Since assuming office on May 29, President Buhari has made it clear he intends to cut government waste and part of this includes merging ministries and parastatals. Both the EFCC and ICPC are involved with investigating corruption and merging them into one super-agency will provide for more efficiency at reduced costs.
It now appears that the president has accepted the recommendation of the transition committee he raised a few weeks ago to slash the number of ministries from the present 42 to 19. Under the consolidation programme, many of the ministries will be merged to ensure proper coordination of duties and ensure greater efficiency and service delivery.
One source close to the presidency added that the number of federal government departments and agencies will also be trimmed in line with the policy of the administration. Effectively, it means that no fewer than 50 of the ministries, departments and agencies that were not backed by relevant laws might be scrapped and their staff moved to save costs.
"The point being made is that relevant ministries, departments and agencies that will exist under the present administration must be those backed by laws. What that means is that the era of doing things the wrong way to please certain persons in positions of power is over,” the source added.
For instance, the official pointed out that the aviation ministry and relevant agencies had been subsumed along with the Inland Waterways and its associated agencies. Similarly, the agriculture ministry will be merged with that of water resources, while there will only be 19 ministers and 17 ministers of state as opposed to the previous arrangement where there were at least 42.
It is hoped that the combined EFCC and ICPC will be equipped to tackle graft in a new way that would be prompt, fearless and decisive. President Buhari is expected to make some key appointments this week so as to get the machinery of his administration running.
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