Headline

‘Sins‘ Of Sacked Ministers

Published

2 years ago

October 26, 2024

It is no longer news that President Bola Tinubu has sacked six ministers in a major cabinet reshuffle. The reasons he rejigged his team for the third time, technically, since he was sworn in on May 29, 2023, are raising dust in the polity.

Fresh insights on why the ministers were relieved of their duties emerged last night. Although, the Presidency said the ministers were axed based on the expectations of Nigerians, sources told Saturday Vanguard some of the ministers, apart from performing below expectations, had also become an embarrassment to the Tinubu Administration.

“The conducts of some of the ministers were antithetical to President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. They were pitting the President against the masses and subjecting Nigeria to ridicule before the international community. How can a minister work against the President’s anti-corruption crusade and hope to remain in the cabinet? The sack was long overdue,” a close ally of the President told Saturday Vanguard.

Sacked ministers

The ministers shown the exit door on Wednesday were Mrs Uju Kenedy Ohanenye, Women Affairs; Lola Ade-John, Tourism; Prof Tahir Mamman, Education; Abdullahi Mohammed Gwarzo, State, Housing and Urban Devt; and Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim, Youth Devt. Betta Edu, Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, who had earlier been suspended was left in the cooler.

Tinubu’s too earlier cabinet reshuffles

Tinubu raised dust with the way he went about forming his cabinet. To beat the 60-day time frame provided by the law, he first sent the names of 28 ministerial nominees to the Senate for screening and confirmation. While the senators were screening the first nominees he sent another 19 making 47. He, thereafter, made the first reshuffle by withdrawing the name of one of the nominees, Maryam Shetty, who went to the Senate for the screening not knowing that she had been dropped. He sent two more nominees including Festus Keyamo. Thus Tinubu sent 48 names for confirmation of which 45 were cleared.

Reshuffling cabinet before swearing-in

Tinubu also did the unimaginable by reshuffling his cabinet before swearing in the ministers he had earlier assigned portfolios.

A day before the swearing-in, President Tinubu adjusted the portfolios of four ministers-designate.

Those affected were former Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, who was to be sworn in as minister of Marine and Blue Economy. House of Representatives member Olubuni Tunji-Ojo, initially assigned to the ministry, took charge of the Ministry of Interior.

Alhaji Saidu Alkali, formerly assigned to the Interior Ministry, was sent to the Ministry of Transportation from where Oyetola was moved.

Mr Abubakar Momoh, who was earlier assigned Minister of Youth, took the oath of office as Minister of Niger Delta Development.

Two other ministers-designate, Heineken Lokpobiri and Ekperikpe Ekpo, had their portfolios adjusted as ministers of state in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

Betta Edu

President Tinubu suspended Betta Edu on January 8, 2024, after several groups and individuals demanded an unfettered probe of the leaked memo by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, instructing the Accountant-General of the Federation, Dr Oluwatoyin Madein, to pay N585m into the private bank account of a project accountant in her ministry, Bridget Oniyelu.

The minister claimed that the N585m payment was meant for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun, and Lagos states, and described the allegations against her as baseless.

The Media Assistant to the Minister, Rasheed Olarenwaju, said in a statement that it was legal within the civil service for such payments to be made into private accounts of staff members, especially project accountants.

Her claims did not move the President. She remained out of the cabinet.

Tahir Mamman

As Education minister, Mamman’s controversial 18-year limit for writing senior school certificate examinations and admission into tertiary institutions, which described as an “unforgivable sin.’

The National Co-ordinator of the Education for Accelerated Development, EDAD, Dr. Livinus ia Mbaonu, described Mamman’s sack as ”long overdue” because ”Mamman was on a mission to reverse the gains made in the education sector in recent times,” underscoring the urgency of his removal.

The EDAD listed 10 critical reasons for the minister’s dismissal, depicting a pattern of mismanagement and misinformation.

The sins included Mamman’s role in ”providing misinformation leading to diplomatic conflict,” which strained relations between Nigeria, Benin Republic, and Togo.

His claims about the accreditation of universities in Benin were inaccurate. He stated that only three institutions were accredited when over 50 hold this status, a move that hurt many Nigerian students in the affected countries.

