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Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, has concluded plans to create new ministries in the state. His Special Adviser on Legislative Matters, Hon. Samuel Adejumobi, confirmed this in a chat according to Sunrise News.
According to the report, Adejumobi disclosed that three new ministries will be created. He said two are separations from already existing ones while the last is an entirely new one.
He listed the new ministries as:
- Ministry of Energy
- Ministry of Survey
- Ministry of Planning
He explained that some ministries needed to be separated in order for the government to achieve its economic agenda.
His words: “When you see ministries that should run independently being lumped up such as Ministry of Finance and Planning; Ministry of Survey, Land and Housing, and others like that, and you consider the enormous responsibilities on them, you will agree with me that they will yield no meaningful result pursuant to the economic agenda of the state government. It is in this light that the governor in his wisdom from his private sector background is separating some of these ministries as well as creating a new one which is Ministry of Energy.”
According to him, when fully operational, the new ministries will create jobs for thousands of unemployed youth in different capacities and also boost state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
Recall that the governor has sent the names of 14 commissioner-nominees to the House of Assembly for screenmg and confirmation.
There are currently 15 ministries in Oyo State. It is not clear if and how the governor plans to compress the ministries to 14 with the creation of the three new ones.
Newspeakonline recalls that shortly after being sworn in for a second term in 2015, former governor Abiola Ajimobi pruned down the number of ministries from 23 to 13, saying the decision was taken to reduce the cost of governance and to restructure the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for optimum performance. The state however ended up with 15 ministries in 2019.
See the list of current ministries below:
Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development
Ministry of Education, Science and Technology
Ministry of Environment and Water Resources
Ministry of Finance and Budget
Ministry of Health
Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism
Ministry Of Liaison and Inter Governmental Affairs
Ministry Of Lands, Housing, Survey And Urban Development
Ministry Of Local Government And Chieftaincy Matters
Ministry Of Special Duties
Ministry of Trade,Industry and Cooperatives
Ministry Of Women Affairs, Community Development, Social Welfare And Poverty Alleviation
Ministry of Youth and Sports Ministry of Works and Transport