- To Scrap, Merge Several Government Agencies
By Abiola Olawale
Some government workers may be on the line of losing their jobs as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Monday ordered the full implementation of the 2012 Stephen Oronsaye report.
By extension, the President has constituted a committee saddled with the responsibility of examining the possibility of reducing statutory agencies, scrapping and merging agencies, one of the strong recommendations in the comprehensive Oronsanye Report which spanned 800 pages.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made this revelation while addressing State House Correspondents after Monday’s Federal Executive Council meeting at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
According to the minister, Tinubu emphasised that this action is to highlight the commitment of his administration to the broader goal of reducing the overall cost of governance.
The minister said, “So in a very bold move today, this administration, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, consistent again with his courage to take very far-reaching decisions in the interest of Nigeria, 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 modified, and marked while others have been subsumed. Others, of course, have also been moved from some ministries to others where the government feels they will operate better,” he added.
The New Diplomat reports that the Oronsaye report was a product of a committee set up in 2011 and chaired by Oronsaye, a former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation in Nigeria.
The key objective was to reduce the cost of governance, eliminate duplication of functions, and enhance efficiency in public service delivery. The Oronsaye Committee made several recommendations, including the merger and abolition of some government agencies to achieve cost savings and improve overall governance.