Mr. Jonathan says there is no political undertone to the sack of the ministers.

President Goodluck has  deployed some Ministers who survived today’s cabinet shake-up to oversee the activities of the ministries which lost their ministers Wednesday, the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, has said.

Mr. Maku said the president gave the directive through the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Anyim Pius Anyim.

Mr. Maku, who briefed journalists after the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, said that he had been deployed to supervise the Ministry of Defence, while the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, was assigned to oversee the Ministry of Education.

The Minister of State for Niger Delta Development, Darius Ishaku, will oversee the Ministry of Environment, while the Minister of Solid Mineral Development, Musa Sada, was assigned to oversee the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, just as Minister of Communication Technology, Omobola Johnson, was assigned to oversee the Ministry of Science and Technology, vacated by Ita Ewa Okon.

The Minister of state, Works, Bashir Yuguda, was assigned to oversee the Ministry of National Planning following the sack of the longest serving cabinet member, Shamsudeen Usman, who was first appointed minister by late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

Mr. Maku also announced that the Ministers of Agriculture, Akinwumi Adesina and Power, Chinedu Nebo were directed to take charge of their ministries alone pending appointment of new ministers of state.

The information minister quoted President Jonathan as thanking the removed  Ministers for their service to their fatherland, and saying he would continue to engage them in “the implementation of the Transformation Agenda”.

Justifying the sack of the cabinet members, the president, according to Mr. Maku, explained that it was necessary that  ”government is retooled from time to time to bring new lease of life to an administration”.

The President had earlier announced the sack of nine ministers from his cabinet during the weekly FEC meeting.

The nine Ministers sacked were Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Olugbenga Ashiru; Education, Ruqqayatu Rufai; National Planning, Shamsudeen Usman; Land and Urban Development, Ama Pepple;  Environment, Hadiza  Mailafia; Science and Technology, Ita Ewa; Minister of State Defence, Olusola Obada; Minister of State, Power, Zainab Kuchi; and Minister of State, Agriculture, Tijjani Bukar.

Mr. Jonathan was quoted to have told the ministers that he was very pleased with their services.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the sacked ministers were caught off guard because throughout the duration of the meeting, the president did not show any sign of his plan to do away with some of them.

A presidency source, who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak on the matter,  said the President actually announced the sack after the meeting.

“Just as the president was about to leave, then he turned round and said ‘some of you Ministers will no longer be with us, it is nothing special but its just the ways of democracy,”" our source said.

He then went ahead to read out the names of the removed ministers and immediately left the council chambers.

Mr. Maku had while briefing State House correspondents said a fresh list of ministerial nominees would be sent to the National Assembly for approval to fill the vacancies left by the nine Ministers.

No Political Undertone

Responding to questions from reporters, Mr Maku said there was no political undertone to the sack of the cabinet members.

“There is no government in the world where the leaders do not reshuffle their cabinets, there is none and cabinet reshuffle is part of a systematic public administration and I believe what the President has done is simply to address the issues of re-tooling his government to achieve service delivery,” the minister said.

“It is at the discretion of the President at all times to reshuffle his cabinet. It is his own prerogative under the constitution and this has nothing to do absolutely with any other factor other than having come two years into his administration in the last lap, what I see the President doing is to refocus his government, to inject in fresh blood to achieve greater service delivery to the people of Nigeria.

Source http://premiumtimesng.com/news/144533-cabinet-reshuffle-jonathan-appoints-wike-interim-education-minister-maku-oversee-defence.html

Defence? Maku? This is a joke...

PastelChic: Defence? Maku? This is a joke...

Defence is key and in the power game, you need your right hand man to manned a sensitive position like defence. Intelligience, commitment, loyalty and dedication are what gave him the job.

Kudus Labaran!

Wike for education... I say R.I.P to Education

very gud.......nxt time Prof. Ruqqayat rufai wil luk in2 ASUU matters

Nyesom Wike said it, that he will become a Senior Minister some weeks back.
With Nyesom Wike as the Minister of Education, No hope for the end of ASUU strike yet, cuz he will majorly focus on the dirty politics with Gov.Ameachi & 2015

That shall not be Our portion in IJN.

Somehow I think the President acted very rightly. It was a sack long overdue for some ministers.
I have gone through the list of those affected ministers and harbor no doubt as to the propriety.

