Shehu Sani, a former senator from the Kaduna Central District who served in the 8th National Assembly, has pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to avoid making the same mistakes as his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, particularly when it comes to rearranging his cabinet.
After Buhari was sworn in on May 29, 2023, Tinubu assumed official leadership. However, activist Sani asserted that nepotism and ineptitude plagued the previous military Head of State’s eight-year reign, particularly with regard to governance, security, and economic policy.
The federal politician made the appeal while appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Sunday.
He said, “I will advise President Tinubu to be careful not to make the mistakes of President Buhari, and I believe he is experienced enough to understand this. Under President Buhari, you have ministers who were appointed into office for the whole of eight years.
“They were with him for the first tenure and the second tenure, and there was no cabinet reshuffle, no removal. Even if there was a removal, it takes three to four months to replace a minister. That was the way the country was governed. Under Buhari, we have seen nepotism at its peak, where people were appointed into office and left there even if they did nothing.”
Sani noted that “service chiefs were retained in office despite their failures, and by retaining them, you destroyed the careers of those behind them. For many years, many officers were retired to appoint one person. If this country has to move forward, we must treat the issue of competency as the qualification for appointment.”
The president’s cabinet has recently faced harsh criticism for falling short of expectations in spite of the nation’s present economic crisis. Remember that since Betta Edu was suspended on January 8, 2024, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation has been operating without a minister.
