Tinubu's Ministers: Who Failed Nigeria?The Good, The Bad & The Disappointing

...As insecurity spreads, electricity remains epileptic and food prices bite harder, some ministers can point to reforms and projects. Others are struggling to explain why the problems they were appointed to solve remain unsolved...

The promises were bold.

A stronger economy.
More jobs.
Cheaper and more reliable electricity.
Food security.
Improved security.
Better roads.
Affordable housing.
A more efficient government.

But three years into President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, Nigeria faces a brutal question:

Are The Ministers Delivering — Or Are They Simply Managing Failure?

The Federal Executive Council has had its share of activity.

There have been reforms, road projects, new policies, international agreements, digital platforms, investment announcements and countless official briefings.

But Nigerians are not measuring government by the number of press conferences held in Abuja.

They are measuring it at the filling station.

At the market.

At the generator.

On the highway.

In the classroom.

At the hospital.

And, increasingly, in fear of kidnapping and armed attacks.

That is where the government's report card becomes much less comfortable.

The Ministers Who Delivered

Not every member of the cabinet deserves condemnation.

Some ministers have actually demonstrated what aggressive public-sector reform can look like.

1. BOSUN TIJANI — THE DIGITAL DISRUPTOR

If the Tinubu cabinet has a minister who appears to understand where the global economy is going, it is Bosun Tijani.

The Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy Ministry has become one of the administration's most energetic reform centres.

Digital skills.
Artificial intelligence.
Broadband.
Technology talent.
Digital government.

These are not glamorous political projects.

But they could become some of Nigeria's most important long-term investments.

The question now is whether the millions being trained will become millions earning.

Because certificates do not feed families.

VERDICT: DELIVERED — BUT THE JOBS TEST REMAINS.

2. TUNJI-OJO — WHEN GOVERNMENT ACTUALLY WORKS

Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has achieved something Nigerians rarely associate with government:

service improvement.

Passport processing has become faster and more organised.

Immigration systems have been pushed toward digitalisation.

Prison decongestion and correctional reforms have received greater attention.

For ordinary Nigerians, this matters.

Government does not have to be revolutionary to earn public approval.

Sometimes it simply needs to stop frustrating citizens.

VERDICT: ONE OF THE CABINET'S CLEAR WINNERS.

3. DELE ALAKE — DIGGING FOR THE GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY

For decades, Nigeria has been sitting on mineral wealth while remaining obsessed with crude oil.

Minister of Solid Minerals Dele Alake has attempted to change that narrative.

Gold refining.

Lithium processing.

Formalisation of artisanal mining.

Investment.

Local value addition.

The opportunity is enormous.

But Nigerians have heard promises about mineral wealth before.

The real test is whether Nigeria eventually exports finished and processed minerals, not just raw resources.

VERDICT: PROMISING AND DELIVERING — BUT THE BIG PAYOFF IS STILL AHEAD.

4. OYETOLA — THE BLUE ECONOMY THAT MAY ACTUALLY BE TURNING BLUE

The Marine and Blue Economy portfolio has quietly become one of the more interesting parts of the government.

Revenue has reportedly risen dramatically.

Port and maritime reforms have intensified.

The ministry is trying to turn Nigeria's coastline and maritime assets into an economic engine.

This is precisely the kind of diversification Nigeria has talked about for years.

VERDICT: DELIVERING.

5. UTSÉV — THE MINISTER WHO DOESN'T GET ENOUGH HEADLINES

Water rarely dominates Nigerian political headlines.

Perhaps that is why Joseph Utsev's work has received less attention than it deserves.

Thousands of water projects have reportedly been constructed or rehabilitated.

Irrigation, dams, sanitation and rural water infrastructure have received attention.

But there is a familiar Nigerian problem:

How many of these projects will still work five years from now?

A borehole is not a success if it stops pumping six months later.

VERDICT: GOOD PROGRESS, BUT SUSTAINABILITY MUST BE PROVED.

6. WIKE — THE MAN WHO TURNED ABUJA INTO A CONSTRUCTION SITE

Love him or hate him, Nyesom Wike has been difficult to ignore.

