Northern leaders urge Tinubu to reshuffle cabinet, replace security chiefs

The Northern Ethnic National Forum (NENF), a coalition representing leaders across the 19 northern states, has asked President Bola  Tinubu to urgently reorganize his cabinet, overhaul the nation’s security leadership, and intensify reforms, cautioning that Nigeria is in the grip of a “multi-dimensional crisis” that requires swift intervention.

Speaking after what it described as “exhaustive consultations,” the Forum’s convener, Dr. Dominic Alancha, said the administration’s current approach was inadequate to tackle the pressing challenges confronting citizens, particularly in the North.

“While we acknowledge the boldness of the administration’s initial steps, the escalating crisis facing the nation demands immediate, decisive, and transformative action,” Alancha said.

The group criticized what it termed the “glaring underperformance” of several cabinet members, warning that their lack of competence and political influence was undermining Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.

“A ministerial appointment is not merely a reward for loyalty; it is a critical assignment to drive the President’s vision,” Alancha declared.

“Many current ministers have demonstrated a profound inability to translate policy into tangible results, connect with the grassroots, or build the political goodwill necessary to solidify the administration’s standing.”

The Forum called on Tinubu to “immediately initiate a comprehensive dissolution and reshuffle of the Federal Executive Council,” and replace underperformers with people of “proven integrity, exceptional capability, and significant political influence.

“Nigeria needs a cabinet of doers, thinkers, and political strategists, not a cabinet of spectators,” it insisted.

On security, the Forum painted a grim picture of conditions in the region, alleging that bandits, terrorists, and kidnappers continue to act with impunity.
“Daily, our communities are ravaged… farmers are unable to access their fields, and our highways have become death traps,” Alancha lamented. “Our livelihoods have been taken away from us. This is unacceptable.”

The group accused Service Chiefs of failing to deliver results despite “enormous resources allocated with innocent taxpayers’ money.”

“Their tenure has been marked by an alarming increase in audacious attacks and a palpable sense of despair among our people,” it said.

NENF demanded the immediate removal of all Service Chiefs, the appointment of new military leaders with “a clear mandate and a timeline for delivering measurable results,” and the declaration of a state of emergency on security across the North.

Despite its criticisms, the Forum praised Tinubu’s economic reforms, notably the removal of fuel subsidy and efforts to harmonize foreign exchange rates.

“We recognize that these decisions, though painful, are aimed at establishing a foundation for sustainable long-term growth,” it said.

Even so, the Forum stressed that Nigerians were facing severe hardship and urged the President to “move beyond the initial reforms and embark on a phase of deep consolidation.”

That phase, it argued, must involve quicker rollout of palliatives, greater investment in agriculture and manufacturing, and improvements in electricity, transportation, and infrastructure.

The Forum further urged Tinubu to show solidarity with struggling citizens.

“The Nigerian people are suffering… The people feel a profound disconnect between their daily realities and the assurances from your Abuja office,” Alancha said.

“This requires more than speeches; it demands demonstrable austerity from government — a clear show that leadership is also feeling the pinch.”

The Forum emphasized that its intervention was motivated by patriotism, not politics.

“Our call today is born out of patriotism, not malice; out of a desire for success, not failure,” the group said. “We supported the President’s ambition and we desire to support him again in 2027, but that support is contingent on effective, empathetic, and decisive governance.”

It ended with a stark caution: “The time for action is now. The survival and prosperity of our nation, particularly the beleaguered North, hang in the balance.”