Buhari To Merge EFCC, ICPC; 42 Ministries Reduced To 19-vanguard

After three weeks of consultations with international
and Nigeria’s political leaders, President
Muhammadu Buhari appears set to effect major
changes in the administration of the country in a bid
to translate the ‘change’ mantra of his party into
reality. To start with, the President is said to have
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 with
a view to saving cost and making them more effective
and responsive to the needs of Nigerians.
In the same vein, many of the ministries have been
merged to ensure proper coordination of duties and
ensure greater efficiency and service delivery.
A source close to the Presidency told Sunday
Vanguard that the number of Federal Government
departments and agencies had also been trimmed in
line with the policy of the administration.
Effectively, it means that no fewer than 50 of the
MDAs that were not backed by relevant laws might be
scrapped and their staff moved into relevant
departments to save cost.
The Presidency source hinted,”But the point being
made is that relevant MDAs 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.”
Shedding light on some of the ministries that had
been merged, the official pointed out that the
Ministry of Aviation and relevant agencies had been
subsumed with Inland Waterways and associated
agencies.
Similarly, the Ministry of Agriculture has been
merged with that of Water Resources under what the
Presidency source described as the consolidation of
larger ministries.
It was learnt that under the administration of Buhari,
only 19 ministers and 17 ministers of state would
operate as opposed to the previous arrangement
where there were at least 42.
It was further gathered that some ministries would
be run by senior ministers while others would be
manned by junior ministers to save cost.
On the fight against corruption, the source disclosed
to Sunday Vanguard that the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) is to be merged with the
Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, to
tackle graft in a new way that would be prompt,
fearless and decisive.
Buhari, who travelled out of Abuja since returning
from the African Union meeting in South Africa, late
last week, is expected to join his wife, Aisha, at the
Presidential Villa, for the first time after being sworn-
in on May 29.
The wife had moved into the Villa on Thursday
ahead of the President to prepare the ground for his
formal assumption of work at the seat of power. He
has been operating from the Defence House in the
last
three weeks.
A top source also said Buhari was expected to make
some key appointments this week so as to get the
machinery of his administration running. The delay in
naming the critical staff of his office had forced some
of his key loyalists to demand that he acts fast to
deliver the change he promised Nigerians during the
campaigns.