President Bola Tinubu declared on Monday that he was not prepared to reduce the size of his cabinet.
He made the declaration in response to a question during his maiden presidential media.
The cabinet is made up of 45 ministers. They were inaugurated in August 2023.
It is the highest number of ministers since Nigeria’s return to civilian rule in 1999.
The cabinet had recently undergone some changes.
Three more ministers were added in October 2023, bringing the total to 48, and a year later, a reshuffle led to five ministers being removed, seven new ones appointed, and 10 cabinet members received new portfolios.
Despite criticisms about the size of his cabinet, Tinubu believed that every single member played a vital role in pursuing the vision of the administration.
“I’m not prepared to bring down the size of my cabinet. I saw the need before I put them together,” he said.
“You don’t give somebody an assignment that they cannot fulfil. No. The job description must be efficient and effective.
“Nigeria is a large country. If you are to entertain over 200 million (people), just on entertainment. Calculate how many stewards you would require.
“Let’s pay attention to efficiency. Efficiency and effectiveness are the hallmarks of the philosophy behind that cabinet.
“I’m not ready to shrink a little bit of it. I need them. Show me one (that is not adding value).”
