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President Bola Tinubu plans cabinet reshuffle, new livestock ministry to address farmer-herder clashes. Shake-up aims to boost the administration's performance.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to undertake a significant cabinet reshuffle, which will involve the appointment of new ministers and the creation of a new ministry, Daily Trust reports. The new ministry will focus on livestock development, a sector previously under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. This initiative is part of the administration's effort to drive the Nigeria Livestock Master Plan, launched in August last year, aimed at bolstering the livestock sector, which contributes significantly to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The new ministry is expected to play a crucial role in addressing the ongoing farmer-herder conflicts, which have severely impacted the country's food security and resulted in significant loss of lives and property. According to sources, this move aligns with President Tinubu’s vision of promoting ranching as a solution, with state governments providing land for federal government projects.

In addition to the creation of the new ministry, the cabinet reshuffle will likely include the appointment of state ministers for most or all ministries that currently have only one minister. This decision follows criticism of the president for having an "over-bloated cabinet" of 48 members at the start of his administration. However, Tinubu defended this structure, arguing that consolidating too many ministries would lead to non-performance and lack of results.

The reshuffle will also see appointments in ministries that currently lack state ministers, such as Labour and Employment, and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, whose Minister, Betta Edu, has been suspended since January. The reshuffle is based on the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) assessed by the president’s Special Adviser on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala-Usman.

Sources also indicate that some ministers of state may be upgraded, while certain current ministers, including a former governor, might be dropped. The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, refrained from confirming the reshuffle but noted that the president is preparing to address the nation for Democracy Day celebrations.

Credit: Daily Trust