In a significant move to streamline governance, President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Executive Council (FEC) have scrapped the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and the Ministry of Sports Development. The decision was announced during Wednesday’s FEC meeting in Abuja, as shared on social media by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser for Information and Strategy to the President.
A new **Ministry of Regional Development** will be created to oversee all regional commissions, including the Niger Delta Development Commission, the North West Development Commission, the South West Development Commission, and the North East Development Commission. The role of the Ministry of Sports will now be assumed by the **National Sports Commission**.
Additionally, the Ministry of Tourism has been merged with the Ministry of Culture and Creative Economy to create a more efficient governance structure. However, the fate of the ministers in charge of the scrapped ministries, such as Abubakar Momoh, who oversaw the Niger Delta Ministry, and John Enoh, the former Sports Development Minister, remains unclear.
These changes follow increased calls for the reduction of ministries and political appointments to lower governance costs. The Federal Government had reiterated its commitment to implementing the **Stephen Oronsaye report**, a comprehensive plan aimed at reducing waste through the merger and abolishment of various agencies. In June, the administration emphasized that the review of the report, led by the **Akume Committee**, was still in progress.
The 800-page Oronsaye report, submitted in 2014, recommended reducing the number of federal agencies from 541 to 161, with some agencies to be abolished, merged, or reverted to departments within ministries. However, past administrations, including those of Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, failed to fully implement the report’s recommendations.
President Tinubu reignited interest in the report in early 2024 and established an eight-member committee to review it and submit implementation recommendations within 12 weeks. The committee, chaired by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, includes high-ranking officials like Head of Service Folashade Yemi-Esan and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi.
The scrapping of the two ministries marks a major step in the government’s efforts to cut costs and streamline the administration. The public awaits further clarity on how these changes will affect existing ministerial portfolios and the broader public service reform agenda.
