With President Bola Tinubu set to mark his second year in office on May 29, the Central Delivery and Coordination Unit (CDCU) is finalizing a new round of ministerial scorecards covering the first quarter of 2025, The PUNCH has learned from multiple presidency sources.
The assessments, led by CDCU Head Hadiza Bala-Usman, aim to measure ministry performance against deliverables set during the October 2023 cabinet retreat, where ministers signed performance bonds. Each ministry submitted reports and evidence of completed projects to a secure portal last month. Since then, the CDCU has been verifying submissions and assigning scores.
Some ministries are already feeling the heat, said a senior aide. The reports will be on the President’s desk any time from now.
Midterm Reviews and Cabinet Accountability
Though no immediate cabinet changes are expected before May 29, insiders say the reports will guide President Tinubu’s next round of ministerial reviews, with the possibility of a reshuffle later in the year. The evaluations will also serve as a basis for feedback and performance conversations with underperforming ministers.
According to a senior official, only a handful of ministers received above-average scores.
The Minister of Works is one of the few who did fairly well. Many others scored poorly in key performance indicators, the source revealed.
At the November 2023 Cabinet Retreat, Tinubu warned ministers their roles would be performance-based.
If you are performing, nothing to fear. If not, we’ll review. No performance, you leave, the President had stated.
CDCU’s Growing Influence in Government Oversight
Established in June 2023, the CDCU was created to track ministry performance, identify weak spots, and flag critical projects needing presidential intervention. Its previous report was said to have informed Tinubu’s October 2024 cabinet shake-up, which saw some ministers reassigned and others dismissed.
Bala-Usman emphasized the importance of these reports in a February 2025 briefing:
If your deliverables are slipping, the data will show it. The quarterly assessments feed directly into presidential decisions.
Opposition Criticizes Tinubu’s Cabinet, Demands Reshuffle
Meanwhile, opposition parties have criticized the President’s performance and called for a cabinet overhaul.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and Labour Party (LP) said the current administration had failed on key fronts, including security, economic stability, healthcare, and education.
PDP Spokesman Debo Ologunagba said:
This government is a monumental failure. Insecurity is rampant, the economy is in shambles, and Nigerians are suffering.
He added that the cabinet reflects Tinubu’s leadership style:
The President appoints the ministers. If they’ve failed, it means he has failed.
NNPP’s Ladipo Johnson urged Tinubu to rejig the cabinet, while LP’s Obiora Ifoh called for the dismissal of underperforming ministers:
If they’re not meeting expectations, the President must act. The buck stops at his desk.
Civil Society Voices Demand Transparency
Civil society groups have also raised concerns about the government’s performance and the lack of transparency in the CDCU process.
Debo Adeniran, Chairman of the Centre for Accountability and Open Leadership, criticized weak governance in health, education, and security:
Education is rotting, healthcare is in shambles, and no one seems accountable for security lapses.
Auwal Rafsanjani, Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), echoed the sentiment, accusing some ministers of prioritizing 2027 election positioning over actual governance:
Many ministers are more focused on pleasing the President than serving the public. Nigerians don’t even hear from some of them.
He called for the CDCU’s reports to be made public:
Without transparency, there’s no accountability.
Presidency Says Assessments Are Routine
Presidential Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the quarterly reports as a routine mechanism to keep ministers and agency heads on their toes.
While no major announcements are expected ahead of the May 29 anniversary, sources confirm the performance data will be used to inform future decisions about the cabinet.