President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has defended his decision to maintain a large cabinet despite widespread calls to reduce the cost of governance, emphasizing that efficiency and effectiveness are his primary considerations.
The president made this assertion during his maiden presidential media chat held on Monday in Ikoyi, Lagos.
Addressing concerns about the size of his cabinet, which now includes about 50 ministers following a recent reshuffle and new appointments—the largest since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999—Tinubu stated that his focus is on performance rather than numbers.
He explained that the scale of Nigeria’s challenges and its vast size necessitated the current structure of his administration.
“I’m not prepared to bring down the size of my cabinet. One, I saw the need when I put them together. You don’t give somebody an assignment that they cannot fulfil. Job description must be efficient and effective. Nigeria is a large country,” Tinubu said.
When questioned about whether all his ministers were delivering value, the president confidently challenged his interviewers to identify any member of his cabinet who was underperforming. “Effectively. Show me one, and I will argue with you,” he responded. Tinubu reiterated that efficiency and effectiveness remain the guiding principles of his administration and ruled out any plans to reduce the cabinet size.
He concluded by emphasizing that the country’s governance should prioritize results, stating, “Let’s pay attention to efficiency. I’m not ready to shrink a little bit of it.”
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