The Presidency has revealed that President Bola Tinubu’s directive for periodic press briefings by cabinet members stems from some ministers’ failure to account for their activities.
On Tuesday, the Federal Government announced that ministers would begin hosting regular press briefings next week to inform Nigerians about government policies and actions. The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made this disclosure in Abuja, explaining that Tinubu mandated all ministers to engage with the public consistently to uphold transparency and accountability.
Idris emphasized that the initiative aims to provide a platform for ministers to highlight key developments in their ministries, address public concerns, and counter 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,” he stated.
“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,” Idris added.
The announcement has sparked speculation that the directive may be a precursor to a cabinet reshuffle ahead of Tinubu’s second anniversary in office. Some analysts believe it may serve as a performance review mechanism to assess ministers’ effectiveness.
Before marking his first anniversary in office, Tinubu had ordered all 47 ministers at the time to publicly present their performance reports. In May 2024, Idris confirmed that the President’s first-anniversary activities would feature sectoral media briefings by ministers instead of elaborate celebrations.
However, when Tinubu eventually reshuffled his cabinet in October 2024, only five ministers were removed, while 10 others were reassigned to different portfolios. Some allegedly underperforming ministers retained their positions, raising concerns about the effectiveness of the reshuffle.
With Tinubu’s second anniversary approaching, many observers see the fresh directive as a possible indication of another round of ministerial reassessments. However, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, dismissed such speculations, clarifying that the directive only reinforces Tinubu’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.
“It is simply about ensuring that all ministers provide periodic updates on their activities,” Onanuga explained.
A separate source close to the President, who spoke anonymously, echoed Onanuga’s stance, stressing that the briefings should not be misconstrued as a performance evaluation tool.
“I don’t believe it’s about assessment. 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 said.
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