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Cabinet shake-up latest: Ministers embark on fasting to escape sack



Alison-Madueke, Usman, others jittery

SOME serving ministers on President Goodluck Jonathan-led Federal Executive Council (FEC) are now sitting on the edge of their seats in their respective high brow offices very much afraid of the Presidential ombudsman which is diligently scrutinizing their performance in the past five years in office.

National Daily competent sources disclosed that President Goodluck Jonathan in an effort to reinvigorate performance level of his administration has concluded plans to carry out a cabinet reshuffle and accordingly has mandated a team consisting of the National Security Adviser, Owoeye Azazi and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim to recommend the ministers whose performance has been adjudged as satisfactory using Jonathans transformation agenda as an index.

The affected ministers are those like Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke and her counterpart in the Ministry of National Planning, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman who was appointed in 2007 by late President Umaru Yar'Adua and had survived cabinet shake-ups in the past and some of those appointed under the Jonathan administration.

Sources indicated that some of these ministers who were appointed in 2007 by the Yar'Adua administration will be fired for poor performance and alleged corrupt practices. While some others appointed in 2010 will also be axed for offences ranging from inability to implement Jonathan's transformation agenda.

Alison-Madueke has come under media criticism for alleged corruption in the Petroleum Ministry and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. The findings by the House Committee on Oil Subsidy alleged indicted Alison-Madueke. The negative image she unwittingly created for herself throughout her assignment so far is said to be one of the factors that might contribute in showing her the exit door.

Usman is another minister who is likely to be shoved aside on grounds of being one of the ministers appointed by the Yar'Adua administration and on what an Aso Rock source described as the need to re-invigorate the Ministry of Planning towards greater efficiency.

Other ministers who are likely to be affected by the impending cabinet reshuffle includes Police Affairs Minister, Caleb Olubode, Trade and Investment Minister, Segun Aganga, Education Minister, Ruqayyat Rufai, Minister of Labour, Emeka Nwogu and Minister for Federal Capital Territory, Bala Mohammed. These ministers were appointed in 2010 and may now have to give way to a new set of ministers with brand new ideas.

Public criticisms

“You know President Jonathan is very sensitive to criticism. He listens to public opinion a lot. It is good for a leader not to assume to be all-knowing; he must listen to his people for more ideas on how to move the country forward. For instance, Ministers like Alison and Usman have experienced tremendous pressures as a result of events in their ministries which have led to public criticism. These other ministers who have been in office since Yar'Adua administration and has not sufficiently adjusted to the reform agenda of the Yar'Adua administration,” a source said.

National Daily was reliably informed that President Jonathan is under intense pressure to sack two other ministers, Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Information Minister, Labaran Maku. However, it appears the two will survive the shake-up based on the Aso Rock perception of their “robust efficiency” and unquestional loyalty to the administration. Okonjo-Iweala does not currently enjoy a visible public approval as she is considered by the public as an agent of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. Nigerians are also seemed unsatisfied with her explanation of the recent hike in prices of petroleum motor spirit across the country. Maku on the other hand is perceived by the public to be a “brilliant defender of Jonathan's obnoxious polices.”

EFCC investigation

The alleged decision of the presidency to inject new faces and ideas in the Federal Cabinet is said to have created fears among the ministers forcing them to scamper to Aso Rock where they have been pleading with the president to give them more time to perform. Some of the minister listed for dismissal has allegedly become jittery when they also got wind of the fact that they are being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) for alleged corrupt practices.

“Some of these ministers are said to have approached some chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and some of the president's close associates to plead on their behalf. They are afraid of being disgraced out of office and paraded in the court by the EFCC for alleged corruption.”

Competent sources disclosed that two of the ministers wanted to voluntarily resign when they got wind of the planned reshuffle but were said to have been persuaded to remain in the cabinet for their own interest.

“One of them Alison-Madueke was said to have decided to leave the cabinet few weeks ago, she was to tender her resignation letter as a reaction to the media report which exposed the alleged flamboyant lifestyle of her son in the United States. However, she was persuaded by her confidants to shelve the idea. She was told that she is more secured in government than outside government.”

Apart from besieging the seat of power and urging President Jonathan to shelve the impending cabinet shake-up, at least for now, some of the ministers according to sources are seeking spiritual help in order to avoid being sacked by the president.

“The Christian and Moslem ministers are involved in this desperation to remain in office. Recently, two of the ministers who attend the same Pentecostal church with me in Abuja had a private session with the pastor in his office, we learned our pastor later went to conduct prayer session, in his official residence,” a source said, adding: “some others who are members of two popular Pentecostal churches headed by Lagos based popular pastor and General Overseer have also become frequent in the Abuja branch. It was further gathered that even those who attend the old generation churches such as Catholic and Anglican are also involved in the search for spiritual solution to the planned cabinet re-jigging.

“Some of these ministers have not been regular church goers but they have suddenly become regular in church since they got wind of the coming cabinet shake-up. Three of them were sighted in Catholic and Anglican churches in Wuse Districts in Abuja just recently.”

National Daily learned that some of the Moslem ministers have allegedly hired the services of some Islamic Clerics to offer supplication to Allah so that their planned dismissal shall be defrayed.

“Apart from attending regular jumat services in the Mosque, some of the Muslims among the ministers have employed the services of Alfas to offer prayers to God to enable them escape Jonathan's hammer if it eventually comes.

Religious refuge

Sources at the federal secretariat disclosed that most of the ministers have begun fasting and praying fervently to God to do a miracle, probably touch the president's heart and make him delay taking any final decision on the issue of his cabinet members.

“Some staff working in the ministries has observed that their bosses seem to be fasting for something because they do private prayers in the office and no longer go out for launch as they did previously or bring something from home to eat at interval.”

National Daily competent sources said that a presidential team has listed some criteria on whose the performance of the ministers will be based. The criteria includes, public opinion because “the president is sensitive to criticism,” the satisfactory implementation of the transformation agenda and the ministry's implementation of the 2012 budget.

“The performance of the 2012 budget will be monitored and the ministers will be given enough chance to implement it efficient minister have nothing to fear while those who perform poorly will be shown the way out,” a source said, adding: “the shake-up will come in two phases, between now and July.”

Those who have not performed so well may be lucky to escape sack now but will be surely in the next phase while some of the minister will be given another chance and transferred to another ministry.”

It will be recalled that Jonathan had at the Federal Executive Council meeting two weeks ago criticized the poor service delivery of ministries, departments and agencies and advised ministers to sit up.

The council at the meeting also discussed the submission of service compact with Nigeria which is used in measuring the performance of the MDAS. Information Minister, Labaran Maku noted that, “The report (SERVICOM) says we need to improve on our services to the satisfaction of citizens.”

It was learned that the cabinet reshuffle will be used to pacify zones which complained of marginalization, “The south-west which lost the House of Representative Speaker may get more ministerial and board appointment. Some members of PDP National Working Committee may be among the new ministers.

One of those ministers has something special for GEJ this weekend


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@OP LOL "Embark on fasting to escape sack"