‘Your cabinet is too cold, dissolve it now’, Serving Nigerian senator tells President Tinubu

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A member of the Appropriation Committee in the Senate, Jimoh Ibrahim, has asked President Bola Tinubu to dissolve his cabinet and drop some ministers.

“You have to dissolve the cabinet. You have to come up with knowledgeable people. The cabinet is too cold,” he said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday.

Ibrahim, representing Ondo South Senatorial District, expressed disappointment with the current cabinet, noting that the ministers do not represent the country’s “Grade A” talent and have not proven to be the best choice for Nigeria, as evidenced by the economic conditions over the past year since the President’s inauguration.

Nigeria is currently facing severe socio-economic challenges exacerbated by the new administration’s policies, including the removal of petrol subsidies and the unification of foreign exchange windows. These policies have led to a tripling of energy costs and a significant increase in the cost of living due to soaring food inflation.

Despite promises from the new government, there has been no relief for citizens as additional measures such as hikes in electricity tariffs and a cybersecurity levy on electronic transactions have been implemented. These policies have faced criticism from labor unions, pro-democracy activists, and civil society groups.

President Tinubu, along with his deputy, Kashim Shettima, assumed office last May, pledging to reform the nation’s economy and deliver democratic dividends to over 200 million Nigerians. Tinubu established his cabinet of 48 ministers in August, three months after succeeding his party colleague, former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Ibrahim opined that some of the ministers that have been accused of corruption should be dropped. “If you fail to do that, you will be carrying their burdens and that will be terrible for our country,” he warned the President.

Ibrahim said the President has a “fantastic strategy” with a faulty structure. He lamented that the inefficient structure has “arrested” the strategy. “Do you think the current system can carry the strategy?” he asked rhetorically.