The House of Representatives Committee on Constitutional Review has advanced a bill seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution to cap the number of ministers appointed by the president at 37.
The proposed bill, 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”.
Sponsored by Mansur Soro of the Peoples Democratic Party, representing Darazo/Ganjuwa Federal Constituency in Bauchi State, and his counterpart from Borno State, Ahmed Jaha, the bill seeks to amend Section 147(1) of the Constitution.
If passed, it would stipulate that the president may appoint no more than 37 ministers to the Federal Executive Council, which currently comprises 45 ministers, including both substantive ministers and ministers of state.
“This bill is aimed at addressing the growing concerns of cost inefficiency, overlapping ministerial roles, and the need to curb excessive governance expenditures,” said Soro in an exclusive interview with Sunday PUNCH.
He added that the current system, which provides for a minister from each of Nigeria’s 36 states, along with additional appointments at the president’s discretion, has resulted in an unwieldy and costly cabinet structure.
Soro emphasized that a ministerial representation from each state is already sufficient, while the Federal Capital Territory should also be duly considered.
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He noted that the current setup leaves room for inequality and duplication, especially with states like Ogun, which has as many as four ministers, compared to states with only one.
“The proposal seeks to balance governance, reduce costs, and improve the effectiveness of the cabinet.
“While we acknowledge the president’s prerogative to appoint technocrats, we believe that such appointments can be made through other federal agencies and parastatals without inflating the number of ministers,” Soro added.
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