BREAKING NEWS: Jonathan appoints Wike interim Education Minister; Maku to oversee Defence. Reshuffle's Cabinet

President Goodluck Jonathan has said that there is no political undertone for the sacking of the ministers, who were relieved of their duties.

In what can now be seen as a Cabinet Reshuffle, the President has deployed some Ministers who survived today’s cabinet shake-up to oversee the activities of the ministries whose ministers were sacked Wednesday, the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, has said.

Mr. Maku said the president gave the directive through the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Anyim Pius Anyim.

Mr. Maku, who briefed Journalists after the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council, FEC announced that he had been asked to supervise the Ministry of Defence, while the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike was assigned to oversee the Ministry of Education.

The Minister of State for Niger Delta Development, Darius Ishaku, will oversee the Ministry of Environment, while the Minister of Solid Mineral Development, Musa Sada, was assigned to oversee the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, just as Minister of Communication Technology, Omobola Johnson was assigned to oversee the Ministry of Science and Technology, vacated by Ita Ewa Okon.
The Minister of state, Works, Bashir Yuguda, was assigned to oversee the Ministry of National Planning following the sack of the longest serving cabinet member, Shamsudeen Usman, who was first appointed Minister by late President Umaru Yaradua.

Mr. Maku also announced that the Ministers of Agriculture, Akinwumi Adesina and Power, Chinedu Nebo were directed to take charge of their ministries alone pending appointment of new ministers of state.

The information minister quoted President Jonathan as thanking the removed  Ministers for their service to their fatherland, and saying he would continue to engage them in “the implementation of the Transformation Agenda”.

Justifying the sack of the cabinet members, the president, according to Mr. Maku, explained that it was necessary that  ”government is retooled from time to time to bring new lease of life to an administration”.