Why Sports Minister was sacked

ABUJA— The removal ofthe Minister of
Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi, from office
yesterday has been traced to his failure
to openly associate with the political
interests of the President in Kwara State.
Abdullahi, a former commissioner in
Kwara State under the regime of former
Governor Bukola Saraki may also have
been dropped for his failure to openly
disavow Saraki's leadership of the state.
Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan,
yesterday, swore in 11 ministers and
assigned them portfolios.
At the ceremony, which was witnessed by
a large turnout of family members of the
new ministers, President Jonathan
charged the new ministers to see public
office as public trust and to serve people
without fear or favour.
The president also urged the new
ministers to be innovative and creative
and do things differently to bring positive
changes to the administration, saying that
if they fail to be innovative, their tenure
would be deemed a failure.
The former Minister of Sports, Abdullahi,
according to sources, had refused to
openly associate with the new leadership
of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, after
Saraki and his followers defected from the
party to All Progressives Congress, APC.
He was absent at the stakeholders'
meeting summoned by the state PDP
caretaker committee, drawing insinuations
of double loyalty from some political
stakeholders in Kwara State.
It was gathered that the final straw that
might have broken the camel's back was
the rally at the reception in Ilorin, where
he failed to address the audience to
reaffirm his loyalty to the PDP
government. He was at the Emir of
Ilorin's palace when President Jonathan
paid homage to the Emir.
The organisers of the rally did not
recognise him and it was suggested that
the failure to recognise him was due to
assertions by his associates that he,
Abdullahi, is not a politician but a
technocrat.
Presidential charge
During the swearing in, President
Jonathan further stressed the need for
the Ministers to work closely with one
another, the permanent secretaries,
directors and staff in their respective
ministries, saying that there is a lot to be
gained by galvanising the resources of
their various ministries together.
The new ministers
The new ministers are Sen. Musiliu
Obanikoro (Lagos), Minister of State
Defence; Alhaji Mohammed Wakil
(Borno), Minister of State Power; Alhaji
Abduljelili Adesiyan (Osun), Minister of
Police Affairs and Alhaji Aminu Wali
(Kano), Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Others are Mrs Akon Eyakenyi (Akwa
Ibom), Minister of Land, Housing and
Urban Development; Mrs Lawrencia
Laraba Mallam (Kaduna) Minister of
Environment; Dr. Tamuno Danagogo
(Rivers), Minister of Sports and Hajia
Asabe Asmau Ahmed (Niger), Minister of
State Agriculture.
Gen. Aliyu Gusau (Zamfara), Minister of
Defence; Boni Haruna (Adamawa),
Minister of Youth Development and Dr.
Khaliru Alhassan (Sokoto), Minister of
State, Health.