Mamman was also accused of mishandling foreign students’ participation in the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC scheme, causing thousands to be denied entry into the programme.

Age limit policy for universities

The EDAD cited conflicts among major educational bodies, including the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board , JAMB, as a consequence of Mamman’s leadership.

Other ‘sins’ included inefficiencies in the accreditation processes, a controversial 18-year minimum age policy for university admissions that resulted in lawsuits, and alleged lack of cooperation with fellow officials, which contributed to operational inefficiencies within the Ministry.

Uju Kennedy Ohanenye

Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, since her assumption of office on August 20, 2020, was arguably one of the most controversial ministers.

Her ‘sins’ included disrupting two ongoing events, which had guests and participants in attendance, because the events were not approved by her ministry.

The former minister, also engaged in an exchange of words with the House of Representatives Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, over the alleged diversion of N1.5 billion meant for payment of contractors.

During an investigative hearing by the House of Representatives committee, to probe the N1.5 billion, which was said to be expended by the Ministry of Women Affairs, the minister, at a stage, flared up, saying that only 30 per cent of the N1.5 billion was paid to the ministry, but she could not give an account of how the money was spent because according to her, the First Lady, Remi Tinubu, had told her to mind her business.

The former Women’s Affairs minister slammed a lawsuit against the speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, following his announcement to marry off 100 orphaned girls in his state. She petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, on the issue.

After criticisms from stakeholders, the minister withdrew the charge against the speaker.

Threats to sue the United Nation

On October 16, Uju Kennedy vowed to sue the Anthonio Guterres-led United Nations for allegedly not releasing funds meant for Nigeria. She added that the UN had failed to provide her ministry with the necessary records, which would in turn attract legal action on or before November 15, if the situation remained the same.

Her allegations generated disbelief and criticism from various quarters, including the UN, which denied any wrongdoing and challenged her to provide evidence.

Some civil society groups questioned her motive and accused her of being ignorant of the UN’s operations and protocols.

She was in the eye of the storm following the University of Calabar sexual harassment allegations, that indicted the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor Cyril Ndifon and led to his suspension on August 17 2023. The former minister had in a leaked video/audio threatened to jail the female law students of the university. A host of groups accused her of taking sides with Professor Ndifon, despite her mandate to protect the rights of women in the country.

Source: Vanguard

Headline

FG Summons S. African Envoy Over Rising Xenophobic Attacks On Nigerians

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2026

Editor

The Federal Government has summoned the Acting High Commissioner of South Africa in Abuja over renewed concerns about xenophobic attacks and protests targeting foreign nationals, including Nigerians, living in that country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the envoy is expected at its headquarters on Monday, May 4, 2026, for a high-level engagement aimed at addressing the growing tension and safeguarding bilateral relations between both countries.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the spokesperson for the Ministry, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said Nigeria would formally express its “profound concern” over recent developments in South Africa, particularly reports of harassment, violence, and destruction of property belonging to foreign nationals.

According to the ministry, the meeting will focus on ongoing demonstrations by various groups in South Africa and documented cases of attacks on Nigerians and their businesses in parts of the country.

“The objective of this engagement is to formally convey the Nigerian Government’s profound concern regarding recent events that have the potential to impact the established cordial relations between Nigeria and South Africa,” the statement read.

It added that discussions would also address ongoing demonstrations by various groups within South Africa and documented instances of mistreatment of Nigerian citizens and attacks on their businesses.

The ministry acknowledged growing anger among Nigerians over reports of xenophobic violence but urged restraint, stressing that diplomatic engagement remained the preferred channel for resolution.

It assured Nigerians that the Federal Government was actively engaging South African authorities to ensure the protection of its citizens abroad.

“The Ministry is aware of the growing discontent among Nigerians concerning the treatment of their nationals in South Africa. Nevertheless, it implores the Nigerian public to remain calm and reiterates the Federal Government’s commitment to protecting the rights and well-being of Nigerian citizens residing in South Africa,” the statement added.

