Nigeria practices democratic system of government. It is a system of government in which the president appoints ministers who help drive different sectors of the country through different designated Ministries.
Nigeria has numerous ministries which coordinate affairs of different sectors of the country.
However, there are some Ministries that a key Ministries which man very important and delicate sectors of Nigeria.
The ministers who man these top ministries are regarded as powerful and key ministers.
In this post, Nigerian Informer will be discussing most powerful and important federal government Ministries in Nigeria.
Nigerian Most Powerful Ministries / Ministers
Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Finance is one of the most powerful ministries in Nigeria. It is a ministry that manage government financial assets, propose economic and financial policy, and coordinate and supervise these actions.
In the recent times, the ministry is fussed together with office of budget and national planning, hence it is called ministry of finance, budget and national planning.
The current minister of finance, budget and national planning is Mrs. Amina Zinab.
Functions & Duties of Finance Ministry in Nigeria
- Manage government financial assets.
- Prepare the annual fiscal budget and issue adequate regulations for its execution.
- Amortize debt and coordinate financial activities carried out within the scope of its power, for the different ministries and their related entities.
- Propose bills related to the management of government employees, particularly bills related to staffing, salaries, benefits and pensions.
- Participate in the negotiation of international free trade and financial agreements.
Ministry of Defence
Defence ministry a key and powerful ministry in Nigeria. It was established in 1958 with statutory responsibility of overseeing the Defence profile of the country from the perspective of the Armed Forces.
It, therefore, supervises the Defence Headquarters, the Services namely, Army, Navy and Air Force as well as Tri-Services Institutions/Parastatals.
It is a ministry charged with responsibility of ensuring national security. It is a ministry that coordinates the activities of three major armed forces in Nigeria: Army, Navy and Air Force.
The current minister of defence is MAJ. GEN. Bashir Salihi Magashi (Rtd).
Functions & Duties of Defence Ministry in Nigeria
- Maintaining men and officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces in a state of combat readiness on land, sea and air.
- Improving and Enhancing the capability and sophistication of the country’s Defence Industries in order to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign sources of supply.
- Maintaining a proper balance in arms and men to meet the needs of internal and external security.
- Making provision for the welfare of the men and officers of the Armed Forces in terms of training, accommodation, health care and other benefits aimed at boosting their morale.
- Making provision for the welfare of the men of the Armed Forces in terms of training, accommodation, health care and other benefits aimed at boosting their morale.
Ministry of Petroleum Resources
Ministry of petroleum resources is mandated with the responsibility to formulate policies, supervise their implementation and regulate the Nigerian oil and gas industry.
Nigeria is one of world major oil producers and is bless with huge crude deposits. The ministry which manages and regulates the activities of these very important sector in Nigeria is considered a key and powerful ministry.
To highlight the importance of this ministry, it was not surprising to Nigerians that since inception of present administration, President Buhari has reserved the position of petroleum minister to himself.
Some powerful agencies under this ministry includes Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Petroleum Technology Development Fund, Petroleum Equalization Fund, Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).
Duties & Functions of Ministry of Petroleum Resources
- Initiation and formulation of the board policies and programmes on the development of the Petroleum sector (Oil and Gas) in general.
- All concession policies in the oil and gas sub-sectors of the energy sector of the economy.
- Licensing of all Petroleum and gas operations and activities.
- All policies matter on the marketing of crude oil, natural gas, Petroleum products and their derivatives.
- Policy matters relating to research and development in Petroleum and Gas sectors of the Petroleum industry.
Ministry of Works
Another very key and powerful ministry is ministry of works. The mandate of the ministry is to primarily to formulate and implement the policies, programmes and projects of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) with respect to road transport, highways construction and rehabilitation; Highways planning and design; monitoring and maintenance of federal roads & bridges, nationwide; Provision of infrastructure as well as Survey & mapping of the nation’s internal and international boundaries.
Under the current administration, the ministry is joined together with Housing ministry.
It is a very important ministry as it over sees the infrastructure development of the nation.
Currently, ministry of work is headed by Babatunde Fashola, former Lagos state governor.
Functions & Duties of Ministry of Works in Nigeria
- Formulate and implement the policies, programmes and projects of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
- Highways construction and rehabilitation.
- Highways planning and design.
- Monitoring and maintenance of federal roads & bridges.
- Nationwide Provision of infrastructure as well as Survey & mapping of the nation’s internal and international boundaries.
Ministry of Justice
Another top and highly revered ministry in Nigeria is ministry of justice. Most times, the minister of justice is also attorney general of federation.
The ministry is primarily concerned with bringing cases before the judiciary that are initiated or assumed by the government.
The current minister of Justice is Abubakar Malami, SAN.
Duties & Functions of Ministry of Justice in Nigeria
- Ensuring access to justice for all persons and the observance of the rule of law and due process by all MDAs.
- Negotiating and vetting Contracts/Agreements on behalf of MDAs in order to protect national interest.
- Prosecuting crimes against the State and defending civil cases on behalf of Government.
- Facilitating the early translation of Government policies into legislation through the Ministry’s legal drafting function.
- Providing guidelines on international and local asset recovery regime.
- Assisting the Ministry of Finance in Developing a Whistle-Blowers’ Policy.
Ministry of Interior
The Ministry of Interior was created in 2015 following a merger between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Police Affairs.
The mandate of the Ministry is to foster the maintenance of internal security and citizenship integrity for the promotion of good governance.
Interior ministry coordinates the affairs of Nigeria paramilitary agencies: Immigration, Correctional Service, Civil Defence and Fire Service.
The current minister of interior is Ogbeni, Rauf Aregbesola.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of foreign affairs is a very powerful one in Nigeria. The minister represents the president in most bilateral meetings and signs most powerful Nigeria-internaional pacts and treaties on behalf of the country.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the statutory organ of government charged with the primary responsibility for the formulation, articulation, conduct and execution of Nigeria’s foreign policy.
The foreign affairs ministry is manned by Geoffrey Onyeama.
