Public Sector Reform advocate and finance expert, Mallam Salihu Isa Nataro, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to seize the moment in his planned cabinet reshuffle by boldly weeding out underperforming ministers and replacing them with competent professionals who can match the pace of his reforms.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Monday, Nataro, an APC stalwart and former Kebbi governorship candidate said the President has achieved much “largely on his own,” while most ministers “sit like dead horses in a jungle” without grasping the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“The President needs a solid team that can translate his vision into action. Right now, about 85 per cent of the cabinet lack depth on his policy direction. They are passengers, not drivers,” he declared.
While commending Tinubu’s strides in securing foreign direct investment, military hardware production, and infrastructure development, Nataro warned that the gains could be undermined if the cabinet is not realigned.
He singled out the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, saying that while he is hardworking, any corruption allegation against him must not be ignored.
He suggested redeploying the former Rivers governor to an ambassadorial posting if security reports show his continued stay in cabinet risks denting the government’s credibility.
Nataro further advised that the next FCT Minister revoke half of all land allocations made under Wike to restore transparency and ease investor concerns. “At a time Nigeria is attracting renewed foreign inflows, land administration must be above suspicion,” he said.
On broader governance, he lamented that many state governors were misusing federal allocations, starving critical projects while fueling public anger over poverty.
“The hunger protests are not entirely about Tinubu’s policies,” he said. “It’s about greed and corruption at the subnational level. Sadly, rural dwellers don’t get the full picture and wrongly blame the President.”
The reform advocate urged Tinubu to make a loud statement against corruption and remain open to constructive criticism from respected voices like Sam Amadi, Bolaji Akinyemi, and Farooq Kperogi.
Nataro also praised Dangote Group President, Aliko Dangote, for recalling Tinubu’s fiscal discipline as Lagos governor, which laid the groundwork for the Dangote Refinery. On genetically modified crops, he urged Nigerians to embrace science rather than resist it, arguing that “the President deserves support to reshape Nigeria into a digital economy.”
With the second half of Tinubu’s first term approaching, Nataro stressed that the reshuffle will be decisive for both governance and politics.
“If the President surrounds himself with modern and creative thinkers, not only will his achievements become undeniable, but his continuity beyond 2027 will sell itself,” he said.