El-Rufa’i merges ministries, reduces commissioners to 13

Kaduna State Governor Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufa’i yesterday restructured the state civil service by collapsing the responsibilities of six out of 19 ministries as well as reducing the number of commissioners to 13 from 24.

The Ministry of Lands, Survey and Country Planning is being moved to the Governor’s Office as a department while the Ministry of Rural and Community Development is now a department in the Deputy Governor’s Office.

Also, the functions of the Ministry of Information have now being decentralized.

Governor’s media aide, Samuel Aruwan, said in continuation of his efforts to cut the cost of running government, El-Rufa’i “has decided to reduce the number of commissioners to only 13, as against the 24 that were appointed by the previous government. The governor will also place strict limits on the number of aides that the 13 commissioners can recruit to support the discharge of their duties.”

The approved ministries include Justice, Agriculture and Forestry, Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Local Government, Youth, Sports and Culture, Environment and Natural Resources, Women Affairs and Social Development, Water Resources, Health and Human Services, Education, Science and Technology, Budget and Planning, Works, Housing and Transport and Finance.

Aruwan said the state government “must direct” more of its resources to delivering public services, and that such a move requires a reduction in the proportion consumed by government.

He said the move “will cut costs, spur efficiency and improve service delivery”.