The real reason why President Muhammadu Buhari has not yet named his cabinet emerged yesterday, according to Vanguard whose sources told that the president had been studying the report of the Transition Committee which he tasked with drawing up a blueprint for his administration.
The report of the Ahmed Joda-led committee was submitted to the President in the first week of June 2015.
If Buhari decides to use the report as submitted to him, he would work with 19 ministers and 17 ministers of state, bringing the total to 36, six lower than the previous administration’s 42.
Some ministries could also be merged as recommended in the report. The former Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs is to be merged with Special Duties to form Special National Consideration to take care of Niger Delta and North-East, and will be manned by a minister and two ministers of state.
Ministry of Women Affairs, which now takes on the new nomenclature of Gender, Family Affairs, Youths and Sports is to be headed by one minister while Ministries of Mines and Steel Development and that of Petroleum Resources are likely be merged and renamed Energy, Mines and Power to be headed by a minister and two ministers of state.
The ministries of Police Affairs and Interior have been merged and renamed Interior but will accommodate the Police, Immigrations, Prisons and Civil Defence. Industry, Trade and Investment Ministry has been renamed Investment, Trade and Industry while the Health Ministry will take on the new nomenclature of Health and Human Services and will be headed by one minister only.
Ministry of Agriculture has taken on Water Resources and will be headed by one minister. Aviation and Transport will become one ministry to be called Ministry of Transport, and will be headed by one minister and two ministers of state. Works, Housing and Environment will now replace the former three ministries and will be manned by a minister and two ministers of state.
Ministries of Justice, Education, Tourism, FCT, Defence, Finance and Foreign Affairs which used to enjoy at least a minister and ministers of state will now be managed by a minister each. (Vanguard, Informationng)