Presidency opens up on reason Tinubu asked Ministers to render accounts

The Presidency has clarified that President Bola Tinubu issued the recent directive for periodic press briefings by cabinet members due to some ministers’ failure to provide proper accountability.

According to reports, the Federal Government announced that, starting next week, ministers will begin holding regular press briefings to keep Nigerians informed about government policies and activities.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, revealed this in Abuja, emphasizing that President Tinubu had instructed all ministers to engage with the public regularly to enhance transparency and accountability.

In an interview with Punch, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, stated that the directive reaffirms Tinubu’s consistent stance on the need for accountability.

He said, “The President has always insisted that ministers should render accounts. People want to know what they have been doing, but not all of them have been doing so.

“By asking them now to come forward and speak, the Information minister is merely implementing what the President has consistently emphasised—that the public deserves to know what each minister is doing. This has nothing to do with a reassessment or a cabinet reshuffle.

“It is simply about ensuring that all ministers provide periodic updates on their activities.” 

A source close to the President, who requested anonymity, also corroborated Onanuga’s stance.

“I don’t believe it’s about assessment. This is nothing new. They have been doing it before, and this is just a reiteration. What I can tell you is that it cannot serve as a basis for assessment because the evaluation parameters are entirely different,” the source stated.