As the administration of President Bola Tinubu approaches its two-year milestone on May 29, 2025, speculations of a cabinet shakeup have heightened. In this climate of political recalibration, the North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has publicly criticized the performance of one of its own: Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction.
Appointed in October 2024 during Tinubu’s cabinet reshuffle, Yilwatda, a native of Plateau State, stepped into a role left vacant after Senator Simon Lalong resigned to reclaim his Senate seat. The North-Central APC Forum, which had championed the call for Plateau to regain representation in the federal cabinet, now says the region is disappointed and disillusioned.
In a strongly worded statement issued by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, the Forum accused Yilwatda of failing to meet the expectations that followed his appointment.
“As stakeholders who are connected to the grassroots, we can sincerely report that the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has not done enough to address humanitarian issues which affect ordinary Nigerians in rural communities,” Zazzaga stated.
The criticisms are particularly anchored in the Ministry’s alleged poor response to ongoing humanitarian crises in Plateau State, where violent attacks have displaced thousands. According to data from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), between March 27 and April 2, 2025, at least 52 people were killed and 1,820 displaced during a wave of violence in the state.
The Forum expressed outrage that despite these figures, Yilwatda had not personally visited the affected communities or displacement camps, many of which are located in churches. Instead, it was his junior colleague, the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs, Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu, who visited Bokkos Local Government Area and met with traditional leaders in December 2024.
“The presence of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction is needed in these affected areas, but it is unfortunate that he has not cared to show up,” the Forum said. “This is more saddening because he is from Plateau State, and the people expect so much from him because of the relevance of the position he is occupying.”
The Forum’s statement painted a bleak picture of communities in the North-Central region particularly in Plateau—where, they allege, more than 64 communities have fallen to armed assailants. Thousands of families remain displaced, often without government relief or effective coordination from the Ministry tasked with alleviating such suffering.
Beyond humanitarian concerns, the Forum hinted that politics might be influencing Yilwatda’s apparent detachment. The former university professor was the APC’s candidate in the 2023 Plateau State governorship election, a race he lost to the PDP’s Caleb Mutfwang. Although Yilwatda initially secured victory at the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court reinstated Mutfwang in January 2025, setting the stage for what many believe will be a rematch in 2027.
“The minister’s attitude is being interpreted as political,” the Forum alleged. “Governance should not be politicized. Those holding public office are there to serve the people, no matter what their personal or political interests are.”
For the North-Central APC Forum, this moment is not merely about bureaucratic inefficiency it’s a betrayal of trust. The group believes Yilwatda is not only failing to meet the responsibilities of his office but is also neglecting the very communities that once rallied for his ministerial appointment.
As the Tinubu administration reviews its cabinet for possible reshuffling, this public rebuke, as observed by WorldClass247News, may put Yilwatda’s role under closer scrutiny. For now, the people of Plateau and the political stakeholders who speak for them wait to see whether the Minister will rise to the occasion or remain a distant figure in the face of deepening humanitarian distress.
By Charles Akpeji