President Bola Tinubu is on the verge of reshuffling his cabinet, as strong indications suggest that he has finalized a list of ministers to retain and others to drop. This long-anticipated shakeup comes in response to growing pressure from within his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), as well as the public, following last August’s nationwide protests over economic hardship.

Sources within the Presidency revealed that Tinubu had completed the list and was expected to release it on Thursday night. However, despite expectations, he opted to delay the announcement after arriving in the UK for a two-week working leave, which began on October 2.

Facing criticism over the performance of some ministers, Tinubu has previously issued warnings about underperformance. Still, his cabinet has largely remained unchanged, aside from suspending the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, in early 2024. According to insiders, this reshuffle is expected to go beyond mere portfolio swaps, with reports indicating that some ministries, including the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, could be scrapped or merged.

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At a three-day retreat for his cabinet members last November, Tinubu had set up a Central Delivery Coordination Unit to monitor and evaluate the performance of ministers and other top government officials. “If you are performing, there’s nothing to fear,” Tinubu assured. “But if no performance, you leave us. The buck stops here.”

Although a reshuffle was speculated earlier in the year, officials have remained tight-lipped about specific changes. Some anonymous sources revealed that while Tinubu was initially ready to release the new list of ministers on Thursday, he decided to review it further. “We are just waiting for the go-ahead,” one source shared, adding that Tinubu may still be contemplating changes to the list.

The Presidency had previously confirmed that the reshuffle would be based on performance data collected by the Central Delivery Coordination Unit. With the president on leave in the UK until October 16, his final decisions on the cabinet remain eagerly anticipated.