By Olusegun Emmanuel, Abuja.
President Goodluck Jonathan has fired minister of sports Mr. Bolaji Abdullahi. Sources told Newsinvestigators that more are likely to be sacked in the reorganisation that is being carried out within the Executive arm of government.
He has been replaced by Tamuno Danagogo from Rivers state.
Newsinvestigators had exclusively reported that President Jonathan would sack some of his ministers today even as he planned to swear in new ones.
Analysts see the sacking of Abdullahi who was a nominated to Jonathan by Senator Bukola Saraki in 2011 as a major victory and incentive to the Peoples Democratic Party PDP in Kwara who had made several complaints the former sports minister who they alleged had his loyalty to the Bukola despite the latter’s defection to opposition All Progressive Congress APC.
PDP stakeholders in Kwara also alleged that Abdullahi was not identifying with them for fear of not offending Bukola his benefactor.
Only yesterday, the Senate Committee on Sports threatened zero allocation to Abdullahi’s sports ministry for his failure to appear before it, offering him a next Tuesday deadline to appear or have the 2014 budgetary allocation for the ministry suspended.
Sources said he was on his way to Poland to attend an in-door sporting event when his sack was announced.
Meanwhile, the President has sworn in new ministers.
Former Minister of Defence in the Obasanjo administration, Gen. Aliyu Gusau (Zamfara), returned as new Minister of Defence, while former High Commissioner to Ghana, Musiliu Obanikoro was named Minister of State Defence.
Others are Boni Haruna, former Governor of Adamawa, now Minister for Youth Development; former House Majority Leader, Mohammed Wakil was named Minister of State Power, Alhaji Abduljelili Adesiyan (Osun) was named Minister of Police Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali (Kano) is now Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi (Akwa Ibom) is now Minister of Land and Housing and Lawrencia Laraba Mallam (Kaduna State) was named Minister of Environment.
