On March 17, 2010, Nigeria's Acting President Goodluck Jonathan dissolved the cabinet on Wednesday in a bid to consolidate his authority at the helm of Africa's most populous nation a month after he assumed executive powers.
The surprise move heightens immediate uncertainty in the oil-producing nation of 140 million people, leaving civil servants in charge of ministries until new ministers are screened and approved, a process which could take weeks.
In the interim, Jonathan -- who assumed executive powers in early February in the absence of ailing President Umaru Yar'Adua -- will be Nigeria's sole administrator because as acting head of state he has no deputy in the presidency.
"He did not give us any reason for the dissolution of the cabinet. Permanent secretaries will take charge of the ministries from tomorrow," outgoing Information Minister Dora Akunyili told reporters after a lengthy cabinet meeting.
Jonathan's efforts to assert his authority come as Nigeria tries to contain violence in the "Middle Belt" between its mostly Muslim north and largely Christian south, which has killed hundreds this year, and as militants in the oil-producing Niger Delta threaten to unleash a renewed campaign of attacks.
The powerful governors of Nigeria's 36 states, senior ruling party officials and other lobby groups will now put forward nominees for new ministers. Jonathan will decide on a shortlist which will then be screened and approved by the Senate.
Source: Reuters (Africa)
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