Shortly after President Bola Tinubu’s inauguration of 45 ministers for his cabinet, it has been revealed that some ministers appointed to lead newly formed ministries will face challenges such as lack of physical offices and assigned government officials, according to sources.
These new ministries have been created through the restructuring of existing ones. For example, the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, now headed by Gboyega Oyetola, emerged from the Ministry of Transportation, which is still led by Said Alkali.
Though both ministers were sworn in on Monday, Oyetola took up his role at the Ministry of Transportation immediately, while Alkali did the same on Tuesday. Sources suggest that this might be due to the need for both ministers to share the same directors and permanent secretary temporarily until a complete restructuring is executed.
Sources within these ministries indicate that confusion exists among civil servants regarding the appropriate minister to report to. This situation is highlighted in the former Ministry of Information and Culture, now divided into the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, and the Ministry of Tourism. The three ministers leading these new ministries visited the original ministry together and addressed the media jointly.
Additionally, the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, and his counterpart in steel development, Shuaibu Audu, will continue working with the same civil servants until a full restructure takes place.
Meanwhile, the federal government, through the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, has begun the process of appointing new permanent secretaries to fill existing and new vacancies. The recruitment process follows the President’s approval for permanent secretary appointments, focusing on vacancies in specific states and geopolitical zones where retirements are imminent.
Eligibility for participation in the exercise includes being a substantive director on Salary Grade Level 17 by January 1, 2021, having updated records on the IPPIS verification portal, and being from the specified states and zones. Officers undergoing disciplinary procedures are excluded.
Efforts to obtain comments from the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, regarding the situation of the new ministers’ physical offices were unsuccessful.