President Bola Tinubu has approved full powers to the 16 ministers of state to supervise the agencies and departments under them, in a move designed to maximise the capacity of the ministers of state.

Impeccable sources at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) confirmed this development yesterday.

The source who pleaded to remain anonymous, said the President instantly ratified the idea upon recommendation by the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination and Head, Central Delivery Coordination Unit (CDCU), Hadiza Bala Usman.
The norm before now was that ministers of state were reduced to lame ducks by permanent secretaries on matters of departments and agencies under their supervision by referring files on those departments and agencies to the substantive ministers.

“We gathered that President Tinubu was displeased with the governing framework where ministers of state were reduced to subordinate ministers in status and has now granted all necessary administrative approvals on the governance process of the agencies and departments,” the source added.
According to OSGF sources, the President was displeased with the under utilisation of the capacity of the ministers of state.

He felt they had the right to make decisions and direct action within their areas of responsibility beyond the prevailing governing framework in which ministers of state were merely ministers in name.
The new directive is expected to empower the ministers and boost policies and programmes’ formulation and implementation envisaged under the Renewed Hope Agenda plan.

The ministries with ministers of state are: Works, Regional Development, Labour and Employment, Finance, Trade and Investment, and Housing and Urban Development.

Others are Agriculture and Food Security, Women Affairs, FCT, Foreign Affairs, Education, Defence, Health, Petroleum (oil), Petroleum (gas) and Humanitarian and Poverty Reduction.

In 2023, a former Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Ramatu Tijani Aliyu, had after a valedictory meeting presided by former President Muhammadu Buhari, proposed for the scrapping of the minister of state portfolio also known as junior minister.

Her grouse then was that the senior ministers were overshadowing the capability of the ministers of state. She had also called for equal powers for the senior and junior ministers if both offices are retained.