President Bola Tinubu has empowered ministers of state in his administration with greater authority to directly oversee the agencies and departments under their portfolios.
According to Politics Nigeria, ministers of state previously had limited powers, with most of their oversight duties filtered through senior ministers and permanent secretaries. However, an official from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation revealed that President Tinubu was dissatisfied with this structure, which he felt left ministers of state with little more than a titular role. “The president was not pleased with the existing governance framework, where ministers of state were only ministers in name,” the source stated.
The official added that President Tinubu recognized that, without decision-making authority, these ministers could not fully contribute to the country’s development. “The president believes that ministers of state should be empowered to make decisions and take actions within their areas of responsibility,” the official explained.
This change was initially proposed by Hadiza Bala Usman, the president’s Special Adviser on Policy Coordination and Head of the Central Delivery Coordination Unit. President Tinubu reportedly embraced the suggestion, which has now led to the new directive.
The administration hopes this shift will unlock the potential and capabilities of all ministers, especially the 16 ministers of state in the cabinet, which includes a total of 48 ministers.
The ministries impacted by this decision include Agriculture and Food Security, Defense, Education, Federal Capital Territory, Foreign Affairs, Health, Petroleum (Oil), Petroleum (Gas), Humanitarian and Poverty Reduction, and Women Affairs. Other ministries with ministers of state include Works, Regional Development, Labour and Employment, Finance, Trade and Investment, and Housing and Urban Development.
