The ongoing probe of the activities of some Ministers and federal government agencies is expected to help President Bola Tinubu reshape his cabinet.
Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, while fielding questions from Journalists on TVC television, revealed that such a cabinet reshuffle may come after ongoing investigations.
Ngelale’s statement comes on the heels of speculation of a possible cabinet reshuffle in the wake of the scandal rocking the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and the suspension of the National Social Investment Programmes Agency’s (NSIPA) programmes.
The government is already investigating Betta Edu, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, over to the transfer of N3B allegedly for consultancy on compiling the social register for the National Social Investment Program.
The President ordered the suspension of Edun to allow for a level playing field for the investigators.
The federal government is also investigating Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo concerning awarding a N438 million contract to a company linked to him by the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
The Company known as ” Planet Project Limited” was said to have benefited from the contracts worth N438 million as ‘consultancy fees’ from Betta Edun, the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
Tunji-Ojo, while explaining his connection with the firm, stated that he co-founded the firm with his wife but resigned from the company in 2019 when he got elected into the House of Representatives, adding that he was no longer a signatory to the company’s account.
Ngelale said all discussions now are in the realm of speculation until the ongoing investigations are over.
Ngelale assured that Hadiza Bala-Usman, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, was already compiling data on the performance of each MDA, including their Ministers.
The President will, however, need to replace Simon Lalong, former Minister of Labour, who resigned his appointment recently.
