ABUJA — A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Kebbi State governorship candidate, Mallam Salihu Isa Nataro, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reshuffle his cabinet, insisting that several underperforming ministers are slowing down the administration’s progress ahead of the 2027 elections.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, Nataro, a public finance expert, said while Tinubu’s economic reforms were yielding “tremendous results,” only a radical overhaul of the Federal Executive Council could reinvigorate the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“The President has recorded tremendous achievements alone, without adequate complementary helping hands from his cabinet, where about 85 per cent of them do not know enough about his policy directions, but rather sitting down like dead horses in a jungle,” Nataro said.
He advised Tinubu not to retain any minister whose continued stay could undermine the administration’s credibility. Referring pointedly to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, Nataro urged the President to consider redeploying him if security assessments showed that his presence posed reputational risks.
The APC stalwart further recommended that Wike’s successor should review and possibly revoke some of the land allocations granted under his tenure to ease public tension and strengthen transparency in land administration.
On the economy, Nataro commended Tinubu’s international outreach, saying Nigeria was already witnessing renewed inflows of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). He also backed the President’s decision to promote local production of military hardware and infrastructure, but urged him to prioritize food security over excessive military spending.
He recalled that after his earlier call for focus on food sufficiency, an Air Force strike in Katsina mistakenly killed villagers during a wedding, worsening public frustration.
“The masses that blame President Tinubu for hunger do so due to lack of adequate information to rural areas about the true situation of government policies,” he explained.
Nataro also took aim at some state governors, accusing them of mismanaging increased federal allocations. “Some of the governors have refused to channel the money to areas of need and priority projects, while the masses continue to wallow in poverty,” he said.
The reform advocate commended Aliko Dangote for acknowledging Tinubu’s foresight as Lagos governor, which he said laid the groundwork for the establishment of the Dangote Refinery.
On the GMO debate, Nataro urged Nigerians to embrace scientific innovation rather than emulate Burkina Faso’s military ruler, Ibrahim Traoré, who opposed it. He stressed that adopting biotechnology was key to repositioning Nigeria as a digital economy.
He further advised Tinubu to sustain zero tolerance for corruption and remain receptive to constructive criticism from public intellectuals such as Sam Amadi, Bolaji Akinyemi, and Farooq Kperogi.
“Tinubu is a listening President,” Nataro said, expressing optimism that a reshuffled cabinet of competent technocrats and reform-driven politicians would help consolidate the administration’s achievements and boost its chances of continuity beyond 2027.
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