Youth Minister Tears Down Office, Moves in Private Contractors without Bidding

 Embarks on a 10-day Jamboree to Paris 

While tens of millions of young Nigerians remain unemployed, it is clear Dr. Jamila Ibrahim, the Federal Minister of Youth, is far more interested in breaking breaking public service rules and living in complete opulence than bringing Renewed Hope to her peers. Or how else would one describe the tearing down of a public office in order to reconstruct it to your taste?

According to videos obtained from sources at the Ministry of Youth,  the Minister, without the knowledge of the Permanent Secretary nor a written permit by the Head of Service, brought in private contractors who went on to tear down the office of the Minister located on the 2nd Floor of the Federal Secretariat, Abuja. The wals, ceilings and tiles were not spared as well as the toilets and Conference Room. 

Probably thinking that the standard of the office was not good enough for her, Dr. Jamila's contractors turned the Minister's Office area into construction site, without a proper bidding process. The cost to tax payers willl be in the region of N100m to N150m. 

According to sources, when the Head of Service was informed of this grave infraction, she was livid. What followed was terse letter to the Minister of Youth, asking her to abide by the law protecting federal buildings and properties. At the time of publishing, it is unclear if the Minister has responded to the letter.

While some of her fellow Ministers are being praised for hitting the ground running, Dr. Jamila's few months in office have been less than inspiring. She is yet to discuss her agenda with her primary constituents and has instead been courting controversy. It is said that the Minister of State for Youth, Mr. Ayodele Olawande, has been at loggerheads with her for weeks and they barely see eye-to-eye on any issue. Even her alleged benefactor, Mr. Seyi Tinubu, is said to be regretting his decision to back her for office.

It was also found that the Minister reportedly approved the released of funds for a 10-day trip to Paris for herself, her aides and some staff of the Ministry when the event they were attending was only scheduled for two days. She purportedly did this to fraudulently increase the amount of estacode she would get.

All this is happening against the backdrop that inflation is at over 27%, the cost of fuel and cooking gas is high and social unrest is yet to abate. Also, about 53.40% of Nigerian Youth are unemployed according to the reports released by the National Bureau of Statistics in 2022.

Three weeks ago, at the opening of a three-day cabinet retreat for ministers, presidential aides, permanent secretaries, and top government functionaries, President Bola Tinubu warned that ministers who do not deliver on their assignments and set targets will be sent packing from the federal cabinet.

"If you are performing, nothing to fear; if you miss the objective, we’ll review; if no performance, you leave us. No one is an island and the buck stops on my desk. I assure you you have a free hand, you must be intellectually inquisitive to ask how, why, when and why it must be immediate. You have responsibility to serve the people," President Tinubu said.