Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, has confirmed that his office is collaborating closely with the Head of Civil Service of the Federation to implement the presidential directive issued on Wednesday regarding the merger and winding down of certain ministries.
In a statement released on Wednesday night in Abuja, Akume outlined the steps being taken to ensure compliance with the President’s approval. He stated, “All handing over and taking over processes should be completed on or before Wednesday, 30th October 2024. In cases where there are no Ministers to take over, the outgoing Ministers should hand over to the Permanent Secretaries.”
Akume noted that the seamless merger of the Ministry of Tourism with the Ministry of Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy, along with the winding down of the defunct Ministry of Sports Development, is being coordinated jointly by his office and the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.
He further explained that the renaming and expansion of the mandate of the defunct Ministry of Niger Delta Development will take immediate effect. Akume indicated that the relevant supervising authorities and commissions under the new ministry have been duly notified of these developments.
“Respective Permanent Secretaries are directed to ensure seamless implementation and also forward one copy each of the handover notes to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for the records,” he concluded.