What President Tinubu must do over plans to split ministries

President Bola Tinubu has been reported to be planning to split some ministries, including the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Work and Housing.

The development became known following the submission of the president's ministerial nominees to the Senate on Thursday, July 27.

Reacting to the development, Ismail Balogun, the legal practitioner, who spoke with Legit.ng, said the move is a welcome development and legally biding but insisted that accountability must be guaranteed.

He said: "From the legal perspective, I think our Constitution, by virtue of Section 147, has vested on the President the wide power and the latitude to appoint such Ministers and create offices for them as may be necessary.

"So, from the legal point of view, the proposed split or creation of ministries out of the current ministries will not offend the provisions of the law of the land. Of course, what is important for the President to do is to observe the principle of Federal Character as enshrined in Section 14 (3) of the Constitution. This means that the President must appoint at least one person from all the 36 States in Nigeria.

"However, what should be worried about is the undue delay in the appointment of the Ministers, as this contravenes the provisions of Section 147 (2), which mandates the President to nominate his Ministers within 60 days after he has taken the oath of office.

"Pertinently, while the President is legally empowered to engage in the proposed split, one may want to question the effectiveness, efficiency, and economic advantages of this from the administrative point of view.

"I believe the proposed split will lead to efficiency as it gives room for administrative convenience if properly utilised.

"In essence, it goes beyond the mere creation of additional ministerial portfolios. There must be accountability and parameters put in place to ensure efficiency and effectiveness and waste of resources, which Nigeria does not currently have."