President Bola Tinubu sacked Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, in a minor cabinet shuffle on Tuesday, April 21.
Bayo Onanuga, the special adviser to the president on information and strategy, shared the statement from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume.
However, before the minister was sacked, there were controversies surrounding the minister that the presidency had not addressed.
Below are the three major controversies:
In December 2025, President Tinubu stripped the minister of some key responsibilities. These included cash management, revenue generation, payments, and debt management. These responsibilities were transferred to the Minister of State for Finance at the time, Doris Uzoka-Anite.
The development was linked to a deepening cash squeeze and revenue shortfalls in 2025, despite earlier claims that targets were being met and a delay in government payments. Tensions rose following the minister’s public acknowledgement of the gaps between projected and actual revenues.
Calls for Edun’s sack
Before now, there were persistent calls from the public and activists for President Tinubu to sack Edun over alleged economic mismanagement. Critics cited high inflation, fiscal challenges and the continued volatility of the naira.
While his critics have argued that Edun’s approach was outdated or ineffective, his defenders have claimed that the broader reforms, such as fuel subsidy removal, were bold, though painful.
Edun’s health concerns There were also speculations regarding the minister’s health, including unverified claims that he collapsed or sought medical treatment abroad in late 2025. Although he continued in his role afterwards, the rumours persisted.
Recall that Edun worked with Tinubu when the latter was the governor of Lagos state and has been regarded as one of the president’s closest allies.
Reactions as Tinubu sacks Wale Edun
The removal of the finance minister has generated reactions from Nigerians. Juliana Olayinka, an economic journalist, described the sacking as unfortunate in a social media post, recalling Edun’s record in the ministry.
She suggested the removal was tied to politics and wished him well in his future endeavours. Her post read in part: “Having watched the politics up close, I can say this is a deeply unfortunate and potentially miscalculated decision for Nigeria’s economic reform journey. At a time when consistency, trust and economic discipline are most needed, removing one of the few steady hands at the centre of reform sends the wrong signal.”
