A member of the House of Representatives, Mark Gbilah has noted that the appointment of 36 ministers as prescribe by the constitution are too enormous as the government is now forced to operate under a lean budget.
According to an online medium, Information Nigeria, Gbilah said that the 1999 constitution needed to be amended to accommodate this reduction which specific each state of the federation should produce a minister each.
The lawmaker said: “Our Constitution is rather ambiguous in the issue of Ministerial appointments. That provision says we require one Minister from each state of the federation in an administration, but it did not say it should be all at one time,” the lawmaker told reporters yesterday in Makurdi.
“I could have staggered it. There is needed to look into the possible amendment of that section of the constitution. What I mean is that the constitution would have made provision for staggered appointments in such a manner that some states would produce Ministers within specified periods and others would also do likewise within another period. So that we do not have so many Ministers at one time.
“There is need to look into that constitutional provision, we are all clamoring for the reduction of expenditure and cutting down on the cost of governance, we must not be compelled to make provision for two Ministers in Ministries, we are totally against that.
“36 are even too much. They keep complaining of the National Assembly but you never stop to look at the retinue of of staff of the Minister. “The special accommodation, the official engagements and all the rest of it. It’s quite capital intensive. So I do not believe in the present arrangement, infant they are too much. That constitutional provisions needs to be looked into for possible amendment.”
Meanwhile, following the successful screening of former Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi by the Senate, his supporters who have filled the lobby of the Senate in their numbers were cheering the nominee.
Some supporters who could not contain their joy were seen chanting the name of the nominee.
According to an online medium, Information Nigeria, Gbilah said that the 1999 constitution needed to be amended to accommodate this reduction which specific each state of the federation should produce a minister each.
The lawmaker said: “Our Constitution is rather ambiguous in the issue of Ministerial appointments. That provision says we require one Minister from each state of the federation in an administration, but it did not say it should be all at one time,” the lawmaker told reporters yesterday in Makurdi.
“I could have staggered it. There is needed to look into the possible amendment of that section of the constitution. What I mean is that the constitution would have made provision for staggered appointments in such a manner that some states would produce Ministers within specified periods and others would also do likewise within another period. So that we do not have so many Ministers at one time.
“There is need to look into that constitutional provision, we are all clamoring for the reduction of expenditure and cutting down on the cost of governance, we must not be compelled to make provision for two Ministers in Ministries, we are totally against that.
“36 are even too much. They keep complaining of the National Assembly but you never stop to look at the retinue of of staff of the Minister. “The special accommodation, the official engagements and all the rest of it. It’s quite capital intensive. So I do not believe in the present arrangement, infant they are too much. That constitutional provisions needs to be looked into for possible amendment.”
Meanwhile, following the successful screening of former Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi by the Senate, his supporters who have filled the lobby of the Senate in their numbers were cheering the nominee.
Some supporters who could not contain their joy were seen chanting the name of the nominee.
