The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, has announced that all sacked ministers must complete their handover processes by Wednesday, October 30, 2024. This announcement comes as the government works on merging and winding down several ministries.

In a recent statement from Abuja, Akume explained that his office is collaborating with the Head of Civil Service to implement the President’s directive on these changes. He mentioned that outgoing ministers who do not have successors should pass their duties to the Permanent Secretaries in their ministries.

Akume highlighted some significant changes: the Ministry of Tourism will merge with the Ministry of Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy, and the Ministry of Sports Development will be eliminated. The new name and expanded responsibilities for the former Ministry of Niger Delta Development have also taken effect immediately, and all relevant authorities have been informed.

To ensure a smooth transition, Permanent Secretaries are instructed to prepare handover notes and submit a copy to the SGF’s office for record-keeping. This restructuring follows President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent decision to sack five ministers, appoint seven new ones, and reassign ten others to different roles.