Just as the newly confirmed ministers by the Senate are waiting to get their respective portfolios in the Federal Cabinet, another spanner has been put in their works.
President Muhammadu Buhari sent a shock wave across to them by saying that not all the confirmed ministers would be assigned offices.
The President made it clear that some of the screened and confirmed ministers will only end up sitting on the Federal Executive Council (FEC) as a way of fulfilling the constitutional requirement of having at least one minister from each state of the federation.
The President made this position known Friday in an interview he granted the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and Channels TV, shortly before he left for New Delhi, India to attend the third summit of the India-Africa Forum.
“There was no reduction (of ministers) to 36. What the constitution says, and we cannot work outside the constitution, is that there must be a cabinet representative from each state.
“Yes, there used to be 42 ministers. I think we will be lucky if we can have half of that now because we cannot afford it.
“Others may not be substantive ministers, but they will sit in the cabinet because that is what the constitution says and we cannot operate outside the constitution.”
President Buhari insisted that he would reduce the number of federal ministries and by extension number of ministers.
In answer to a question on whether he will reduce the number of ministers, he said: “Of course.
“Unless you can volunteer to be paying them (ministers).” [myad]
