Cost Of Governance: Federal Govt Adopts Oronsaye Report, Says No Fear Of Job Losses

In a move long-awaited by many Nigerians, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the implementation of the Oronsaye Report, a blueprint for restructuring federal agencies and commissions.

This is part of the administration’s actions towards cutting the cost of governance that many Nigerians have been demanding for long.

Minister of information and national orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, disclosed this to State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday.

According to him, the decision aims to streamline operations, reduce costs and improve efficiency.

He, however, allayed the fears of public service job lossess, saying the merger of government agencies and departments does not translate to sacking workers.

The Oronsaye Report, named after its lead consultant and former head of the service of the federation, Stephen Oronsaye, was first submitted in 2012.

It recommended merging, scrapping and relocating various government agencies to create a leaner and more effective bureaucracy.

However, previous administrations failed to implement the report’s recommendations.

The minister said President Tinubu’s administration, however, has taken a bold step by approving key aspects of the report.

He said, “This is in line with, like I say always, the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in ensuring that credible information is given out to the Nigerian public and in turn, government is expecting that members of the media will also report policies and programs of government responsibly, honestly, and truthfully.

“Like I said, the Federal Executive Council meeting just got concluded. It started first, with the swearing- in of the commissioner of the National Population Commission from Lagos State. After that, FEC got underway proper.

“There is a landmark decision that was taken by the Federal Executive Council today. Recall that in 2012, the administration of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan instituted the so-called Oronsaye Report. It is aimed at rationalizing the federal government parastatals, agencies and commissions.

“Now, a paper was turned in in 2012, but the implementation got stalled. Again, in 2021, almost seven years after that, the former President Muhammadu Buhari also initiated a process to consider the 2014 white paper on the Oronsaye Report.

“Again, the implementation of that also got stalled. Now, instead of the rationalization, that that Oronsaye Report was aimed to achieve, many other agencies and commissions were established.

“So, in a very bold move today, this administration, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, consistent again with his courage to take very far-reaching decisions in the interest of Nigerians, has taken a decision to implement the so-called Oronsaye Report.

“Now, what that means is that a number of agencies, commissions and some departments have actually been scrapped, some have been merged, while others have been subsumed. Others, of course, have also been moved from some ministries to others where government feels they will operate better,” he said.

Also, the special adviser on policy coordination to the president, Hadiza Bala Usman, said several agencies will be merged, including the National Agency for Control of AIDS (NACA) with the Centre for Disease Control and the National Emergency Management Agency with the National Commission for Refugees.

 Certain agencies will be subsumed under existing ones, such as the Service Compact with Nigeria (SERVICOM) under the Bureau of Public Service Reform and the National Salaries Income and Wages Commission under the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission.

She said a number of agencies will be scrapped and their functions transferred to other ministries or agencies, while some agencies will be relocated to different ministries, such as the Niger Delta Power Holding Company moving to the Ministry of Power, and the Nigerian Diaspora Commission to the Ministry of Finance.

The presidential adviser said a committee had been formed to oversee the implementation of this restructuring within 12 weeks.

She added that the committee will also address necessary legislative amendments and review other recommendations from the Oronsaye Report.

According to her, “We’ll go through quickly the list of agencies that have been so earmarked to be scrapped and their functions moved to ministries and agencies and those to be subsumed.

She listed agencies to be merged: “National Agency for Control of HIV/AIDS (NACA) to be merged with the Centre for Disease Control in the Federal Ministry of Health; National Emergency Management Agency to be merged with the National Commission for Refugee Migration and Internally Displaced Persons; the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa to be merged with Directorate of Technical Aid and to function as a department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission to be merged with the Bureau for Public Enterprises; Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission to be merged with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council; National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure to be merged with National Centre for Agriculture Mechanisation and Project Development Institute.

“The National Biotechnology Development Agency to be merged with the National Centre for Genetic Resource and Biotechnology; the National Institute for Leather Science Technology to be merged with the National Institute for Chemical Technology; the Nomadic Education Commission to be merged with the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult Education and Non-formal Education.

“The Federal Radio Corporation to be merged with the Voice of Nigeria; the National Commission for Museum and Monuments to be merged with the National Gallery of Arts; the National Theatre to be merged with the National Troupe of Nigeria; the National Metrological Development Centre to be merged with the National Metrological Training Institute.

“The Nigerian Army University, Biu, to be merged with the Nigerian Defence Academy, to function as a faculty within the Nigerian Defence Academy; Air Force Institute of Technology also to be merged with the Nigerian Defence Academy, to function as a faculty of Nigerian Defence Academy.”

Usman further listed agencies to be subsumed: “The Service Compact with Nigeria (SERVICOM) to be subsumed to function as a department under the Bureau for Public Service Reform; the Border Communities Development Agency to be subsumed to function as a department under the National Boundary Commission. The National Salaries Income and Wages Commission to be subsumed into the Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Allocation Commission.

“The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution to be subsumed under the Institute for International Affairs; the Public Complaints Commission to be subsumed under the National Human Rights Commission, the Nigerian Institute for Trypanosomiasis to be subsumed into the Institute for Veterinary Research; the National Medicine Development Agency to be subsumed under the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development. The National Intelligence Agency Pension Commission to be subsumed under the Nigerian Pension Commission.

Bala Usman also listed agencies to be relocated to include the Niger Delta Power Holding Company to be relocated to the Ministry of Power; the National Agricultural Land Development Agency to be relocated to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security; the National Blood Service Commission to be converted into an agency and relocated to the Federal Ministry of Health; the Nigerian Diaspora Commission to be converted into an agency and to be relocated to the Federal Ministry of Finance.

“In addition, Mr. President constituted a committee that will work within a 12-week period to ensure that the necessary restructuring and legislative amendments that are needed to ensure that full actualization of these approvals was granted. He tasked this committee with an immediate term of reference to proceed and ensure all of these are done within a period of 12 weeks.”