NLC President urges Buhari to replace some ministers

Without mentioning specific names of those that have failed to perform expectedly, the President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Comrade Ayuba Wabba, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, drop some of his ministers and other aides that have failed to deliver quality service to Nigerians; and to replace them with more competent hands as he prepares to commence his second tenure.

It would be recalled that the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina had last week hinted that Buhari will likely dissolve his cabinet before his May 29 swearing-in for a second term. The disclosure was made on a programme monitored on Arise Television on Thursday.

“One thing about governance is that the first mandate was for four years. That mandate lapses on May 29, and shortly before May 29, the President is likely going to officially dissolve the government. That is the way it is usually done.

“He says thank you to everybody that he has called to work with him and then he dissolves that government officially. Then when he is inaugurated for a second term, he now reconstitutes government; he appoints his personal aides, he forms his cabinet, he appoints other people to fill other positions,” the aide had said.

In an exclusive telephone interview with Daily Times on Tuesday evening, Wabba decried that the President had not considered it necessary all the while to re-jig his cabinet, in spite of the demand by many Nigerians for him to drop none performing ones.

He said, “I cannot say they (the ministers) have worked with him. By now, he should have accessed them and know those that have done well and those who actually have not done well because our assessment may be different from his own. But clearly what is required is that there is a need to actually inject new blood into the cabinet.”

The labour leader urged President Buhari to appoint Nigerians who have what it takes to be able to drive a new process, especially people with the same level of integrity like his.

“But importantly is, injecting new blood, because we can all see the various departments, ministries where we have challenges, also where some of them have questions to answer.

“Though, those people I think we don’t need them around. We don’t need to bring back some of them. Some of them are directly the opposite of what Mr. President is. Some are still doing things under the table that certainly, if it is about integrity, they are not supposed to be there,” he concluded.