LIKE the case of Chief Mike Oghiadomhe’s sudden exit from the office
of the Chief of Staff to the President on Monday, the Federal Government
again cited the pursuit of “further political ambition” as the reason
for the departure of four ministers from his cabinet yesterday.
They are Stella Oduah (Aviation), Godsday Orubebe (Niger Delta Affairs) and Caleb Olubolade (Police Affairs). The fourth person is the Minister of State for Finance, Lawan Yarima Ngama.
But unlike the case of Oghiadomhe, the departure of the four was not backed by “resignation letter” as the Information Minister and Supervising Minister of Defence, Labaran Maku, told State House Correspondents that President Goodluck Jonathan had asked the affected ministers to go “after they have indicated their interests to pursue their political agenda.”
Apart from Oduah, who was conspicuously absent from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting yesterday, Orubebe, Olubolade and Ngama were among the early arrivals. And perhaps unaware of the impending bombshell, were seen all over the place taking part in the usual ministerial photo session before the commencement of the meeting.
Four of the remaining ministers have been drafted to take charge of the affected ministries until substantive ministers are appointed for them. Accordingly, the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Samuel Ortom, has been asked to take charge of Aviation, his counterpart in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Olajumoke Akinjide, takes charge of Police Affairs, Darius Ishaku, the Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, assumes full control of the ministry while the Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy (CME) and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was directed to combine the two portfolios until a new minister of state is appointed.
Jonathan had in September last year sacked nine ministers after a FEC meeting. There was a similar scenario yesterday. The former ministers were among the cabinet members that came for the usual FEC meeting and they were exchanging banters with their former colleagues, apparently unaware of the fate that was about to befall them.
The President did not display any emotion about the impending action, as he unusually asked the ministers to give him 30 minutes to enable him have a photo session with the appointees that he had just sworn in before the commencement of the FEC meeting.
The President said: “Distinguished members of the council, please give me 30 minutes, but make yourselves comfortable with some tea and coffee.”
Olubolade was the first of the former ministers to leave the cabinet meeting even before it was concluded. Before he came out of the chamber, a top source had confirmed the anxiety of State House correspondents that the President had indeed dropped the bombshell over the four ministers.
Maku said: “Also today (yesterday), the President announced further changes in the Federal Executive Council. He said a number of ministers had been asked to step out of the Federal Executive Council to further their own interest, some in politics and others in their own private focus.
“Clearly, what the President did today was to allow ministers who have indicated interest in pursuing further goals in the polity, in the economy and in the life of the country to be allowed to go.
“Those asked by the President to go include the following: Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Yerima Ngama; Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade (rtd); Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe and Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Oduah.
“In announcing his acceptance of their decision to participate in the polity, the President thanked them very sincerely for the great job they have done, in helping the government realise the goals that have been achieved under the transformation agenda. The President believes that they have done so well for this administration and was generally happy with what they have done, particularly in their various sectors to help the administration realise the goals we have seen today in the results we have arrived under the transformation programme of the government.
“The President also further explained contrary to some insinuations in some quarters, that our colleague, the former Chief of Staff, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe, was asked to go because of alleged involvement in alleged NNPC fraud. The President explained that contrary to these insinuations which came from the social media and were also replicated in some regular media, Chief Oghiadomhe left to pursue further interest in politics.
“The office of the Chief of Staff does not supervise the NNPC, it has no direct correlation with the NNPC and he said if Chief Oghiadomhe left because of the alleged NNPC fraud, then it will suggest that there would have been people that were involved with him and those people too would have gone.
“So, contrary to these speculations, the President asked him to go when he offered to resign to pursue interest in politics. Politics is very verse, so the President made it very clear that the resignation of the former Chief of Staff has nothing to do with alleged misdemeanor in NNPC but rather purely the decision of the former Chief of Staff to withdraw his services to participate in politics.
“Today, the President asked the following ministers to take charge of the ministries: The Minister of State for Trade, Industry and Investment, Samuel Ortom, to supervise the Ministry of Aviation, until the substantive appointment of an Aviation of Minister.
“The Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, already has a Minister of State, Darius Ishaku, in the Ministry of Finance of course, the CME is already in charge. For the Ministry of Police Affairs, the President asked the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Olajumoke Akinjide, to take charge.”
On whether the ministers would be asked to go in batches since many others in the cabinet have political ambitions, Maku said: “That is left for the President to decide. I am not the President but I believe sincerely that it depends on what they have communicated to the President. He does not just take those decisions in isolation.”
Asked to clarify if the ministers resigned or were asked to step down, he said: “The President said he had asked them to go because of their interest. They have indicated interest in pursuing higher and deeper interest in the polity and so he has decided to allow them go and pursue those interests. You have to get that correctly so that you won’t go and say something like it was said in the case of the former Chief of Staff.”
On whether the President asked Oduah to go based on the report on the N255 million car scam of the committee he set up to investigate her, Maku said: “I have just reported exactly what the President said. Also, don’t forget an allegation doesn’t necessarily mean guilt and I think the press should always be patient. But the truth of the matter is that they left because they indicated interest in playing deeper roles in the politics of the country and the President has decided to let them go.”
