News

Tinubu To Split Education, Works, Housing, Other Ministries

Published

2 years ago

July 29, 2023

Following the submission of the first set of ministerial nominees to the Senate, indications have emerged that President Bola Tinubu will restructure some of the ministries of the Federal Government by merging some, creating new ones and scrapping others.

The PUNCH investigation revealed that the decision to restructure the ministries was in line with the recommendations of the Stephen Oronsaye report on the restructuring of the civil service as this paper had earlier reported that Tinubu would implement some of the recommendations in the report.

According to findings, the Federal ministries of Education, Youths and Sports Development, Agricultural and Rural Development, Solid Minerals, Works and Housing, Power; Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development are some of those being considered for restructuring. The restructuring of some of the ministries will also give birth to new ministries.

Findings by our correspondents on Friday indicated that there were plans underway to unbundle the Ministry of Education into two; the Ministry of Tertiary Education and the Ministry of Basic Education to be in charge of primary and secondary levels of education.

While it is not clear if the President will appoint two ministers to oversee the new ministries, sources in the civil service noted that the decision to create two ministries would improve the quality of service delivery in the two sectors.

The Ministry of Works and Housing will be unbundled with the Ministry of Works to focus on federal roads and highways, while the Ministry of Housing will be restructured and financed to stimulate economic growth.

It was also gathered that the Ministry of Humanitarian, Social Development and Disaster Management would be restructured into the Ministry of Human Development with social development as part of its functions.

Similarly, the Federal Ministry of Transportation will be unbundled to become the Ministry of Railways and Rail Transport and the Ministry of Waterways and Marine Transportation.

The Ministry of Information will now be known as the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, with the National Orientation Agency now playing a huge role in the dissemination of information to the public.

New ministries of Solid Minerals and Iron and Steel Development will also be created.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development may be unbundled with the Rural Development Department being transferred to the Ministry of Human Development.

Sources in the Presidency also told The PUNCH that the Ministry of Budgeting and National Planning would be similarly restructured with the budgeting aspect merged with the Ministry of Finance, while national planning would be moved to the new Ministry of Statistics that would be created.

Under the current Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the commerce component may be moved to the Ministry of Trade and Investment, while the industry component will be moved to the new Ministry of Employment and Industry.

The Ministry of Solid Petroleum is to emerge from the current Ministry of Petroleum Resources and will be responsible for bitumen and tar sand, while the Ministry of Interior may be restructured to handle identity, birth and death registration as well as immigration issues. The National Population Commission may be moved to the new Ministry of Statistics, while the Ministry of Labour and Productivity will be renamed the Ministry of Employment and Industry.

The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, during an interaction with journalists on Thursday following the submission of the list of ministerial nominees hinted at the restructuring of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government.

Earlier, a committee set up by the President had recommended a speedy implementation of the Oronsaye report and the merger of some revenue-generating agencies such as the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Nigeria Customs Service, and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency into the Nigerian Revenue Service in order to enable an efficient collection of all direct and indirect taxes, as well as levies on behalf of the Federal Government.

According to submissions made by a sub-committee of the National Economy Council, the policy will be aided by the passage of an Emergency Economic Reform Bill, which will grant the President special powers to drive the economic reform agenda and support the delivery of sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

But the Oronsaye report established that there are 541 Federal Government parastatals, commissions and agencies (statutory and non-statutory) and recommended that 263 of the statutory agencies should be reduced to 161, while 38 agencies should be abolished and 52 should be merged.

The panel also recommended that 14 of the agencies should revert to departments in ministries.

The government later set up a White Paper Drafting Committee headed by the then Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, SAN, to study the recommendations and to produce a White Paper on the report.

While it is not quite clear that the Tinubu administration will scrap some ministries and agencies in line with the Oransanye report, experts and analysts are of the opinion that the restructuring process will favour some ministries and push toward steady implementation of government policies.

Experts give opinions

A professor of Economics at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Sherifdeen Tella, said the merger of ministries and creation of new ones depended on the policy direction and priorities of the government.

He also called for the separation of the works and housing ministry, while a ministry of economic development should be created.

Speaking in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents on Friday, Tella said, “Certainly, the ministries to be merged or created will depend on the government’s priority. For example, the Ministry of Works and Housing should be separated into two ministries or housing can be joined to another relevant ministry.

