On this day, May 24 in 1966, Major General Johnson Thomas Umanakwe Aguiyi Ironsi promulgated decree number 34 which transferred autonomous power of the four regions to the centre.
Following the decree, Nigeria formally ceased to be a Federation and was renamed the ‘Republic of Nigeria’. The Federal Executive Council became the ‘National Military Government’, the Federal Executive Council became simply the ‘Executive Council’ and Lagos the ‘capital territory’.
The Regions were formally abolished, but the Provinces (the next largest administrative division below the Regions) were grouped into ‘the Northern Group of Provinces’, the ‘Eastern Group of Provinces’, etc.
These Groups corresponded exactly with the previous Regions and the four Military Governors continued in office administering the same area as before.
The Military Governors however lost the power to incur expenditure on their own responsibility without prior consent. The federal and regional public services were unified into a single ‘National Public Service’. Control over the most senior posts was centralized.
The power to appoint and dismiss ‘ persons to hold or act in the office of permanent secretary to any department of government of the Republic or any other office of equivalent rank in the National Public Service’ was vested in the Supreme Military Council.
The National Public Service Commission was to be consulted before any such appointments were made. The power to appoint, promote, dismiss, and discipline in relation to all other administrative posts was vested in the National Public Service Commission.
This power was delegated except for the most senior posts to Provincial Public Service Commissions. The power to appoint the members of the Police Service Commission was vested in the Head of the National Military Government (under Decree No. 1 it had been in the Federal Executive Council).
