President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday
relieved the Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji
Abdullahi, of his appointment.
Indication that Jonathan might have sacked
Abdullahi first emerged when the President was
assigning portfolios to the 11 new ministers who
took their oath of office at the Council Chambers of
the Presidential Villa shortly before the
commencement of the weekly Federal Executive
Council meeting.
Jonathan shocked those in attendance who thought
the new ministers would be assigned to only
ministries without ministers when he announced
that the new Rivers State nominee in the cabinet,
Dr. Tamuno Danagogo, would take over from
Abdullahi.
While reeling out the names of the remaining new
ministers with their portfolios amidst anxiety among
cabinet members, the President kept mum on
Abdullahi’s fate.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and
Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, later confirmed
Abdullahi’s sacking to State House correspondents.
Abati did not however give reason for the sacking.
Jonathan also said he would by next week name a
new set of ministers who would occupy the current
vacant positions in the cabinet.
The new ministers and their portfolios, according to
the President, are – Senator Musiliu Obanikoro,
Minister of State Defence; Mohammed Wakil,
Minister of State Power; Alhaji Abduljelili Adesiyan,
Minister of Police Affairs; and Ambassador Aminu
Wali, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Others are, Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi, Minister of
Housing, Land and Urban Development; Lawrencia
Laraba Mallam, Minister of Environment; Hajia
Asabe Asmau Ahmed, Minister of State Agriculture;
Gen. Aliyu Gusau, Minister of Defence; Boni Haruna,
Minister of Youth Development; and Dr. Khaliru
Alhassan, Minister of State, Health.
Jonathan told the new ministers to see themselves
as the servants of the people and therefore be
willing to serve and listen to them at all times.
Describing public office as a public trust, the
President urged the ministers to add value to
whatever they have been asked to do.
He said any public official should be able to look
back and point to an achievement after leaving
office.
He said, “I believe that if you have been given a
responsibility as a president, governor, minister, for
you to serve for a period of time, if by the time
you’re leaving you cannot look back and say that
this is an innovation that I brought to bear based on
my own creativity, I have been able to do things
differently from what others have done and now
things are being done better in my ministry or
whatever office you’re holding; if you cannot say
that, then you have failed.
“But if you can say that definitely yes I’ve brought
some innovations based on my own creativity and
things are being done differently, I have been able to
solve these problems within this period, then of
course you have succeeded.
“The challenge is for you now to adjust. So, your
duty is to make sure you bring changes, positive
changes not negative changes. And I believe you
will also work closely with others.
“For ministries that you have to work with another
minister, either as a minister of state or the
minister; two of you will relate, you will relate with
the permanent secretaries, heads of parastatals
working with you too.
“There are some people when they get a place,
they bring unity and make sure that everybody
works together for the success of their
administration. But some when they get to a place
they create divisions and all kinds of interests and
instead of making sure that the top government
functionary, either heads of parastatals, heads of
departments work together, you see problems and
everyday you talk about solving problems.
“In fact because of the issues of conflicts between
ministers and ministers of states, we will also
review schedule of duties in some of the ministries
to make sure that we reduce these conflicts to the
barest minimum.”
The President had earlier sacked the Minister of
Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah; Minister of Niger Delta
Affairs, Mr. Godsday Orubebe; Minister of Police
Affairs, Navy-Capt. Caleb Olubolade (retd); and the
Minister of State, Finance, Dr. Yerima Ngama.
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