“The current Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning should also be disbanded. The Ministry of Economic Planning should be created, while finance and budget planning can be merged.

“They can merge Trade and Investment into the finance ministry but on the condition of efficiency. If it is unyielding, there is no need for a merger.”

On his part, a professor of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Uyo, Akpan Ekpo, called for the immediate dismantling of the humanitarian ministry and recommended that the education ministry should be separated into higher education and primary and secondary education ministries.

He said the Ministry of Finance and National Planning should be separated and called for the creation of a standalone Ministry of Economic Development.

Ekpo stated, “The government should dismantle the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management. There should be a Ministry of Economic Development separate from the Ministry of Finance

“The education ministry should be split into two; a part should be solely for higher education, while another should be created for primary and secondary education.”

A political analyst, Prof Kamilu Fage, urged the President to concentrate on strengthening the ministries for efficient service delivery rather than creating new ones to reward political allies.

He also said there was a need for a reduction in the cost of governance in view of the current economic realities.

Fage said, “One of our major problems in Nigeria is the high cost of governance. We have so many duplicated ministries, which is why the previous government had the Oronsaye committee that came out with the proposal for a merger.

“On the splitting of ministries, you have to be careful not to overstretch issues. We should consider the economic condition of the country and be weary of performance so that we don’t have so many ministries just to pay political supporters. What the President should do is to arrange things in such a way that we will have functional organisations.”

Supporting Fage’s view, a political analyst, Ezenwa Nwagwu, noted that previous mergers of the MDAs by past administrations had not translated into effective service delivery to Nigerians

He said, “It is not about splitting or merging ministries. This is not the first time such a thing is happening. The question is what did we get when past governments did merger and splitting of ministries?

“What the President needs to concentrate on is service delivery outcomes by matching service delivery with resources. If it does not translate to efficient service delivery, it is a waste of time whether you merge or continue with what you have.”

An educationist and National Coordinator, Concerned Parents and Educators Initiative, Mrs Kemi Koleowo, stated that the move to split the Ministry of Education into two was laudable.

She said, “For a long tie, I think the Ministry of Education has become too large for one person to run. We need to separate primary and secondary education from tertiary education to give the desired attention for them to move forward. For a long time, they have been short-changed. When you have a community that is large and not properly attended to, you’ll realise that developments will not get to the grassroots that they are meant to get to.

“In this case, this is a laudable development that they want to put in place. For quite some time, basic education in Nigeria has been bastardised, which is the foundation to prepare students to get into tertiary institutions. This is long overdue and a welcome development.”

Speaking on the development, the Executive Director, Centre for Transparency Advocacy, Faith Nwadishi, stated that for years, the body had advocated for a reduction in the cost of governance, adding that the move to create new ministries was wrong.

She noted, “When we advocated for cutting the cost of governance, the past administration tried to do this by merging some ministries. For example, the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning were two different ministries in the past and many other ministries like that. Due to this, we have seen that with the merger of some of these ministries in the past, we didn’t get full efficiency. What I would have loved to see before the creation or separation of ministries is that there should have been a study to show that these ministries are inefficient due to being merged, thus, the need to create new ministries because a state of emergency has been declared on a particular ministry.”

Nwadishi stated that the creation of new ministries would call for the need to open offices for more political associates, ministers and junior ministers, who would head them and that was against the plan to cut the cost of governance.

PUNCH

News

Open Letter To The Speaker, Parliament Of The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide

Published

17 minutes ago

June 14, 2025

Editor

The writer, Mr Godswill Doubra Wuruyai (Right) andHon. Gabriel Allen Tomoni

Date: 14th June 2025

To:
Rt. Hon. Gabriel Allen Tomoni
Speaker,
Parliament of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide

Dear Mr Speaker,

RE: THE STATUS OF OPTION A4 AS VOTING MECHANISM AND MATTERS ARISING

I bring you warm greetings of solidarity and unwavering commitment to the Ijaw struggle.

It has become necessary to issue this Open Letter in response to your recent communication dated 13th June 2025, titled “Clarification on Applicable Constitution Guiding Electoral Activities in Lagos Chapter”, and to set the record straight regarding the status of the Option A4 voting mechanism as duly adopted by the Convention of Ijaw Youths at the Odi Constitution Convention 2024.

