The House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review is currently reviewing a bill that proposes to amend the 1999 Constitution, with the aim of limiting the number of ministers appointed by the President to 37.
The 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,” is sponsored by lawmakers representing Darazo/Ganjuwa and Kaga/Gubio/Magumeri Federal Constituencies of Bauchi and Borno states.
If passed, the bill will amend Section 147 (1) of the Constitution, which currently allows the President to appoint an unlimited number of ministers.
According to Mansur Soro, the Bauchi lawmaker who sponsored the bill, “The bill seeks to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to specify the maximum number of ministers to be appointed to the Federal Executive Council to address duplication of duties, minimize the cost of governance, and enhance efficiency to service at the federal level.”
Soro said that the current system, where some states have multiple ministers while others have only one, is unfair and leads to inequality.
Soro also argued that having a minister per state, in addition to considering the Federal Capital Territory, is sufficient. He disagreed with the notion that the President needs to appoint more than two ministers from a state to accommodate technocrats, stating,
“The President has tens of other prime agencies of government and extra ministerial parastatals to accommodate technocrats or politicians.”
The current Federal Executive Council under President Bola Tinubu has 45 ministers, including substantive ones and Ministers of State.
In addition to the bill on ministerial appointments, the Kalu-led committee is also considering another bill that seeks to amend Section 62 of the Constitution. This amendment aims to ensure that the federal character principle is observed in the composition of the body of principal officers of the National Assembly.