Yesterday too, Jonathan advised people holding sensitive positions to guard their public utterances, saying such persons should see their positions in the overall interest of entire Nigerians and not a section of the country.
The President also tasked the anti-corruption agencies in the country to show their performance before the public, noting that it was the only way the society could appreciate their duties.
Towards this end, he challenged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) to make ordinary Nigerians feel the impact of their activities.
The President made the remarks while swearing in some recently-confirmed nominees for the National Population Commission (NPC) and ICPC, and special advisers. While cautioning public office holders against making comments that would bring government’s policies into disrepute, the President said that they should see their positions in the larger interest of the country.
He cited the removal of the immediate past Executive Chairman of the NPC, Chief Festus Odimegwu, from that position as a result of the statements he made in the media which tended to cast doubts in the mind of the public about the sincerity of government to conduct a credible census.
Those sworn in at the Council Chambers shortly before the commencement of the weekly FEC meeting included the new Chairman of the NPC, Chief Eze Duru Ihioma (SAN), with Bala Almu Banye and Dr. Aliyu Daniel Kwali as members; Senator Suleiman Ajadi and Ambassador Fidelia Akubiata Njeze as Special Advisers on National Assembly Matters and New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) in that order and Alhaji Bako Abdullahi as a returning commissioner in the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).
The President said their appointments were coming at a critical time in the history of this country. He said they should bring their experience to help the government.
He challenged the ICPC and the EFCC to make Nigerians believe that they were working. He said: “I know what you are doing but not everybody knows what you are doing. Ordinarily, these are agencies whose activities are not supposed to be made too loud because you don’t celebrate a situation where you send 100 or 200 Nigerians to prison.
“But the society is so funny, that these days, anybody who wants to claim any element of credibility at all, will go to the television and attack government for aiding and abetting corruption.”
In a veiled reference to a recent comment by the Speaker of House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Jonathan sarcastically said: “The President’s body language shows that he is not fighting corruption or he is not ready to fight corruption.”
He noted that sometimes it was the very corrupt people that make some of these statements “because if you attack government, you are insulated, you become an angel. If you want to be seen as an angel, just attack the government, whatever you have done is covered. So, you must prove to Nigerians and show to Nigerians that you are working.
“Recently, the EFCC published the list of about 250 people they have convicted and that is a huge number of people and they said the government is not fighting corruption. How many countries have convicted half that number of people within a space of time? But before the publication, so many people did not believe that the EFCC was even going to work.”
They are Stella Oduah (Aviation), Godsday Orubebe (Niger Delta Affairs) and Caleb Olubolade (Police Affairs). The fourth person is the Minister of State for Finance, Lawan Yarima Ngama.
But unlike the case of Oghiadomhe, the departure of the four was not backed by “resignation letter” as the Information Minister and Supervising Minister of Defence, Labaran Maku, told State House Correspondents that President Goodluck Jonathan had asked the affected ministers to go “after they have indicated their interests to pursue their political agenda.”
Apart from Oduah, who was conspicuously absent from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting yesterday, Orubebe, Olubolade and Ngama were among the early arrivals. And perhaps unaware of the impending bombshell, were seen all over the place taking part in the usual ministerial photo session before the commencement of the meeting.
Four of the remaining ministers have been drafted to take charge of the affected ministries until substantive ministers are appointed for them. Accordingly, the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Samuel Ortom, has been asked to take charge of Aviation, his counterpart in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Olajumoke Akinjide, takes charge of Police Affairs, Darius Ishaku, the Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, assumes full control of the ministry while the Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy (CME) and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was directed to combine the two portfolios until a new minister of state is appointed.
Jonathan had in September last year sacked nine ministers after a FEC meeting. There was a similar scenario yesterday. The former ministers were among the cabinet members that came for the usual FEC meeting and they were exchanging banters with their former colleagues, apparently unaware of the fate that was about to befall them.
The President did not display any emotion about the impending action, as he unusually asked the ministers to give him 30 minutes to enable him have a photo session with the appointees that he had just sworn in before the commencement of the FEC meeting.
The President said: “Distinguished members of the council, please give me 30 minutes, but make yourselves comfortable with some tea and coffee.”
Olubolade was the first of the former ministers to leave the cabinet meeting even before it was concluded. Before he came out of the chamber, a top source had confirmed the anxiety of State House correspondents that the President had indeed dropped the bombshell over the four ministers.
Maku said: “Also today (yesterday), the President announced further changes in the Federal Executive Council. He said a number of ministers had been asked to step out of the Federal Executive Council to further their own interest, some in politics and others in their own private focus.
“Clearly, what the President did today was to allow ministers who have indicated interest in pursuing further goals in the polity, in the economy and in the life of the country to be allowed to go.
“Those asked by the President to go include the following: Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Yerima Ngama; Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade (rtd); Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe and Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Oduah.
