Reps move to make it mandatory to attach portfolio to ministerial list

A bill requiring the president to attach portfolios to the ministerial nomination list has passed its second reading in the House of Representatives.

The proposed legislation also covers state governors, who would be required to attach portfolios to their list of commissioner nominees.

The constitution amendment bill, sponsored by Eugene Dibiagwu (APC, Imo) and debated on Thursday, seeks to amend sections 147 and 192 of the Nigerian constitution.

Over the years, presidents and governors often submitted lists to parliament for screening without attaching portfolios. As a result, legislators have had to ask questions based on assumptions.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari faced criticism for not attaching portfolios to his ministerial list, and similarly, President Bola Tinubu followed this approach by submitting list nominees’ portfolios.

President Tinubu’s advisers argued that he chose not to attach portfolios to retain the discretion to reshuffle the cabinet without resubmitting the list to the National Assembly for fresh confirmation.

In 2023, the president’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, explained that the president wanted to preserve his ability to reorganise the cabinet as necessary, noting that attaching portfolios could complicate this process.

However, Mr Tinubu did attach portfolios to the seven ministerial nominees he recently sent to the Senate for screening.

The debate

Leading the debate, Mr Dibiagwu argued that submitting a ministerial list without portfolios is outdated.

He added that the bill is widely supported, with experts believing it will improve the screening process.

“Over time, the practice of sending only the list of nominees through official correspondence, without the inclusion of portfolios by the President and state governors to the legislative house, has come to be seen as outdated and old-fashioned, with adverse effects on governance,” he said.

Supporting the bill, Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda echoed points raised by Mr Dibiagwu, stating that it would assist the Senate in fulfilling its duties.

“If you are proposed to the Senate as the nominated Minister for Health, you will be asked direct questions relevant to your ministry’s policies. In fact, the current government— I think the president attached portfolios to the names he sent to the Senate,” Mr Chinda said.

Mr Chinda, however, cautioned that attaching portfolios could make it challenging for the president to reorganise the cabinet, as it would require resubmitting serving ministers for fresh confirmation.

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“One issue we also need to consider is that if you appoint ministers to your cabinet and later need to reassign them among ministries, the implication is that you must bring them for screening a second time. Perhaps, when it gets to the public hearing stage, all these considerations will be discussed,” Mr Chinda added.

After the debate, the bill received unanimous support when Deputy Speaker Ben Kalu, who was presiding, put it to a vote.

Mr Kalu referred the bill to the House Committee on Constitution Review for further legislative action.