshuffle by Tunde Rahman

    Months after the rumours of imminent cabinet reshuffle had filled the air with newshounds speculating which of the ministers would be dropped or retained, President Bola Tinubu eventually took the bull by the horns last Wednesday. He effected the ministerial changes, scrapping two ministries, discharging five ministers, reassigning ten and nominating seven new ones. 

    It would mean six ministers had given way if you add the initially suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Betta Edu. A new minister, Dr Nentawe Yilwatda, has been nominated to replace her.

    It was the first cabinet reshuffle by President Tinubu 17 months after he assumed office. The way and manner he effected the changes were interesting. After Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting, the President invited five of the 47 ministers to see him in his office. 

    An ominous silence descended on the hallowed Council Chambers, the venue of the FEC meeting. Many in the chambers feared these five ministers were on their way out, that the sun had set on their tenures, and that the President was inviting them to convey the grim decision, a valedictory visit.

    The five ministers that were  relieved of their ministerial roles following a scientific assessment of their performance in an exercise coordinated by Special Adviser to the President on Policy & Coordination Hadiza Bala Usman were those of Education-Prof. Tahir Mamman, Women Affairs- Mrs. Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, Tourism- Mrs. Lola Ade-John, Housing Development (State), Abdullahi Gwarzo and Youth Minister, Jamila Ibrahim Bio.

    Inherent in the cabinet reshuffle was a restructuring to reinvigorate government machinery for optimal efficiency, consistent with the spirit of the much talked about Oronsaye Report. 

    Read Also: Tinubu destined to fix Nigeria, says sacked minister

    This is evident enough. President Tinubu scrapped the Ministry of Tourism, merging it with the Ministry of Arts and Creative Economy to form the Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy. 

    He also abolished the Ministry of Niger-Delta Development and, in its place, created the Ministry of Regional Development to oversee the various regional development commissions in the country, including the Niger-Delta Development Commission and North-East Development Commission as well as the North-West Development Commission and South-East Development Commission recently established by the Tinubu administration.

    Creating separate ministries for each region like the case of Niger-Delta in the earlier dispensation would have been an unnecessary duplication and addition to the governance cost.

    As part of the restructuring, the President also ensured that there are no longer two ministers in the ministries of Police Affairs and Youth Development, thus further reducing overheads.

    Beyond that, there are a few takeaways from the cabinet rejig and the new ministerial list.

    One, the appointment of Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, wife of late Ikemba of Nnewi, Odumegwu Ojukwu, as a minister is noteworthy. 

    Lawyer and diplomat, bringing on board Bianca as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs is a round peg in a round hole, given her experience as Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ghana and later Spain. Tapping Bianca for appointment from the opposition All Progressives Grand Alliance is a mark of political tolerance by President Tinubu. 

    Also, coming on the heels of establishing the South-East Development Commission, this appointment is a good development for the South East. Many political watchers and pundits expect the region to reciprocate the gesture in the 2027 election.

    Two, in agriculture, the establishment of the Ministry of Livestock Development is novel and a problem-solver. Animal husbandry is part of the issue at the root of the incessant farmers-herders crisis, which involves sourcing food and water for cattle. 

    This ministry is charged with managing the livestock economy and, by inference, addressing this seemingly intractable farmers-herders problem. And if this new ministry helped to resolve the crisis, the whole issue of insecurity on our farms and its attendant effects on food supply and security would have been resolved. Perhaps to demonstrate the government’s commitment to the livestock sector reforms, a workshop on the reforms was organised a day after the new cabinet composition, during which President Tinubu told all and sundry that the livestock economy is central to his administration’s vision.

    Third, President Tinubu has set a record by affixing portfolios to the names of nominees sent to the Senate for confirmation as ministers. 

    This makes sense because senators can now match the portfolios with the nominees’ academic backgrounds and professional experiences during confirmation hearings. This is a first in the country, and President Tinubu deserves commendation for this.

    The fourth and final point concerns the expectation of some commentators who argued that the changes were not far-reaching enough. They said they expected a tinkering of the critical sectors of the economy, particularly oil and gas and finance. 

    However, President Tinubu has done what is needed. There is now a Minister of State, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, to complement the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Olawale Edun. As former top management staff at Zenith Bank and later Commissioner for Finance in Governor Hope Uzodimma’s Imo State, Dr. Uzoka-Anite is equally grounded in finance and economic matters.

    As it were, pressing issues in the critical economic sectors are being addressed. The policy changes introduced by the government have begun to produce positive results. 

    This is evident in the available data. Nigeria’s revenue to debt service ratio has declined significantly, from 97% in 2023 to 68% in 2024, according to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy. The country’s foreign reserves are also on the increase. Edun says the reserves are growing organically due to the government’s decision not to defend the Naira as was done in the past.

     Additionally, the country’s GDP grew by 2.98% in Q1 2024 compared to 2.31% in Q1 2023. The growth in Q1 2024 was due to the impressive performance in the financial services, insurance, mining and quarrying sectors.

    Indeed, as the Americans would say, if it’s not broken, why fix it? The Tinubu administration is committed to the reforms and is implementing them faithfully. 

    The reforms had become imperative in order to ensure sustainable growth. That the gains have yet to manifest fully is neither because the officials involved are unqualified, incapable, or unwilling to do the right thing. It’s because these reforms have gestation periods. They will fully manifest in the fullness of time, and the country will be better and more prosperous.

    *Rahman is a Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media Matters.