Permit me to respectfully state from the outset that the matter of Option A4 is neither open to debate nor subject to discretionary legislative ratification by Parliament, the NEC, or any Zonal or Chapter organ of Council. It is a constitutional matter, having been overwhelmingly adopted at the Odi Constitution Convention 2024—the supreme legislative convention of the Ijaw Youth Council, which carries the highest constitutional authority within our organisation.

The Convention is the apex legislative authority on matters of constitutional amendment and review. By both precedent and constitutional logic, once a Constitutional Convention concludes with the majority adoption of any provision, it becomes valid and binding immediately upon adoption by Congress—the highest sovereign body of the Ijaw Youth Council. The notion of “presidential assent” is ceremonial in nature; it does not possess the force to invalidate or delay the decisions of Congress. Signing ceremonies remain symbolic, not constitutive, in effect.

It is, therefore, anomalous and potentially unconstitutional for Parliament, or any of its officers, to purport to subject the decision of Congress to further parliamentary debate, rectification, or ratification. This represents not only a fundamental misreading of the IYC’s constitutional architecture but also a dangerous precedent that could undermine the very foundation of our collective legitimacy.

Furthermore, no Zonal structure, Chapter, or stakeholders’ forum possesses the jurisdiction to review, reject, or suspend a decision reached by a duly convened Constitutional Convention. The only valid forum that can revisit the matter of Option A4—or any other constitutional provision—is another Constitutional Convention convened specifically for that purpose.

The role of Parliament as a stabilising institution within the IYC structure is to promote order, not to precipitate constitutional crises by attempting to override the sovereign will of Congress. Should Parliament insist on such actions, it risks dragging the IYC into an avoidable constitutional conflict that could jeopardise the unity of our noble Council.

The Lagos Chapter, like all other organs of Council, is bound by the supreme decisions of the Constitutional Convention and must conduct its electoral processes in strict adherence to Option A4, as adopted.

Accordingly, I call on you, as Speaker of Parliament, to respect and uphold the supremacy of Congress and its resolutions. Anything short of that amounts to an attempt to overturn the will of the Ijaw people through administrative fiat, which must be firmly resisted by all well-meaning Ijaw youths.

Let me conclude by reminding all concerned that we must not allow petty personal interests or ego-driven conflicts to derail the hard-earned democratic processes within our Council. This is not a time for power tussles, but a time for unity, maturity, and constitutional discipline.

I trust that you will act in accordance with the Constitution and in the enduring interest of the Ijaw nation.

Yours in service of the Ijaw struggle,

Mr Godswill Doubra Wuruyai
Stakeholder/Member
Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide

Cc:
Comr. Williams Ayoromiegha Junior, Clerk of Parliament
All Members of Parliament, IYC Worldwide
The President, Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide
NEC Members, Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide
All Zonal and Chapter Chairpersons, IYC
Ijaw Youth Stakeholders Nationwide

News

Reps To Quiz Edun, Cardoso Over Non-compliance With Fiscal Responsibility Act

Published

2 hours ago

June 14, 2025

Editor

The Joint House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts and Public Assets has invited the Minister of Finance, Mr Olawale Edun, and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr Olayemi Cardoso, to appear before it on Monday over allegations bothering on non-compliance with the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.

The duo are also expected to respond to the 2021 audit queries relating to internal control weaknesses identified by the Office of the Auditor General for the Federation (oAuGF).

In a letter jointly signed by the Chairmen of the House Committee on Public Accounts, Rep. Bamidele Salam, and the Committee on Public Assets, Rep. Ademorin Kuye, the lawmakers requested the Finance Minister and the CBN Governor to provide details on the remittance of operating surplus to the Federation Account by the apex bank in line with the provisions of relevant laws and regulations.

The Fiscal Responsibility Commission and the Auditor General for the Federation had, in reports submitted to the joint committees, accused several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), including the CBN, of failing to remit or under-remitting their operating surpluses as required by extant financial laws and regulations over the last six years.

According to the Public Accounts Committee Chairman, “these violations have negatively impacted the liquidity of the federal government and constitute a hindrance to effective implementation of the budgets passed by parliament.”

