After less than three months of swimming in controversy, Nigeria’s Minister of Youth Development, Alhaji Inuwa Abdul-kadir, finally lost his job this afternoon.

He was shown the exit door via a terse statement from the Office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, which read: “His Excellency Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, has relieved Inuwa Abdul-kadir, Esq of his appointment as Honourable Minister of Youth Development with effect from the 26th of August, 2013.

“The former Minister is to hand over to the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development.

“Mr. President expresses appreciation to the Former Minister for the time he put in the services of the nations and wishes him success in his future endeavours.”

Although no reason was given for the action, News Express learnt that it might not be unconnected with Abdul-kadir’s alleged engineering of a crisis in the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), which led to a campaign for his ouster by embittered henchmen of the Council.

In an interview published by News Express on June 13, entitled ‘Minister of Youth Dev. should resign over NYCN crisis’, a key member of NYCN, Mr. Carl Oshodi-Isibor, had alleged that the minister organised a kangaroo election that has precipitated crisis in the council.

Oshodi-Isibor had told News Express: “The congress of the council scheduled an election from the 23rd to 26th of May to elect members of the executive committee of the body in Makurdi. However, some of the candidates stayed away from the venue of the election, unfortunately. The congress in its wisdom and in the spirit of fair play decided to dissolve the then executive and appointed a transition committee headed by Olawale James Ajani to oversee the organisation of fresh elections.

“We were however alarmed to hear that the Minister of Youth Development, Hon. Inuwa Abdulkadir, in consonance with the Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, had organised a kangaroo election from which one of the candidates, Yakubu Shendam, had emerged as president of the council.

“We, the members of the council, who are in the overwhelming majority, reject this imposition, and we make it clear that this interference and oppressive act of the minister in the NYCN would be fought.

“We also wish to make it clear that we, as well as majority of Nigerian youths, support the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan, but the conduct of the Minister of Youth Development as regards his meddling into the affairs of the NYCN is testing the sense of independence of the generality of the Nigerian youths.

“There are pictures, as well as video and audio tapes to show that the minister masterminded the sham election that brought in Shendam.

“We are currently embarking on nation-wide protests that include going to the National Assembly. We are seeking, among others, the resignation of the minister for his attempts to destabilise the body. Our lawyers are currently working on the case.”

•Photo shows Ex-Minister Inuwa Abdul-kadir.

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