BARELY three months since the assumption of 18 newly elected governors into office, 17 state governors have inaugurated over 350 commissioners into their executive council.
The governors were sworn in on May 29, 2023,following the conclusion of the 2023 general elections.
The appointment of commissioners was in accordance with section 192 of Nigeria’s Constitution, which grants the state governors the privilege to create the offices of commissioners of government upon approval by the State’s House of Assembly.
Accordingly, Section 42 of the constitution, as amended by President Buhari, mandates the president and state governors to appoint ministers and commissioners within 60 days after they are sworn into office.
The ICIR findings showed that a combined total of 363 commissioners have been inaugurated and assigned portfolios by the state’s governors.
These 17 states are Kebbi, Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger, Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa, Kano, Plateau, Taraba Enugu, Ebonyi, Cross River, Abia, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Delta states.
However, Benue state governor Hyacinth Alia, is yet to inaugurate commissioners. Recent developments showed that the governor had transmitted a list of 14 nominees to the state’s House of Assembly for screening and confirmation.
Recall that The ICIR had captured key decisions made by the new governors 20 days after being inaugurated into office. Several of these decisions included the revoking of appointments made by preceding governors, the demolition of structures, the appointment of advisers, the inauguration of state assemblies, and the payment of outstanding allowances among others.
Breakdown by state
The data collated by The ICIR showed that Ebonyi, Cross River and Niger states appointed the highest number of commissioners into their executive councils, while Rivers and Kaduna have the least appointments made.
In the Northwest region, the state governors of Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara and Katsina inaugurated 25, 26,18 and 20 commissioners in their respective states. Also, Kano, Jigawa and Kaduna appointed 19, 16 and 14 respectively commissioners into the state.
Similarly, in the South-South region, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Delta states appointed 31, 23 and 26 commissioners to the state’s executive council.
Meanwhile, River state governor Siminalayi Fubara, barely two days after his inauguration, swore in four commissioners (Works, Justice, Education and Finance) into the state’s council chambers, urging them to deploy their wealth of experience into various positions they have been appointed.
In the North Central, the Niger and Plateau state governors, Mohammed Umaru and Caleb Mutfwang, swore in 30 and 18 commissioners in their state respectively.
For Taraba state, in the Northeast, Governor Agbu Kefas inaugurated 22 commissioners into his cabinet, charging them to deploy their energy in moving the state forward.
While in the Southeast region, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi states inaugurated 16, 20 and 35 commissioners each into their respective states.
While the law does not restrict the number of commissioners a state governor can appoint to his council, there are concerns about the cost of governance increasing if more people are appointed to serve in executive offices.
Kehinde Ogunyale tells stories by using data to hold power into account. You can send him a mail at jameskennyogunyale@gmail or Twitter: Prof_KennyJames | LinkedIn: Kehinde Ogunyale