Edo State Government has said the restructuring and ratification of the state’s civil and public service will enhance efficiency and reduce the cost of governance.
The Edo State Head of Service, Anthony Okungbowa Esq., while addressing journalists in Benin City, on Thursday, said the move became necessary as a result of dwindling revenue from the federations account.
With the development announced after the weekly Executive Council (EXCO) meeting chaired by Governor Godwin Obaseki, on Wednesday, ministries in the state have now been cut down from 22 to 18, while Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) have been reduced from 105 to 72.
According to the Head of Service, “The Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, yesterday, approved a rationalization of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government. The essence is to ensure efficiency and reduce the cost of governance.
“This has become necessary because the money from the federations account is becoming increasingly non-existent as the monies we used to collect are not there anymore.
“So, we had to look inward because we cannot afford to run a big government. The governor and his team are working to ensure that the government is slim without sacrificing efficiency on the altar of brevity. Hence, the government came up with this idea to reduce the number of MDAs.”
Okungbowa listed the affected ministries to include the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives, Ministry of Budget, Ministry of Mining, Oil and Gas, Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Social Development and Gender and the Ministry of Youth.
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He noted that the “Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives has now been changed to Ministry of Business, Trade and Cooperatives; the Ministry of Housing has been moved to become Ministry of Housing, Urban, Regional Planning and Development; the Ministry of Budget has been combined with finance to now become Ministry of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning; the Ministry of Mining, Oil and Gas has become the Ministry Mining and Energy.
“The Ministry of Youth has been taken to Gender which now becomes the Ministry of Youth and Gender, while the Ministry of Social Development and Gender is now called Ministry of Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs. The Ministry of Local Government and Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs have become one and are now called The Ministry of Local Government, Community and Chieftaincy Affairs.
“The Ministry of Science and Technology, in line with the federal government’s directive for states to create a ministry of digital economy has now been improved to become the Ministry of Digital Economy, Science and Technology,” the head of service added.
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