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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