President Bola Tinubu’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) has implemented significant structural changes in government, announcing the dissolution of the Niger Delta Ministry and the Ministry of Sports Development in a landmark decision made during Wednesday’s FEC meeting in Abuja.
According to a statement released by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser Information and Strategy to President Tinubu, these ministries will be reorganized under new structures.
The Niger Delta Ministry’s functions will be absorbed into a new Ministry of Regional Development, which will oversee various regional development commissions including the Niger Delta Development Commission, North West Development Commission, South West Development Commission, and the North East Development Commission.
The sports sector will now operate under the National Sports Commission, while the Ministry of Tourism will merge with the Ministry of Culture and Creative Economy.
However, the announcement did not clarify the fate of the affected ministers – Abubakar Momoh of the Niger Delta Ministry and John Enoh of the Ministry of Sports Development.
This restructuring aligns with the government’s commitment to implementing the Stephen Oronsaye report, aimed at reducing governance costs.
Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation, previously stated that work was ongoing on the report: “There is a progress on it. You recall it (the report) was handed to a special committee to review. That committee is still working on it. Once it is ready, it will be presented to the government.”
The Oronsaye report, an 800-page document submitted in 2014, made extensive recommendations for streamlining government agencies:
Reduction of 263 statutory agencies to 161, abolition of 38 agencies, merger of 52 agencies, conversion of 14 agencies into ministerial departments.
The journey of the Oronsaye report has been long and complex. Initially submitted to former President Goodluck Jonathan, it faced resistance from then Attorney-General Mohammed Adoke. Former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration established multiple committees to review the report but made little progress in implementation.
In February 2024, President Tinubu renewed interest in the report, establishing an eight-member committee chaired by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume. Other committee members include:
Head of the Civil Service, Folashade Yemi-Esan, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Lateef Fagbemi, Director-General of Bureau of Public Service Reform, Dasuki Arabi
The committee was given a 12-week deadline to review the report and its White Paper and recommend implementation strategies.