The president is the employer and has the discretion to appoint and fire. I'm happy he exercised this dissection wisely in not touching the performing ministers in his cabinet. The performing Ministers are obvious- Oduah, Onoelemene, Usman(transport) Adeshina(Agric) Ngozi Okonjo Iweala (Finance) Bolaji (sports) Maku (information)

The redeployment of Maku in acting capacity as Minister of Defence is a reward for hardwork, loyalty and commitment.
It's hard not to feel the way Maku carries his out his duties as information Minister with passion.

Front page ni joor!......anyway am just SMH for Nigeria, because for sick people like wike occupying d seat of (minister of education). We r crashlanding!!!! #Nodoubt.

I'm heading straight to Kano to resume at the Bayaro University as a lecturer in the Faculty of Education. - - - Sacked Education Minister, Prof. Rufai.

Going by the above, she will automatically join the prolonged ASUU strike. Abii?

‪#‎Useftinkam‬#

very good. i love my president

Wike the wiked man. Am so spending new year at home Tank God I have taken my football very serious now maybe one european club go sign me b4 strike finish

Lobatan! It is finished

oxford:

Defence is key and in the power game, you need your right hand man to manned a sensitive position like defence. Intelligience, commitment, loyalty and dedication are what gave him the job.

Kudus Labaran!

Watch out for Plateau, Benue and Nasarawa axis in the coming days. Miyati Allah cattlebreeders association will be shitting in their pants now.

AWA MONEY OOOOOOH!!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ1CB7RMPFI

It is nothing personal, It's just business....I have always known that GEJ is a retardino but this cabinet reshuffle is the handwork of a political strategist....hope you guys know the woman behind this?

Chineke nna leee!!! Agbisi agbala otula.

Labaran Maku, who failed as a journalist, failed as a union leader and also failed as a cattle rearer is made Defence Minister.

This is a national calamity. I say pray, pray hard for your country Nigeria is in the hands of agavus.

Smh

Time to bring in core politicians to checkmark all these rampaging renegade PDP members .
Good one GEJ.

This Maku thing is nothing but a cruel joke on Nigerians, only Jonathan aka the dumbest dullard president IN the world is capable of such monumental atrocity...

3lovesu: Wike for education... I say R.I.P to Education

You Small Minds, who hv no minds of yr own and are easily swayed by any trending nonsense repeated variously, shld plz keep yr mouths SHUT and yr Induced Thoughts to yrselves... Nyesom Wike, for all his political roforofoness and Kparakoism esp as relating to his local politics in Rivers State, has been a Very very Effective Minister of State. The Agencies and Programmes that he directly supervises hv been Effectively ran so far ie been producing Results- UBEC (a programme most responsible for d reason why most State Primary and Secondary Skols hv better Infrastructure today than they had had for a long time); NTI (ie d National Teachers Institute- one of d most Effective Govt Institutes in dis country today); building of more than 140 Almajiri Model Day/Boarding Skuls, with over 110 Completed in a little over a year (an Unprecendented feat in a country known for abandoning smaller projects talkless of a large/complex ones like this- which was only possible cos he personally was meeting with d Contractors every Month to monitor them); same reason is possibly why he had almost completed d building of 15 Model Girls Skuls across d nation AND also building new Libraries (very beautiful structures from d Pics of sm I have seen I must say) and Science Laboratories in about 40 Federal Unity Skuls in a phased programme to reach d 72 or so of them in bout 3 years; etc, etc. He has bn Effective and producing RESULTS as Junior Min, Period... You chaps shld learn to think for yourselves by finding out things yourselves, instead of behaving like muted donkeys, following lamely just any thing prevalent in d air at any given time. Cheers.

Labaran Maku? Defence Minister?
Hmmmmmmm... It is well with Nigeria!

ballabriggs: Chineke nna leee!!! Agbisi agbala otula.

Labaran Maku, who failed as a journalist, failed as a union leader and also failed as a cattle rearer is made Defence Minister.

This is a national calamity. I say pray, pray hard for your country Nigeria is in the hands of agavus.

