Tinubu has granted full oversight responsibilities to Ministers of State over agencies under them. Amongst them are the Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Matawalle, the minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, and the Minister of State for Agriculture. Henceforth, they will enjoy full oversight responsibilities over such agencies.
The cable reported that President Bola Tinubu, at the FEC Meeting, approved giving ministers of state full powers to supervise the agencies under them.
Until now, their permanent secretaries sent files on departments and agencies under their supervision to the senior ministers.
With the new dispensation, ministers of state can now grant all necessary administrative approvals on the governance process of these agencies and departments.
According to a source in the office of the head of service of the federation, “the president was not pleased with the prevailing governing framework in which ministers of states were just ministers in name”.
This, Tinubu reportedly said, led to the “underutilisation of the expertise and capabilities” of most ministers of state.
“The president believes ministers of state should have the right to make decisions and direct action within their areas of responsibility,” the official added.
According to the Cable report, the source said the idea, first mooted by Hadiza Bala Usman, special adviser to the President on policy coordination and head, central delivery coordination unit got an instant buy-in from the President.
With the new directive, the administration hopes “to unleash” the potential of all the ministers, the source added.