A former presidential spokesman, Doyin Okupe, has commended President Bola Tinubu’s decision to scrap “superfluous ministries” in his cabinet reshuffle, citing KPMG as instrumental in sacking some ministers.

Mr Okupe, former director-general of the Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation, gave the commendation in an interview on Thursday in Lagos.

“President Tinubu has done the needful by his mid-term rejig of his cabinet. Scrapping superfluous ministries is in line with removing waste and making government compact and effective. This is commendable.

“For the first time, removal of ministers from the cabinet has not been arbitrary or sentimental, apart from an in-house key performance index report.

“KPMG is also said to be involved in critical performance assessment of the ministers,” Mr Okupe explained.

According to the politician, Nigerians expect the president and his new cabinet to pull up their bootstrings and address the nation’s issues.

He expressed hope in Mr Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ to reposition the country.

“As I have personally stated in the past, President Tinubu has the capacity and leadership qualities to take Nigeria out of the economic quagmire he met on assumption of office in May 2023,” Mr Okupe said.

Mr Tinubu sacked five ministers on Wednesday and appointed seven new ones.

He also restructured ministerial portfolios to reinvigorate his administration’s capacity to deliver on his promises to Nigerians.

The sacked ministers are Uju-Ken Ohanenye, Minister of Women Affairs; Lola Ade-John, Minister of Tourism; Tahir Mamman, Minister of Education; Abdullahi Gwarzo, Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development; and Jamila Bio Ibrahim, Minister of Youth Development.

Nentawe Yilwatda was appointed Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction; Muhammadu Dingyadi, Minister of Labour and Employment; Bianca Odumegu-Ojukwu, Minister of State, Foreign Affairs; Jumoke Oduwole, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment; Idi Maiha, Minister of Livestock Development Federal Ministry; Yusuf Ata, Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development; and Suwaiba Ahmad, Minister of State Education.

The president also appointed Shehu Dikko as chairman of the National Sports Commission and Sunday Dare as special adviser to the president on public communication and orientation, working from the Ministry of Information and National Orientation.

Mr Tinubu also restructured the Ministry of Niger Delta Development, which is now the Ministry of Regional Development, to oversee the activities of all the regional development commissions.

The regional development commissions to be under the supervision of the new ministry are the Niger Delta Development Commission, the South-East Development Commission, the North-East Development and the North-West Development Commission.

The president also approved the immediate winding up of the Ministry of Sports Development and the transfer of its functions to the National Sports Commission to develop a vibrant sports economy.

Similarly, the president approved the merger of the Federal Ministry of Tourism and the Federal Ministry of Arts and Culture to become the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy.

Mr Tinubu re-assigned 10 ministers to new ministerial portfolios. 

(NAN)