EXCLUSIVE: Tinubu gives more powers to ministers of state, grants full oversight over agencies

President Bola Tinubu has approved that ministers of state be given full powers to supervise the agencies under them, TheCable can report.

Until now, files pertaining to departments and agencies under their supervision were sent by their permanent secretaries 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.

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.

Tinubu’s cabinet is made up of 48 ministers, but 16 of them are junior.

Ministries with ministers of state are: agriculture and food security, defence, education, FCT, foreign affairs, health, petroleum (oil), petroleum (gas), humanitarian and poverty reduction, and women affairs.

Others are: works, regional development, labour and employment, finance, trade and investment, and housing and urban development.