21st May, 2025
News desk
*President may get ministers’ new assessment report this week, low-performing ministries under pressure
With President Bola Tinubu’s second anniversary in office just days away, the Central Results Delivery and Coordination Unit (CDCU) is finalising a fresh set of ministerial performance assessments for submission to the President, multiple presidency sources have confirmed.
The new scorecards, covering the first quarter of 2025, come as Tinubu’s administration approaches its mid-term milestone on May 29. The confidential report is expected to be delivered to the President this week and is already generating anxiety among underperforming ministries.
According to insiders, each ministry uploaded evidence of project execution and policy milestones to a secure CDCU portal last month. The Unit, led by Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala-Usman, has since been verifying submissions and assigning performance scores based on deliverables agreed upon during the October 2023 cabinet retreat.
Sources revealed that only a few ministries scored above average, while many recorded poor outcomes across key performance indicators. One aide stated that the Minister of Works was among the few to receive favorable assessments.
Although the President is not expected to take immediate action based on the report, the assessment will inform direct engagements with ministers and guide future reshuffles. “Officials of the CDCU have completed their assessments. The final report is now ready for the President,” one top presidency source said.
At the November 2023 Cabinet Retreat, President Tinubu had warned that ministerial appointments would be subject to quarterly reviews. “If you are performing, nothing to fear. If you miss the objective, we’ll review it. If no performance, you leave us,” he said at the time.
The CDCU, established in June 2023, is tasked with tracking key performance metrics and publishing quarterly dashboards to inform executive decisions. Its reports have already influenced cabinet changes in October 2024, including the removal and reassignment of underperforming ministers.
Speaking in February, Bala-Usman reiterated the seriousness of the exercise, stating that the reports “feed directly into presidential decisions” and had already led to mid-term adjustments in several ministries.
Meanwhile, opposition parties have intensified criticism of the administration. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and Labour Party (LP) have all decried the government’s handling of security, the economy, and governance.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, labeled the administration a “monumental failure,” blaming the President for the widespread insecurity and economic hardship. He said the government had failed in its primary responsibility of ensuring the welfare and security of citizens.
“The ministers reflect the leadership. If the government has failed, it is because the President lacks the required leadership,” Ologunagba stated.
The NNPP also called for a cabinet overhaul. Its Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, said Tinubu must bring in “new dynamic hands” to change the direction of governance. The LP similarly urged the President to sack non-performing ministers, emphasizing the need for a focus on national development.
Civil society groups have echoed similar sentiments. The Chairman of the Centre for Accountability and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, pointed to poor performance in the education, health, and security sectors, while Auwal Rafsanjani of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre criticized the government’s failure to publicly share the CDCU’s findings.
Rafsanjani also accused some ministers of focusing more on positioning for the 2027 elections than on governance. “Many ministers are working to impress the President for his second term, not to deliver on their ministerial duties,” he said.
Despite mounting pressure, presidency sources say no sackings are expected before the May 29 celebrations. However, the new assessment will serve as a basis for private reviews with ministers and guide the next round of cabinet changes.
Presidential Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the report as “a routine to keep ministers and agency heads on their toes.”
