Tinubu filled Cabinet with cronies, friend’s girlfriends, sister’s and wife’s friends – Ex-SGF, Lawal

Babachir Lawal and President Bola Tinubu

The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has faulted President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet members, saying that only two or three out of the 46 ministers are competent and the rest are the President’s cronies.

Speaking in an interview on Arise News Television on Wednesday, Lawal said that only the Minister of Work, David Umahi, Minister of Finance, Mr Wale Edu, and partially Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, are competent while the rest are Tinubu’s friends, friends’ girlfriends and sister’s and wife’s friends.

The former SGF said that he was President Tinubu’s long-time friend and he predicted those who would be appointed to various positions in the President’s administration even when they were not qualified for the positions.

Lawal said, “Ab initio, we were friends with Bola Tinubu for many years, and I know the people around him, and I had the suspicion that based on my knowledge of some of his friends, I had an idea of who will occupy such position and what is going to do.

“When he announced his cabinet of 46, to be sincere, I only acknowledge two people as being competent, and I phoned those two people and congratulated them and confessed to them that I consider them round peg in round holes.

“The first was David Umahi, who is the Minister of Work. Before David Umahi became the governor, he was a civil engineering contractor building roads and buildings. So, I considered him a round peg in a round hole.

“The second person I thought is a round peg in a round hole is the Minister of Finance, Mr Wale Edu, and I also congratulated him.”

“On the basis of what he has been doing in the past, the Minister of Education from my state was a Vice Chancellor of a university.

“He has been in academia all his life but as being a Minister of Education, I don’t know, I think he too is a round peg in a round hole.

“That is my assessment of the government. The rest are just cronies, friend’s friend, my friend’s girlfriend, my sister’s and my wife’s friends and all that. They are all over in the cabinet.”