On Monday, October 23, 2024, a big shake-up happened in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet, and one of the people affected was Abdullahi Gwarzo, the former Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development. He didn’t take it quietly.
Gwarzo was dismissed along with four other ministers: Uju-Ken Ohanenye, the Minister of Women Affairs; Lola Ade-John, the Minister of Tourism; Prof. Tahir Mamman, the Minister of Education; and Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim, the Minister of Youth Development.
While many people might have accepted the decision, Gwarzo wasn’t happy about being let go. He told BBC Hausa on Thursday, October 25, that he was shocked because he didn’t think he had done anything wrong. “I was surprised because I wasn’t found guilty of any wrongdoing or poor performance,” he said.
Gwarzo explained that the President had told him about the decision before it became public. “He said Kano North had too many political officers, and so they needed to balance things out. We gave advice, but it wasn’t listened to,” Gwarzo added.
The former minister suspected that other people had influenced the decision. “To me, that didn’t seem like a good enough reason,” Gwarzo said. “If the job was meant for Kano Central, then we have a leader there, Gawuna, who could take the position. If he doesn’t want it, then someone else could take the spot.”
Gwarzo also pointed out that many people who ran for governor in other states like Plateau and Zamfara were given important roles. “Why not consider Gawuna first?” he asked.
Gwarzo’s comments have raised a lot of questions, and it seems that the cabinet shake-up has created more confusion than answers.