You are very silly for saying that. How did Labaran fail as a journalist? People like you who never see good in others always remain "growthless". I bet you were busy drinking beer in a usel#ess bar when the young man denied himself of family commitment and embarked on GOOD GOVERNANCE TOUR of 36 states. Even if he enjoyed some allowances for the tour, the fact still remains that Maku is the most dedicated minister in this administration. Get busy with your little time and stop digging for mess where there is none

taharqa: You Small Minds, who hv no minds of yr own and are easily swayed by any trending nonsense repeated variously, shld plz keep yr mouths and yr Induced Thoughts SHUT... Nyesom Wike, for all his political roforofoness and Kparakolism esp as relating to his local politics in Rivers State, he has been a Very very Effective Minister of State. The Agencies and Programmes that he directly supervises hv been Effectively ran ie been producing Results- UBEC (a programme most responsible for d reason most State Primary and Secondary Skols hv better Infrastructure today than they had been for a long time); NTI (ie d National Teachers Institues- one of d most Effective Govt Institutes in dis country today); building of more than 140 Almajiri Model Day/Boarding Skuls, with over 110 Completed in a little over a year (an Unprecendented feat in a country known for abandoning smaller projects talkless of a large/complex one like this- which was only possible cos he personally was meeting with d Contractors every Month to monitor them); same reason is possibly why he had almost completed d building of 15 Model Girls Skuls across d nation AND also building new Libraries (very beautiful structures from d Pics of sm I have seen I must say) and Science Laboratories in about 40 Federal Unity Skuls in a phased programme to reach d 72 or so of them in bout 3 years; etc, etc. He has bn Effective and producing RESULTS as Junior Min, Period... You chaps shld learn to think for yourselves by finding out things yourselves, instead of behaving like muted donkeys and following lamely just any thing prevalent in d air at that time. Cheers.

Don't mind those people that reason with their anus. They just join the band wagon in condemning people without proper research. As far as most elite Nigerians are concerned, Wike has been more active than Rukkayatu in that ministry. Infact, her sack came rather too late than expected

Idi Amin: You are very silly for saying that. How did Labaran fail as a journalist? People like you who never see good in others always remain "growthless". I bet you were busy drinking beer in a usel#ess bar when the young man denied himself of family commitment and embarked on GOOD GOVERNANCE TOUR of 36 states. Even if he enjoyed some allowances for the tour, the fact still remains that Maku is the most dedicated minister in this administration. Get busy with your little time and stop digging for mess where there is none

Another Labaran Maku lapdog on the loose. Get me a chain to hold this one down so he does not bite strangers.

He went on his fraudulent tour and so what? Who beg am? He only went to blackmail State Executives to give him money. Look at NTA and FRCN the two major organisations under the dullard and tell me the level of improvement. What has changed? NTA still uses 1900 picture and audio quality while Labaran Maku went round the country drinking 'fura de nunu' in the name of good governance fraud. Yet a lapdog like you wants to sell such rotten tomato to me. Eat your rotten tomato alone, let Maku drive you around in his vehicle of mediocrity, it fits you, you are a lapdog.

Who is in charge of Foreign Affairs? I did not see it in the article or maybe I skipped it.?

Who is in charge of Foreign Affairs? I did not see it in the Article or maybe I skipped it.?

Finally Nigerian must sleep with two eye opened.....

ballabriggs:

Another Labaran Maku lapdog on the loose. Get me a chain to hold this one down so he does not bite strangers.

He went on his fraudulent tour and so what? Who beg am? He only went to blackmail State Executives to give him money. Look at NTA and FRCN the two major organisations under the dullard and tell me the level of improvement. What has changed? NTA still uses 1900 picture and audio quality while Labaran Maku went round the country drinking 'fura de nunu' in the name of good governance fraud. Yet a lapdog like you wants to sell such rotten tomato to me. Eat your rotten tomato alone, let Maku drive you around in his vehicle of mediocrity, it fits you, you are a lapdog.

I don't know much about labaran Maku but with what you just said I know you are a big fool. You obviously don't know anything, go to entertainment or jokes section because politics is definitely not for you

oxford:

Defence is key and in the power game, you need your right hand man to manned a sensitive position like defence. Intelligience, commitment, loyalty and dedication are what gave him the job.

Kudus Labaran!

You are a big f.o.ol...a liar as labaran as Maku a minister of defense? This government is a total Joke...he Is really a retarded man!!

My own take is that, that wike guy should please deliver us from ASUU abeg! Make him show himself abeg!

[quote author=L.M Ayedun..]Nyesom Wike said it, that he will become a Senior Minister some weeks back.
With Nyesom Wike as the Minister of Education, No hope for the end of ASUU strike yet, cuz he will majorly focus on the dirty politics with Gov.Ameachi & 2015

That shall not be Our portion in IJN.[/quote)its already our portion my broda