By Eric Teniola

‘WE don’t want Minister of State again. It is like a condemnation; if you are in the office, they can’t bring file to you, if you are having a gathering like this, you can’t talk, you will sit down with your colleagues like a Mumu, you won’t talk; if you go to Federal Executive Council meeting, you can’t present a memo, it is the Minister that has the power. We don’t want that again”.

Those were the exact words of Chief Donald Omotayo Alasoadura (73) at an event last year. He should know what he was talking about, for he served as Minister of State for Niger Delta between 2019 and 2022. He also served as Commissioner of Finance and Planning under my friend Dr. Olusegun Kokumo Agagu (February 16, 1948 – September 13, 2013), the late Governor of Ondo State. On Wednesday, September 13 this year, it will be 10 years anniversary of the demise of Dr. Agagu. My condolences always to his beloved family. Time flies over us but leaves its shadows behind.

The former Minister of State was a Senator who represented Ondo State Central Senatorial District in 2015. Chief Alasoadura is a powerful community leader in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State.  What he said was his frustration as a Minister of State. This frustration is no doubt being experienced and has been experienced by every Minister of State in Nigeria. A look at the 1999 Constitution shows that there is no provision for Minister of State; all we have is Minister; same with the 1979 Constitution.

Between 1979 and 1983, and from 1999 to the present, every President to date has committed this great error. From President Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari(February 25, 1925 – December 28, 2018) to President Olusegun Obasanjo (85), to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua(August 16, 1951 – May 5, 2010) to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (65) and to President Muhammadu Buhari (80). I hope the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will not commit this error. Worse still, the Senate that should have corrected this error has failed to do so. Since 1979 the procedure has always been for the President to send the list of Ministers to the Senate for confirmation.

After the confirmation, the President on his own declassifies certain Ministers to be Ministers of State and he gets away with it. 

The idea of Minister of State or Junior Minister, surfaced in the First Republic, for there is no provision for it in the presidential system of government. On August 30, 1957, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa formed the first all Nigerian Federal Executive Council. He selected his ministers not only from the NPC, the NCNC, and the Kamerun National Congress but also from the Action Group. The membership of the Federal Cabinet was: Prime Minister, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa;  Secretary to the Prime Minister: Colonel P.H.G. Stallard; Principal Private Secretary: Mr. R.J.D.M. Kinsman; Assistant Private Secretary: Malam Ahmed Karfi.

The Ministry of Communications and Aviation consisted of Chief S.L. Akintola (Minister), Mr. C.E. Wool-Lewis (Permanent Secretary), Mr. A.K. Edwards (Private Secretary) and Mr. A.J.U. Ekong (Parliamentary Secretary). The Ministry for Lagos Affairs, Mines and Power consisted of Alhaji Muhammadu Ribadu(Minister), Mr. J.F.G. Sykes (Permanent Secretary), Mr. G.C. Thomas (Private Secretary) and Mallam Ibrahim Usman (Parliamentary Secretary).

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry consisted of Dr. K.O. Mbadiwe (Minister), Mr. J.H.D. Stapleton, Mr. C.R. Henniken-Heaton (Private Secretary) and Mr. U.O. Ndem (Parliamentary Secretary). The Ministry of Transport consisted of Mr. R.A. Njoku (Minister), Mr. A.M. Muir (Acting Permanent Secretary), Mr. P.G. Abbey (Private Secretary) and Mr. F.E. Offor (Parliamentary Secretary). The Ministry of Works and Survey consisted of Alhaji Muhmmadu Inuwa Wada (Minister), Mr. V.H.K. Littlewood (Permanent Secretary), Mr. J. Taggert (Private Secretary) and Malam Usman Sarki (Parliamentary Secretary).

The Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Internal Affairs consisted of Mr. Mr. J.M. Johnson (Minister), Mr. H.A. G. Action(Permanent Secretary), N.R Ugo (Private Secretary) and Chief O. Oweh (Parliamentary Secretary). The Ministry of Research and Information consisted of Chief Kolawole Balogun (Minister), Mr. D.H. Griffiths (Permanent Secretary), Mr. C. Okigbo(Private Secretary) and Mr. O. Bademosi (Parliamentary Secretary). The Ministry of Education consisted of Mr. Aja Nwachukwu (Minister), Mr. C.J. Mabey (Permanent Secretary), Mr. P.C. Ndibe and Mr. D.C. Ugwu (Parliamentary Secretary). 

The Ministry of Health consisted of Mr. Ayo Rosiji (Minister), Mr. M.N.H. (Acting Permanent Secretary), Mr. S. Agodo (Private Secretary) and Chief Duro Phillips (Parliamentary Secretary).

The Ministry of Finance consisted of Chief F.S. Okotie-Eboh (Minister), Mr. G.G. Carlyle(Permanent Secretary), Mr. E.M. McConchie (Private Secretary) and Chief H. Omo-Osagie (Parliamentary Secretary). Ministers of State were Mr. Victor Mukete, Malam Zanna Bukar Dipcharima and Private Secretary, Mr.M.O. Nwakwo. 

Office of the Governor-General consisted of the Deputy Governor-General, Sir, Ralph Grey, Secretary to the Governor-General and Council of Ministers, Mr. F.F.P. Newns, Mr. D.J. Brown (Private Secretary) and Aide-de-Camp, Mr. D.G. Angus. 

Continues next week…