Ministries in Nigeria are government departments responsible for specific areas of public administration, such as health, education, finance, defence, etc. They are established by the government through executive orders or legislation but are not necessarily created with specific statutes. Ministries are typically run by civil servants and government officials who implement government policies and programs within their respective areas of responsibility.

Public corporations in Nigeria refer to government-owned entities that operate in commercial or industrial sectors, such as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), etc. Unlike ministries, public corporations are established with specific statutes or laws that outline their purposes, structures, functions, powers, and governance frameworks. Public corporations may have a mixed ownership structure, where the government holds a majority or full ownership, but they can also involve private or individual ownership to some extent.