President Bola Tinubu’s administration seems to be undergoing a silent restructuring in governance, evident in the recent submission of a ministerial list comprising 28 nominees on Thursday. Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed that President Tinubu might be considering separating ministerial portfolios or restructuring the ministries to accommodate more appointees. This potential restructuring could mark the end of the traditional practice of appointing junior ministers, known as Minister of State for…

Notably, former Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo SAN, had previously advocated for the separation of portfolios within ministries, with substantive ministers appointed to head individual departments. He argued that appointing junior ministers with a subordinate status to the substantive ministers was counterproductive.

President Tinubu appears to be aligning with Keyamo’s thesis on ministerial appointments and could be expanding appointment opportunities with a second batch of ministerial nominees expected to be sent to the Senate for screening and confirmation.

According to Gbajabiamila, President Tinubu may introduce new standalone ministries or restructure existing ones as part of the process. He confirmed that the second batch of the ministerial list may contain about 13 more nominees, which will be forwarded to the Senate in the coming days for consideration.

While there were speculations about whether President Tinubu faced pressure in submitting an inconclusive list of ministerial nominees, Gbajabiamila clarified that the President had fulfilled the constitutional requirement by submitting 28 names within the stipulated 60-day period since inauguration.

As the administration moves forward with potential governance restructuring, it remains to be seen how these changes will impact the governance landscape under President Tinubu’s leadership.

The Chief of Staff was cited to have, however, explained: “As you know, he had 60 days from the time of inauguration, as stipulated in the Constitution. He has fulfilled that requirement of the constitution by submitting 28 names today.

“As his letter stated, and was read on the floor of the Senate, the remaining names, not sure how many, probably about 12, maybe 13, will be forwarded to the Senate in the coming days.”