Roads.

Bridges.

Interchanges.

District infrastructure.

Urban renewal.

The Federal Capital Territory has become the administration's most visible infrastructure showcase.

Wike's defenders call it delivery.

His critics question the social cost of aggressive urban redevelopment.

Both arguments deserve scrutiny.

But one thing is difficult to deny:

Something is happening in Abuja.

VERDICT: DELIVERED — WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL COST.

THE MINISTERS IN THE GREY ZONE

These are the ministers who cannot fairly be called failures — but cannot yet be declared winners.

AGRICULTURE: KYARI'S BIG FOOD TEST

Minister Abubakar Kyari can point to farmer registration, fertiliser support, agricultural programmes and attempts to boost production.

But Nigerians have another scoreboard.

The price of rice.

The price of tomatoes.

The price of yam.

The price of bread.

The administration promised food security.

Yet millions of Nigerians continue to struggle to afford basic food.

A farmer receiving subsidised fertiliser is useful.

But if food remains unaffordable, the mission has not been completed.

VERDICT: MIXED.

HEALTH: PATE AGAINST A BROKEN SYSTEM

Muhammad Ali Pate may be one of the cabinet's strongest technocrats.

The problem is that he inherited a health system with enormous structural weaknesses.

Hospitals lack equipment.

Doctors and nurses leave.

Poor Nigerians struggle to afford treatment.

Maternal and child mortality remain serious concerns.

Pate can reform systems.

But reform cannot substitute for adequate financing.

VERDICT: PROMISING MINISTER, INADEQUATE SYSTEM.

EDUCATION: WHERE IS THE REVOLUTION?

Education Minister Tunji Alausa has launched reforms and expanded attention to student financing and technical education.

But Nigeria's education crisis remains frightening.

Millions of children remain outside school.

Many who attend school do not acquire adequate foundational skills.

Universities remain under pressure.

Insecurity continues to threaten education in vulnerable communities.

The country does not need another education policy document.

It needs children who can read, write, calculate and compete.

VERDICT: UNDERPERFORMING AGAINST THE SCALE OF THE CRISIS.

WORKS: ROADS, ROADS EVERYWHERE — BUT ARE WE MOVING FASTER?

Minister David Umahi has been one of the administration's most visible infrastructure ministers.

Concrete roads.

Highways.

Bridges.

Rehabilitation.

Projects across the federation.

But Nigerians should resist the temptation to measure infrastructure by the number of projects commissioned.

The real questions are:

Are journeys faster?

Are logistics costs falling?

Are roads lasting?

Are farmers reaching markets?

Are businesses spending less on transportation?

Until those answers become clear, the verdict remains mixed.

VERDICT: ACTIVE, BUT NOT YET TRANSFORMATIONAL.

THE BIG FAILURES

And now we come to the portfolios where the government faces its greatest embarrassment.

POWER: STILL WAITING FOR THE LIGHT

This may be the cabinet's simplest test.

Where is the electricity?

Nigeria has talked about power reform for decades.

There have been new tariffs.

New policies.

New investments.

New promises.

New committees.

But millions of Nigerians still run generators.

Businesses still spend heavily on diesel and petrol.

Factories still complain about electricity costs.

Households still experience long outages.

The power minister can explain the structural problems.

But the consumer wants only one explanation:

WHY IS MY LIGHT STILL NOT RELIABLE?

That is the ultimate scorecard.

VERDICT: UNDERPERFORMING.

PETROLEUM: HOW CAN AN OIL GIANT STILL HAVE AN ENERGY CRISIS?

This is perhaps Nigeria's greatest national contradiction.

A country blessed with enormous oil and gas resources still struggles with:

crude production;
refinery capacity;
fuel affordability;
pipeline theft;
gas supply;
investment;
energy security.

The Petroleum Ministry has pursued reforms.

But reforms are not enough.

Nigeria needs production.

Nigeria needs refining.

Nigeria needs gas.

Nigeria needs investment.

And Nigerians need the benefits of the country's natural resources to become visible in their daily lives.

