The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved the implementation of recommendations from the Stephen Oronsaye Report, aimed at reducing the cost of governance. The report, submitted 12 years ago, proposed measures such as merging government agencies and parastatals to streamline operations.
As a result of the approval, 29 government agencies will be merged, and eight parastatals will be integrated into eight other agencies. Additionally, four agencies will be relocated to various ministries, while one has been marked for scrapping.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, shared this information with State House Correspondents after a Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja on Monday. The move is seen as an effort to fine-tune and restructure government operations, ultimately reducing the cost of governance.
The Oronsaye Report, submitted in 2012, recommended slashing the number of statutory agencies from 263 to 161, scrapping 38 agencies, merging 52, and reverting 14 to departments in various ministries. The recent decision includes the repeal of the law establishing the National Salaries and Wages Commission, with its functions absorbed by the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Responsibility Commission.
Idris clarified that the implementation of the report would not lead to job losses, and employees would find accommodation within the new structure. The goal is to free up funds for reinvestment into developmental projects.
A committee has been constituted to oversee the necessary restructuring and legislative amendments needed for the full implementation of the approved changes. The committee, chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, has a 12-week mandate to ensure the completion of these tasks.
