Obasanjo dissolves government, plans leaner cabinet

Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo is expected to drop a majority of his ministers and appoint a leaner and meaner team as he forms a new government for his second term in office, officials said on Thursday. Obasanjo had on Wednesday dissolved his cabinet and told his 49 ministers to hand over to the most senior officials in their ministries. He commended the outgoing ministers for being the "source of key decisions that have moved this country forward". But a senior presidential aide told IRIN: "Not more than five of them are likely to come back and the new cabinet will be smaller." Obasanjo has indicated a preference to have several Nigerian technocrats serving in international institutions in his government to replace veteran politicians appointed four years ago under pressure from strong party interests. He also said he would limit his appointments to one minister from each Nigerian state, indicating a number not higher than 36. Obasanjo, who was re-elected last month, will be sworn in on 29 May for another four years as president. After a first term during which the economy stagnated and poverty remained widespread, close aides said Obasanjo plans to devote the next four years to infrastructural development as a stimulus to economic recovery. Of particular concern is said to be the dismal performance of the state power company, NEPA, which will be broken into 18 separate and privatised power generation and distribution companies. However, several opposition parties have alleged the 19 April elections were massively rigged in favour of the incumbent and demanded he stand down for fresh elections to be organised by an interim government. Obasanjo has rejected the demands. Muhammadu Buhari, Obasanjo's main rival and candidate of the All Nigeria People's Party, has threatened "mass action" to protest next week's inauguration. He has also filed a petition at the Court of Appeal on behalf of 20 opposition parties to invalidate Obasanjo's election. There has been a build up of tension in Africa's most populous country of more than 120 million after police declared early in the week it had uncovered a plot by unnamed elements to plant explosives and use mass protests to abort Obasanjo's inuaguration. The security agencies have since been put on heightened alert. A group of human rights and civil society groups on Wednesday threw their weight behind the opposition parties' moves to hold protest marches. Chima Ubani, head of Civil Liberties Organisation and spokesman for the group, said protests were a legitimate response to "the anomalies that were noticeable during the just concluded general elections". [ENDS]