T he Presidency has revealed that President Bola Tinubu’s recent directive for periodic press briefings by cabinet members stems from the failure of some ministers to properly account for their activities.
On Tuesday, the Federal Government announced that ministers would begin holding regular press briefings starting next week to keep Nigerians informed about government policies and initiatives.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made this known in Abuja, stating that Tinubu had instructed all ministers to engage with the public regularly to enhance transparency and accountability.
According to Idris, the briefings will serve as a platform for ministers to discuss major developments in their ministries, address public concerns, and combat misinformation.
“In 2024, we hosted 25 ministers at these briefings and reached millions of people in Nigeria and abroad through traditional and digital media platforms,” Idris said. “This year, 2025, is a year of consolidation—a year for building on the gains we have seen in the first 19 months of the administration.”
The minister’s announcement has fueled speculation that the directive may be a precursor to a cabinet reshuffle ahead of Tinubu’s second anniversary in office.
Ahead of his first anniversary, Tinubu had previously instructed all 47 ministers to present their performance reports to Nigerians, a move some analysts saw as a subtle assessment of their effectiveness.
However, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, dismissed the speculation, insisting that the directive simply reinforced the President’s commitment to accountability.
“The President has always insisted that ministers should render accounts. People want to know what they have been doing, but not all of them have been doing so.
“By asking them now to come forward and speak, the Information Minister is merely implementing what the President has consistently emphasized—that the public deserves to know what each minister is doing. This has nothing to do with a reassessment or a cabinet reshuffle,” Onanuga explained.
A source close to the President, who spoke on condition of anonymity, supported Onanuga’s position, stating that the periodic briefings are unrelated to any performance reassessment or potential cabinet changes.
“This is nothing new. They have been doing it before, and this is just a reiteration. What I can tell you is that it cannot serve as a basis for assessment because the evaluation parameters are entirely different,” the source stated.
Agboola Aluko, reporting for GLiDE NEWS.
0 Comments