  • Toast to Tunde Rahman

    Toast to Tunde Rahman

    Tunde Sarafadeen Rahman is the Senior Special Assistant to the President (SSAP) on Media Affairs.

    Beyond this position, Rahman is a very astute and senior journalist who has paid his dues for over three decades.

    The soft-spoken media aide to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is one, who has shown true mettle while sojourning various media houses that include Lagos Horizon, Tehran Times International, Daily Times of Nigeria, Punch Newspapers, and ThisDay Newspapers.

    Read Also: Five Nigerian meals for Easter vacation

    Little wonder that the political scientist turned journalist, who graduated from the University of Ilorin in 1987, works efficiently with the number one man in Nigeria.

    A jolly good fellow and friend to many of his peers and younger journalists, Rahman recently turned a year older on March 25, and rather than opt for a loud celebration, he chose the route of his boss.

    The senior aide to the president celebrated the day with his family while he enjoyed convivial greetings from family members, friends, associates, and staff.

  • The significance of Tinubu’s first week of 2024 by Tunde Rahman

    The significance of Tinubu’s first week of 2024 by Tunde Rahman

    There couldn’t have been a better predictor of what to expect from President Bola Tinubu in 2024 than the way and manner he began the New Year.

    For the President,  2024 started on a business like, work-filled note. While many were still savouring the New Year, the Nigerian leader cut short his Christmas/New Year holiday in Lagos on January 1, returned to Abuja to sign the N28.7 trillion 2024 Appropriation Bill passed by the National Assembly. 

    It was his first assignment in the New Year. The way he did it demonstrated the seriousness and patriotic commitment he brings unto the exalted job.

    For him, nothing must stand on the way of the onerous responsibility bestowed on him. Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and House of Representatives Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas were shocked to learn the President had returned to Abuja and ready to sign the budget.

    Since that first day of the year, it has been one impactful governance step and important decision after another. Indeed, it was one week of 2024 to remember.  It reminds me of a song by Canadian rock band, Barenaked Ladies with the same title “One Week”. 

    The song was released as the first single from their 1998 album, Stun.  The song is unique for its significant number of pop culture references, and remains the band’s best-known song. According to Wikipedia, the song reached No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

    In one week of 2024 to remember, President Tinubu made pivotal and landmark decisions which have been widely applauded. 

    Critic-turned-admirer of President Tinubu, Reno Omokri, catalogued some of these important decisions and developments in a recent tweet.

    Read Also: Abdulrahman apologises to Kwara govt

    The decisions include the suspension of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Beta Edu, and Coordinator of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, Hajiya Halimotu Shehu, for alleged financial transgressions and the ongoing investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to determine their guilt; the summon by the President of another minister alleged to be involved in a controversial contract; the drastic reduction in the entourage of the President’s domestic and international travels; the banning of the money-for-degree universities in Benin Republic, Togo and other countries; and the clearing of the N12billion outstanding allowances and other arrears for the Super Eagles, taking part in the African Cup of Nations tournament beginning this weekend. Arrears owed other national teams were also paid by the President.

    In that preceding week, the Bola Tinubu administration  embarked on the payment of wage support benefits to civil servants, the disbursement of N105.5 billion for emergency repair of 266 roads across the country, the launch of the automated passport portal and the unfolding of plans to build a new Chinese-funded steel plant in Nigeria following on the heel of a visit to China by the Minister of Steel Development, Shuaib Abubakar Audu.

    The swift suspension of  Betta Edu, one of the visible ministers at present, pending the full investigation of the alleged scandal in her ministry not only demonstrates there are no scared cows in the anti-graft crusade, it will also serve as deterrent against others who may otherwise believe the present government is business-as-usual.

    However, as some have argued, the minister should not be pilloried until after the full investigation of the allegations and her culpability or otherwise established.

    Perhaps, the most exciting of the President’s decisions during that important week, in my view, is the resolve to cut the cost of governance by drastically reducing the number of people in his entourage on local and international trips. President Tinubu directed that top government functionaries, dignitaries and aides on his travels be slashed by 60 per cent, more than half.

    On local trips, the President, for instance ordered that, in the area of security, his team should rely more on the capacity of the security establishment and existing protocols in the host states.

    It must be pointed out here that when the President visits a state for instance like his recent visit to Lagos during the Christmas/New Year holiday, during which he decided to observe the Jumat  at the Central Mosque in Lagos Island, the long stretch of vehicles noticed in his convoy are not entirely his own. Some dignitaries in Lagos, top security officers, top traditional rulers, political associates and many others simply joined the entourage to the mosque at no prompting of the President.

    The importance of cutting the number in the President’s travels apart from the concomitant reduction in total cost of the trip is unmistakable. First, it is in tandem with the demands of the present challenging times when prices of goods and services have skyrocketed owing to what many tie to the prevalent foreign exchange rate.

    Second, by slashing the  presidential entourage, President Tinubu has again demonstrated leadership by example. He has shown he fully understands what the people are experiencing at present and shares in their pains, which he says will be temporary, following his New Year Day speech.

    Indeed, the cost of governance and administration in Nigeria is  high and it has become imperative to bring it down. Every possible avenue must be employed to do this. It is estimated that the country mostly spends over 75% of her federal budget on recurrent expenditure, leaving less than 25% for capital expenditure. The present administration is set to change this governance narrative. For instance, in the N28.7trillion 2024 budget, recurrent expenditure was pegged at N8.7tr and capital expenditure at N9.9tr. This trend is expected to continue going forward.

    – Rahman is a Senior Presidential Aide