In view of reducing the high cost of governance, the incoming administration of Muhammadu Buhari may retain only 19 ministries from the present 31. Consequently, most of the candidates being considered for the federal executive council (FEC) will end up as ministers of state, after all.

However, the president-elect is said to be considering the feasibility of announcing his Chief of Staff, Principal Secretary and a handful of Special Advisers before Friday so that there can be some semi-official interface between the outgoing government and the incoming one in the context of handing over of tangible assets in the State House.

Categorically, Ahmed Joda, chairman of the transition committee of the APC has collected a copy of the Oronsaye panel report from the former Permanent Secretary State House. The former Permanent Secretary, Finance, Stephen Osagiede Oronsaye confirmed the development on telephone last night.

In the same vein, a retired federal permanent secretary, who was pioneer director-general the federal government’s reform bureau, has just completed a book in which a cost-of-governance reduction strategy too is a major chapter. The book on the expediency of radical reform of the civil service recommends 18 ministries, among other features that the advisers of the APC and the president-elect are said to have adopted.