Hammed Shittu in Ilorin
The Kwara State government at the weekend pruned down the number of ministries in the state’s civil service to 16, from the 19 ministries inherited from the past administration.
The government said the measure was to cut cost and strengthen efficiency in service delivery to the people.
The state’s commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs. Harriet Afolabi-Oshatimehin, disclosed this to journalists in Ilorin after the meeting of the state executive council held at Government House, Ilorin.
She said the state executive council ratified the merger of some ministries and creation of one other at its maiden meeting held just before the budget presentation by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
Afolabi-Oshatimehin was joined at the briefing by her colleagues from Health Ministry Dr Raji Razaq and Tertiary Education Mrs Sa’adatu Modibbo-Kawu.
According to her, “Today, 18th Dec., 2019, the inaugural council meeting of the state executive council took place. Council deliberated on the proposed 2020 appropriation bill.
” It was adopted for His Excellency’s presentation at the Kwara State House of Assembly. The second thing that was deliberated upon was the restructuring (merger) of some ministries and the creation of a new ministry”.
She added that, “the old Ministry of Culture and Tourism has been collapsed into the Ministry of Information and Communications to form a wholesome Ministry of Communications, while the Ministry of Industry and Solid Mineral and the one of Commerce and Cooperative have been merged to become Ministry of Enterprise.
“The old Ministry of Planning and Economic Development and Ministry of Finance are now Ministry of Finance and Planning, while the former Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has been collapsed into the Ministry of Works and Transport.”
Afolabi-Oshatimehin said the council also ratified the creation of the new Ministry of Special Duties.
She stressed that, “The old Ministry of Environment and Forestry is now known simply as Ministry of Environment, while the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development is now to be known as Ministry of Social Development, she added, commending the Governor for walking his talk on women inclusion in governance”.