The latest diplomatic move comes amid renewed reports of xenophobic tensions in parts of South Africa, where foreign-owned businesses have occasionally been targeted during protests linked to unemployment and economic hardship.

South Africa has a history of xenophobic violence dating back to 2008, with subsequent flare-ups in 2015 and 2019, when mobs attacked migrants, looted shops, and displaced thousands of foreign nationals across several provinces.

In past incidents, Nigerians and other African nationals were among those affected, prompting strong diplomatic reactions from Abuja and calls for stronger protection of foreign communities.

While South African authorities have repeatedly condemned such attacks and deployed security forces to restore order during outbreaks of violence, concerns have persisted over recurring hostility in some communities.

Headline

Mississippi Man ‘Kills Mother, Flushes Her Remains Down Toilet’

Published

3 days ago

May 2, 2026

Editor

A 29-year-old Mississippi man, Zachary Lavel Jackson Jr., has been charged with multiple offences, including first-degree murder, over the death of his mother, Lana Brown Bradley, after deputies responded to her Natchez home on April 4 following a missing person report from relatives.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to Bradley’s residence after her oldest son was unable to reach her the previous day.

Jackson was initially identified as a family member before investigators confirmed he was her son.

Sheriff Travis Patten described the case as deeply disturbing.“This is by far the most heinous crime that I’ve ever witnessed in my entire life. We weren’t out there that day; this was one of those things when we walked up.

“This was one of those cases that you will never, ever forget in your life. This is the type of case that follows you home,” Patten told WJTV.

According to the sheriff, deputies noticed signs of a recent cleanup when they arrived at the home.

“As soon as they walked in the house, they could just see where somebody had been cleaning up, and they could smell chemicals all throughout the house.

“Floor was extremely slippery. And the older son said that this is just unusual for the youngest son to be cleaning up the house like that,” Patten explained.

Jackson, the youngest son, was found in a bathroom, where deputies allegedly made a discovery that became central to the investigation.

“I can say what was in the toilet, and it was her flesh. He chopped her up in pieces and dismembered her in a way that whoever came looking for her would have to do their due diligence to find her, and that’s just what we did,” the sheriff said.

Authorities said Jackson allegedly placed parts of his mother’s body in a suitcase and attempted to dispose of other remains.

Jackson faces charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, mayhem and tampering with evidence.

Headline

Iran Says War With US May Resume As Trump Rejects Proposal

Published

3 days ago

May 2, 2026

Editor

Iran’s military has warned that the war with the United States and Israel could resume, declaring that it is fully prepared for any renewed confrontation as tensions between the sides continue to deepen.

In a statement reported by Iranian state-affiliated media, senior military officials said a return to hostilities is “likely”, citing what they described as Washington’s lack of commitment to previous agreements and negotiations.

The warning comes after US President Donald Trump expressed dissatisfaction with Iran’s latest peace proposal, saying the terms presented by Tehran included demands he “can’t agree to”.

According to officials in Tehran, Iran believes it showed flexibility during earlier negotiations, including talks held in Islamabad and during the ceasefire period. However, authorities argue that the United States has instead taken a tougher stance, widening the gap between both sides.

Iranian officials insist that key issues such as sanctions relief and the status of the Strait of Hormuz must be resolved before any broader agreement, including discussions around its nuclear programme, can progress. They also reject what they describe as US demands amounting to “surrender”.

The growing diplomatic deadlock has raised fears that another round of fighting may be imminent, with Iranian authorities indicating that preparations are already underway.

Meanwhile, the prolonged conflict continues to have far-reaching consequences within Iran. Internet monitoring group NetBlocks reports that the country has entered its 64th day of near-total internet disruption, effectively isolating it from global online networks.

The shutdown, which began after renewed anti-government protests earlier in the year and intensified following the outbreak of the war, has significantly disrupted businesses and livelihoods across the country.

Beyond Iran, the conflict is also reshaping global dynamics. Rising oil prices linked to the war have placed pressure on international markets, while geopolitical tensions have strained alliances, including between the United States and European partners.

As both sides remain far apart on key issues, analysts warn that without a breakthrough in negotiations, the fragile pause in fighting could collapse, paving the way for renewed military escalation in the region.