Why I can’t reduce ‘large’ cabinet, by Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said it would be impossible for his government to prune down federal cabinet to a sizeable one because the constitution stipulates that each state of the country must produce a minister. Jonathan said this in Abuja at a valedictory session with members of the T.Y. Danjuma-led Presidential Advisory Committee who wound up their assignment yesterday.

The 26-member Danjuma committee, set up March last year by Jonathan when he was acting president, had urged the president to reduce federal ministries to 18 at most and to rationalise all non-ministerial agencies to eliminate overlap, duplication and redundancies.

It frowned at a situation where there are 30 federal ministries and a plethora of extra-ministerial departments, 42 ministers and special advisers and assistants.

Jonathan said his personal preferences tilt towards a leaner and highly efficient cabinet but noted that it was virtually impossible due to extant constitutional provisions.

He said: “Your suggestion for a smaller cabinet is excellent and I agree with you, but this cannot be achieved without constitutional amendment.”

The President, however, said suggestions and advice which PAC offered to the government played a key role in stabilizing the administration, and that its final report would form part of the policy direction of the incoming administration.

He thanked them for accepting to serve the nation in spite of their individual schedules, and informed them that the Federal Government would continue to tap from their wealth of experience in the years ahead.

Earlier, Danjuma, said they were privileged to have been selected to proffer advice to the new administration, adding that all members had contributed immensely to the committee’s work.

The committee recommended that recurrent expenditure should not exceed 40% of the national budget and this should determine the size of the government. The committee also recommended a pruning of the budget deficit to no more than 3% of GDP; limiting borrowing by federal and state governments to only productive projects; stopping the legislature from hiking budget proposals; strict adherence to a policy of zero tolerance for corruption, among others.

The committee had lawyer Ben Nwabueze, as the deputy chairman and Permanent Secretary (Special Duties) in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation as Secretary.

Other members were Fola Adeola; Abubakar Gimba; Basil Omiyi; M. D. Yusuf; Emeka Anyaoku; G. B. Preware; Bartholomew Nnaji; Kase Lawal; Muhammed Hayatuddeen; Alfa Belgore; Chibudom Nwuche; Mobola Johnson; Halita Aliyu; Magaji Dambatta; B. G. Bajoga; Sally Bolujoko; Mariam Uwais, and Kanu Agabi.