It appears that some ministers will not have portfolios in President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet.
This was revealed in the president’s speech at the India-Africa Forum in New Delhi, saying the government does not have the financial capacity now to pay 42 ministers like his predecessor did in the past.
The president said that he would have loved to work with lesser number of ministers but he has to fulfil the constitutional mandate that stipulates that every state of the federation must produce a minister.
“I did not walk into the presidency alone. I have to defend on all the three tiers of government from all parts of the country. We cannot work outside constitution there must be a cabinet representative from each state. There used to be 42 minister but I think we can barely keep half of that now because we cannot afford it,” he said.
Because of this, Buhari said that some nominees might not be substantive ministers but they would sit in the cabinet to fulfil the constitutional requirements. “We are reducing the number of ministries we can’t afford to pay,” he said.
Speaking on the plan to end Boko Haram Insurgency in the country, the president said he was optimistic that the military would win the war.
As he put it, “I am an optimistic person. I am sorry for those who have already given up. I remain confident that our military and other law enforcement agencies are more than equal to the task.
“Don’t forget that I made an earlier statement to the effect that the Nigerian military and police earned accolades all over the world: Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, etc.
“They earned international respect and then here you are, the Nigerian military and other law enforcement agencies could not secure 14 local governments out of 774 until the government was changed.”
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