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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