The committees stated that both the Finance Ministry and the apex bank had been given ample opportunity to reconcile their accounts and present their positions in order to determine the degree of financial liabilities involved, hence the need for a final hearing to resolve the issues.

The committee is equally reviewing a report in the Auditor General for the Federation’s statutory report which suggests that a number of public assets, which had been fully paid for, have not been completed or put into use for many years.

“Some of these projects in Dutse, Abeokuta and other locations were awarded between 2011 and 2016 but yet to be completed according to audit reports.”

News

Again, NiMet Predicts Three-day Thunderstorms, Rain From Saturday

Published

2 hours ago

June 14, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency has predicted thundery and rainy weather activities from Saturday to Monday across Nigeria.

NiMet’s weather outlook released on Friday in Abuja envisaged early morning thunderstorms on Saturday over parts of Taraba, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kaduna, and Adamawa states in the northern region.

According to it, thunderstorms with rains are anticipated over parts of Kebbi, Taraba, Zamfara, Borno, Kaduna, Sokoto, Gombe, and Bauchi states later in the day.

“In the North-Central region, early morning thunderstorms are expected over parts of Benue, Plateau, Niger, the Federal Capital Territory, and Nasarawa States.

“Later in the day, thunderstorms with rains are anticipated over parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Niger, Nasarawa, Benue, Kwara, Kogi, and Plateau states.

“In the Southern region, cloudy atmosphere is expected with chances of morning rains over parts of Enugu, Ebonyi, Cross River, Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, and Bayelsa States,” it said.

NiMet predicted isolated thunderstorms with rains over parts of Imo, Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, Anambra, Ondo, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti, Edo, Delta, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, and Rivers State later in the day.

The agency anticipated prospects of morning thunderstorms on Sunday over parts of Kaduna, Kebbi, Adamawa, and Taraba States in the northern region.

It envisaged thunderstorms with rain over parts of Taraba, Adamawa, Kebbi, Kaduna, Zamfara, Gombe, and Bauchi States later in the day.

NiMet anticipated patches of clouds with sunshine intervals with prospects of early morning thunderstorms likely to affect parts of Kogi, Kwara, Plateau, Niger, Nasarawa, Benue, and the Federal Capital Territory in the North-Central region.

“Later in the day, thunderstorms with rains are anticipated over parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Niger, Nasarawa, Kwara, Kogi, Benue, and Plateau states.

“In the Southern region, morning thunderstorms are expected over parts of Delta, Lagos, Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River States.

“Later in the day, isolated thunderstorms with rains are anticipated over most parts of Imo, Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, Anambra, Ondo, Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti, Edo, Lagos, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Bayelsa, and Rivers State,” it said.

The agency envisaged morning thunderstorms over parts of Kebbi, Zamfara, Kaduna, Adamawa, and Taraba States in the Northern region on Monday.

NiMet predicted thunderstorms with rains over parts of Taraba, Adamawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Zamfara, Gombe, Kaduna, and Bauchi States later in the day.

In the North-Central region, the agency forecast patches of clouds with sunshine intervals are expected with prospects of thunderstorms with rains over parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa, Benue, Kogi, and Niger States.

According to NiMet, thunderstorms are expected over parts of Kwara, Plateau, Nasarawa, Niger, Benue, and Kogi States in the afternoon or evening hours.

“In the Southern region, cloudy atmosphere is expected with chances of
morning rains over parts of Ogun, Edo, Ondo, Ogun, Delta, and Bayelsa States.

“Later in the day, isolated thunderstorms with rains are anticipated over most parts of the region,” it said.

According to it, the public should take adequate precaution as strong winds may precede the rains in areas where thunderstorms are likely to occur.

NiMet urged the public to ensure that loose objects are fastened to avoid collision and avoid driving under heavy rain.

“Disconnect electrical appliances from electrical sockets. Stay away from tall trees to avoid impact from falling branches and broken trees.

“Airline operators are advised to get airport-specific weather reports (flight documentation) from NiMet for effective planning in their operations.

“Residents are advised to stay informed through weather updates from NiMet. Visit our website, www.nimet.gov.ng,” it said.

NAN