The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria HURIWA has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sack ‘ghost ministers’ in his cabinet who are not known to be working for Nigerians despite taxpayers’ funds being used to maintain their offices.
HURIWA in a statement by its national coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, stated that less than twenty out of over 45 ministers in the Federal cabinet, have been attending to their duties while others operate like ‘ghost ministers’ with no impact on Nigerian citizens.
Onwubiko who said that President Tinubu’s appointment of 48 ministerial appointees is not a good record as it could worsen governance cost, also called for the downsizing of the Federal cabinet to enhance reduction in the cost of governance due to high living costs for most Nigerians and over 133 million multidimensionally poor households.
‘’The government cannot continue to remain adamant and insensitive to the clarion calls for downsizing of the Federal cabinet and cut down the cost of governance but instead has kept an over-bloated cabinet that could cost Nigeria a whooping N23.4 as a year salary for the huge bureaucracy.’’
The group also lamented the deterioration in service delivery by members of the Federal Executive Council constituted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
HURIWA recalled that some cabinet level ministers have gone underground even as two ministers – Lola Ade-John of the Ministry of Tourism and Hannatu Musawa of the Ministry of Art, Culture and Creative Economy – have been missing since they were sworn into office by President Bola Tinubu in August.
It was reported that Ms Ade-John was seriously ill contrary to claims made by her ministry which downplayed her health condition.
HURIWA urged President Tinubu to carry out a quick cabinet shake-up aimed at dropping ‘ghosts’ from his administration so resources can be conserved and invested in human capital development, education infrastructure and economic empowerment programs for severely impoverished households across Nigeria.