“In announcing his acceptance of their decision to participate in the polity, the President thanked them very sincerely for the great job they have done, in helping the government realise the goals that have been achieved under the transformation agenda. The President believes that they have done so well for this administration and was generally happy with what they have done, particularly in their various sectors to help the administration realise the goals we have seen today in the results we have arrived under the transformation programme of the government.
“The President also further explained contrary to some insinuations in some quarters, that our colleague, the former Chief of Staff, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe, was asked to go because of alleged involvement in alleged NNPC fraud. The President explained that contrary to these insinuations which came from the social media and were also replicated in some regular media, Chief Oghiadomhe left to pursue further interest in politics.
“The office of the Chief of Staff does not supervise the NNPC, it has no direct correlation with the NNPC and he said if Chief Oghiadomhe left because of the alleged NNPC fraud, then it will suggest that there would have been people that were involved with him and those people too would have gone.
“So, contrary to these speculations, the President asked him to go when he offered to resign to pursue interest in politics. Politics is very verse, so the President made it very clear that the resignation of the former Chief of Staff has nothing to do with alleged misdemeanor in NNPC but rather purely the decision of the former Chief of Staff to withdraw his services to participate in politics.
“Today, the President asked the following ministers to take charge of the ministries: The Minister of State for Trade, Industry and Investment, Samuel Ortom, to supervise the Ministry of Aviation, until the substantive appointment of an Aviation of Minister.
“The Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, already has a Minister of State, Darius Ishaku, in the Ministry of Finance of course, the CME is already in charge. For the Ministry of Police Affairs, the President asked the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Olajumoke Akinjide, to take charge.”
On whether the ministers would be asked to go in batches since many others in the cabinet have political ambitions, Maku said: “That is left for the President to decide. I am not the President but I believe sincerely that it depends on what they have communicated to the President. He does not just take those decisions in isolation.”
Asked to clarify if the ministers resigned or were asked to step down, he said: “The President said he had asked them to go because of their interest. They have indicated interest in pursuing higher and deeper interest in the polity and so he has decided to allow them go and pursue those interests. You have to get that correctly so that you won’t go and say something like it was said in the case of the former Chief of Staff.”
On whether the President asked Oduah to go based on the report on the N255 million car scam of the committee he set up to investigate her, Maku said: “I have just reported exactly what the President said. Also, don’t forget an allegation doesn’t necessarily mean guilt and I think the press should always be patient. But the truth of the matter is that they left because they indicated interest in playing deeper roles in the politics of the country and the President has decided to let them go.”
Yesterday too, Jonathan advised people holding sensitive positions to guard their public utterances, saying such persons should see their positions in the overall interest of entire Nigerians and not a section of the country.
The President also tasked the anti-corruption agencies in the country to show their performance before the public, noting that it was the only way the society could appreciate their duties.
Towards this end, he challenged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) to make ordinary Nigerians feel the impact of their activities.
The President made the remarks while swearing in some recently-confirmed nominees for the National Population Commission (NPC) and ICPC, and special advisers. While cautioning public office holders against making comments that would bring government’s policies into disrepute, the President said that they should see their positions in the larger interest of the country.
He cited the removal of the immediate past Executive Chairman of the NPC, Chief Festus Odimegwu, from that position as a result of the statements he made in the media which tended to cast doubts in the mind of the public about the sincerity of government to conduct a credible census.
Those sworn in at the Council Chambers shortly before the commencement of the weekly FEC meeting included the new Chairman of the NPC, Chief Eze Duru Ihioma (SAN), with Bala Almu Banye and Dr. Aliyu Daniel Kwali as members; Senator Suleiman Ajadi and Ambassador Fidelia Akubiata Njeze as Special Advisers on National Assembly Matters and New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) in that order and Alhaji Bako Abdullahi as a returning commissioner in the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).
The President said their appointments were coming at a critical time in the history of this country. He said they should bring their experience to help the government.
He challenged the ICPC and the EFCC to make Nigerians believe that they were working. He said: “I know what you are doing but not everybody knows what you are doing. Ordinarily, these are agencies whose activities are not supposed to be made too loud because you don’t celebrate a situation where you send 100 or 200 Nigerians to prison.
“But the society is so funny, that these days, anybody who wants to claim any element of credibility at all, will go to the television and attack government for aiding and abetting corruption.”
In a veiled reference to a recent comment by the Speaker of House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Jonathan sarcastically said: “The President’s body language shows that he is not fighting corruption or he is not ready to fight corruption.”
He noted that sometimes it was the very corrupt people that make some of these statements “because if you attack government, you are insulated, you become an angel. If you want to be seen as an angel, just attack the government, whatever you have done is covered. So, you must prove to Nigerians and show to Nigerians that you are working.
“Recently, the EFCC published the list of about 250 people they have convicted and that is a huge number of people and they said the government is not fighting corruption. How many countries have convicted half that number of people within a space of time? But before the publication, so many people did not believe that the EFCC was even going to work.”