President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Executive Council (FEC) have abolished the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and the Ministry of Sports Development. This decision was made on Wednesday during the FEC meeting in Abuja, as announced by the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga, via his X handle.

In place of the Niger Delta Ministry, a new Ministry of Regional Development will be established, which will oversee all regional development commissions, such as the Niger Delta Development Commission, the North West Development Commission, the South West Development Commission, and the North East Development Commission. Meanwhile, the National Sports Commission will assume the responsibilities of the former Ministry of Sports Development.

Additionally, the FEC approved the merger of the Ministry of Tourism with the Ministry of Culture and the Creative Economy. However, Onanuga did not specify the fate of the ministers previously in charge of the disbanded ministries or how their roles would be managed going forward. At present, Abubakar Momoh was heading the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, while John Enoh was in charge of the Ministry of Sports Development.

These developments follow growing calls for a reduction in the number of ministries and political offices in order to cut the cost of governance in Nigeria. In June, the Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the Stephen Oronsaye report, which recommended the rationalisation of government agencies, departments, and ministries to reduce expenditure.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, commented on the matter, confirming that work was still in progress on the report. He stated, “Progress is being made. The report was handed over to a special committee for review, and that committee is still working on it. Once the process is complete, it will be presented to the government.”

Similarly, Onanuga had mentioned that the committee led by George Akume, tasked with implementing the Oronsaye report, had yet to submit its findings to the FEC as of June. He said, “The Federal Government has not abandoned the report. It is still on the table, and we are waiting for the Akume panel to conclude its work.”

The Oronsaye report, spanning 800 pages, recommended reducing the number of statutory federal agencies from 263 to 161, abolishing 38 agencies, merging 52, and reverting 14 to departments within ministries. Though the report was originally submitted to former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2014 by then Head of Civil Service, Stephen Oronsaye, many of its key recommendations were rejected by the former Attorney-General, Mohammed Adoke.

In 2021, former President Muhammadu Buhari took a different approach by setting up two committees to review the report and the government’s subsequent White Paper. One committee, chaired by former Head of Service Bukar Aji, was tasked with reviewing agencies created between 2014 and 2022, while another was led by Ama Pepple.

In 2022, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, set up yet another White Paper committee, chaired by Ebele Okeke, to examine the Pepple-led committee’s findings. Despite these efforts, the Buhari administration left office without implementing the report’s recommendations.

In February 2024, President Bola Tinubu’s administration renewed interest in the Oronsaye report, and on 8 March, the President established an eight-member committee to review the report and White Paper, and to recommend steps for implementation within 12 weeks.

This committee is chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, and includes notable members such as the Head of the Civil Service, Folashade Yemi-Esan, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, and the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Dasuki Arabi, among others.