The House of Representatives Committee on Constitutional Review is currently evaluating a proposal aimed at amending the 1999 Constitution to restrict the number of ministers appointed by the president to 37.
This proposal, titled “A Bill for an Act to Amend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Streamline the Number of Ministers to be Appointed to the Federal Executive Council,” is presently under consideration by the committee, which Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu chairs.
Henzodaily reports that the bill is sponsored by representatives from the Darazo/Ganjuwa and Kaga/Gubio/Magumeri Federal Constituencies of Bauchi and Borno states, respectively.
The bill aims to revise Section 147 (1) of the Constitution to state, “There shall be such offices of Ministers of the Government of the Federation, not exceeding 37, as may be established by the President.”
It is worth noting that the Federal Executive Council under President Bola Tinubu currently consists of 45 ministers, including substantive ministers and Ministers of State.
Traditionally, the Nigerian president appoints a minister from each of the 36 states of the federation while also allowing for additional appointments based on various considerations in the formation of the cabinet.
“The bill seeks to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to specify the maximum number of ministers to be appointed to the Federal Executive Council to address duplication of duties, minimise the cost of governance, and enhance efficiency to service at the federal level,” the Bauchi lawmaker, Mansur Soro said during an interview with The PUNCH.
“We need to reduce the cost of governance and address inequality in the number of ministers to be appointed from each state and cases of overlapping mandates of ministers. In my opinion, a minister per state is enough while also considering the Federal Capital Territory,” he added.
The lawmaker elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) expressed disagreement with the notion that the president has the authority to appoint more than two ministers from a single state in order to include technocrats.
The President has numerous other key government agencies and additional ministerial parastatals available for the inclusion of technocrats or politicians. Currently, Ogun State is represented by four ministers, while other states have only one each.
The lawmaker questioned the fairness of this situation.
In a related matter, the committee led by Kalu is deliberating on a proposed bill aimed at amending Section 62 of the Constitution to ensure adherence to the federal character principle in the selection of principal officers within the National Assembly.