VERDICT: MAJOR POLICY ACTIVITY, INSUFFICIENT OUTCOME.

DEFENCE: THE MOST PAINFUL FAILURE

No ministry faces a more important responsibility than Defence.

The military has recorded battlefield successes.

Soldiers have made enormous sacrifices.

But the national security question is not:

How many operations were conducted?

It is:

CAN NIGERIANS LIVE WITHOUT FEAR?

Kidnappings continue.

Banditry continues.

Terrorist attacks continue.

Rural communities remain vulnerable.

Farmers remain afraid.

Travellers remain anxious.

Parents worry about schools.

Thousands of Nigerians were reportedly kidnapped between July 2025 and June 2026.

That statistic should terrify every government official.

A government can win battles and still lose the war for public confidence.

VERDICT: THE CABINET'S MOST SERIOUS UNDERPERFORMANCE.

POLICE AFFAIRS: THE EMERGENCY THAT WAS YEARS IN THE MAKING

Nigeria's police system remains badly stretched.

Too few personnel.

Poor equipment.

Intelligence challenges.

Weak public confidence.

Slow response.

And an increasingly sophisticated criminal environment.

The government's decision to declare a national security emergency and increase police recruitment demonstrated just how serious the problem had become.

The question is:

Why did it take a crisis to trigger an emergency response?

VERDICT: FAILED TO MATCH THE SCALE OF THE SECURITY CHALLENGE.

HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS: THE MINISTRY CHASING A CRISIS THAT KEEPS GROWING

Social protection programmes and cash transfers can help.

But they cannot hide the larger problem.

Hunger is widespread.

Malnutrition is severe.

Displacement continues.

Poverty remains entrenched.

Millions of Nigerians are vulnerable.

The humanitarian ministry is effectively trying to mop up water while other parts of government are still struggling to close the leaking roof.

VERDICT: DOING WORK, BUT LOSING THE WAR AGAINST VULNERABILITY.

LABOUR: WHERE ARE THE JOBS?

The minimum wage debate has dominated national conversation.

But wages are only half of the story.

Nigeria needs productive employment.

It needs manufacturing.

It needs small businesses that can survive.

It needs young people moving from informal survival into sustainable careers.

A government cannot declare victory because workers receive a higher nominal salary if inflation destroys the purchasing power of that salary.

VERDICT: UNDERPERFORMING.

THE FINAL SCORECARD

After three years, the cabinet presents a divided picture.

THE DELIVERERS
Nyesom Wike — FCT
Bosun Tijani — Communications/Digital Economy
Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo — Interior
Dele Alake — Solid Minerals
Adegboyega Oyetola — Marine & Blue Economy
Joseph Utsev — Water Resources

THE MIXED BAG
Abubakar Kyari — Agriculture
Muhammad Ali Pate — Health
Jumoke Oduwole — Industry, Trade & Investment
David Umahi — Works
Festus Keyamo — Aviation
Lateef Fagbemi — Justice
Mohammed Idris — Information
Yusuf Tuggar — Foreign Affairs
Sa'idu Alkali — Transportation

THE MINISTRIES UNDER THE MOST PRESSURE
Power
Petroleum
Defence
Police Affairs
Education
Labour
Humanitarian Affairs
Environment
The Big Question For Tinubu

The President can legitimately claim that his administration has undertaken difficult reforms.

But there is a political danger in reform without relief.

Nigerians can tolerate sacrifice if they believe there is a destination.

They can accept higher costs today if they believe tomorrow will bring:

cheaper food.

more jobs.

reliable electricity.

safer roads.

secure communities.

better hospitals.

better schools.

But patience has a limit.

And that is where the Tinubu administration now finds itself.

The reforms have started.The question is whether the results will arrive before the patience runs out

For some ministers, the record already provides evidence of delivery.

For others, the jury remains out.

But for the ministers responsible for Nigeria's security and electricity crises, the excuses are becoming harder to sell.

Nigerians are not asking for more promises. They are asking for results. And by the next election, that may be the only scorecard that matters.

By EEA, Publisher/Editor-iin- Chief