By Abiola Olawale
Amid fears of massive job losses triggered by the recent declaration of the implementation of the Oronsaye report, the Federal Government has called for calm, assuring that it has no plan to retrench workers.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made this known in Abuja on Wednesday at the fourth edition of the Ministerial Press Briefing Series.
According to Idris, the implementation of the report, which has been on the shelf for about 11 years, is only a clear demonstration of the administration’s efforts to cut costs of governance.
He added that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to reducing fiscal prudence and embracing responsible governance.
In his words, “The whole idea is that the government wants to reduce cost and also improve efficiency in service delivery. It does not mean that the government is out to retrench workers or throw people into the labour market,” he said.
“Through the implementation of Oronsaye’s Report, President Tinubu aims to achieve significant cost savings by eliminating duplication of functions, streamlining administrative processes, and optimizing resource allocation. This proactive approach will enable the government to operate more efficiently while maintaining the quality and delivery of services to the Nigerian people,” he added.
The New Diplomat reports that twelve years after the Stephen Oronsaye Report was submitted to the Federal Government, Tinubu approved the implementation of some of its recommendations to reduce the cost of governance.
The 800-page report recommended that 263 of the statutory agencies be slashed to 161; 38 agencies be scrapped; 52 be merged and 14 be reverted to departments in various ministries.
