Tinubu Approves Expanded Powers for Ministers of State

President Tinubu has approved additional powers for ministers of state, aiming to enhance their roles in governance. Learn more about the new directives and their potential impact on Nigeria’s administration.

According to TheCable, President Bola Tinubu has empowered ministers of state with full supervisory authority over the agencies within their respective ministries.

In the past, documents and files pertaining to departments and agencies overseen by these ministers were routed to senior ministers through permanent secretaries.

Under the new directive, state ministers now have the authority to grant all necessary administrative approvals related to managing their designated agencies and departments.

A source from the office of the head of service of the federation disclosed that “the president was dissatisfied with the current governing structure, where ministers of state were essentially ministers in name only.”

Tinubu reportedly stated that the existing structure resulted in the “underutilization of the expertise and capabilities” of numerous ministers of state.

“The president thinks that state ministers should be empowered to make decisions and take action in their respective areas of responsibility,” the official stated.

The proposal for the decision originated from Hadiza Bala Usman, who serves as the special adviser on policy coordination and leads the central delivery coordination unit, and it swiftly gained support from the president.

According to the source, by granting this increased authority, the administration aims to “unleash” the full potential of every cabinet member.

Tinubu’s cabinet consists of 48 ministers, including 16 who are appointed as junior ministers.

Ministries featuring ministers of state comprise agriculture and food security, defense, education, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), foreign affairs, health, petroleum (oil and gas), humanitarian affairs and poverty reduction, as well as women’s affairs. Additional ministries impacted include works; regional development; labor and employment; finance; trade and investment; along with housing and urban development.