Nigerian President Sacks Two Ministers in Rare Reshuffle

For the first time in the over six years old administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, two ministers lost their jobs and two others were redeployed. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Mohammed Sabo Nanono and his counterpart from the Ministry of Power, Sale Mamman were fired in order to “improve economic management and the delivery of public services,” This Day reports.

Saleh Mamman was replaced as power minister by Abubakar Aliyu, the minister of state for works and housing, while Mohammed Sabo Nanono was replaced as agriculture minister by Mohammad Abubakar, his counterpart at the environment ministry.

The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party described the president’s actions as an attempt to mask his failure in office.

High food price inflation has been a persistent problem in Nigeria since the economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The World Bank has warned that millions of Nigerians were being tipped into poverty and even food insecurity because of steep rises in the prices of staple goods. Electricity supply, a perennial problem in the country, remains erratic, with daily power cuts lasting hours a fact of life even in the most developed urban areas.