In a significant move towards government efficiency and streamlining, President Bola Tinubu has issued a directive to scrap and merge several Nigerian agencies, as outlined in the 2012 Steve Oronsaye report.
The directive, communicated through his Special Adviser Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, aims to consolidate functions, eliminate duplication, and enhance overall governance.
This action follows in the footsteps of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s establishment of the presidential committee on government agency reform in 2011, led by Steven Oronsaye, which proposed reducing 263 statutory agencies to 161, abolishing 38, merging 52, and reverting 14 to departments in ministries.
President Tinubu’s commitment to implementing these reforms is evident in the extensive list of agencies affected, numbering no fewer than 14.
Some of the key changes include the subsuming of the National Salaries, Income, and Wages Commission under the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission, the merger of Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission with the Bureau of Public Enterprise, and the amalgamation of NEMA and the National Commission for Refugees into the National Emergency and Refugee Management Commission.
Notable shifts also include the merger of NACA and NCDC into a single entity, the rechristening of the Federal Ministry of Science to oversee a new agency combining NCAM, NASENI, and PRODA, and the fusion of the National Institute for Leather Science Technology and the National Institute for Chemical Technology.
These reforms, outlined by Onanuga in a press statement, underscore the government’s commitment to fostering efficiency, reducing bureaucracy, and optimizing resources.
However, it remains to be seen how these changes will unfold, particularly as they may necessitate constitutional amendments and legislative actions.
The sweeping reforms are expected to generate discussions across various sectors, with stakeholders keenly observing the potential impact on service delivery, governance, and the broader socio-economic landscape.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that
Submitted in 2012, the extensive 800-page report identified 541 Federal Government entities, both statutory and non-statutory.
Its recommendations included reducing statutory agencies from 263 to 161, scrapping 38 agencies, merging 52, and reverting 14 to departments in various ministries.
President Tinubu’s directive encompasses the merging, subsuming, scrapping, and relocation of several agencies. The list of agencies that may be affected if the Oronsaye report is fully implemented includes:
- Consolidation of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission into a single agency.
- Elimination of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission and the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, with their responsibilities being incorporated into the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission.
- Abolition of 38 Federal Agencies, including the Public Complaints Commission, National Poverty Eradication Programme, Utilities Charges Commission, National Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS, National Intelligence Committee, and more.
- Merger of the National Emergency Management and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons.
- Abolition of the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa, with its functions transferred to an appropriate Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Subsuming of the Infrastructure Concessionary and Regulatory Commission into the Bureau of Public Enterprises for greater synergy.
- Combination of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, and the Nigerian Metrological Agency into a new entity called the Federal Civil Aviation Authority.
- Merging of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council.
- Repealing the enabling law of the National Commission for Nomadic Education and transferring its activities to the Universal Basic Education Commission.
- Consolidation of the National Council of Arts and Culture with the National Theatre and the National Troupe.
- Merger of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure with the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization and Project Development Institute.
- Abolition of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria and the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission.
- Merger of the Nigerian Communications Commission, the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, and the regulatory functions of the Nigerian Postal Services.
- Fusion of the National Information Technology Development Agency into the Ministry of Communication Technology.
- Combination of the Nigerian Television Authority, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, and Voice of Nigeria into the Federal Broadcasting Corporation of Nigeria.
- Merging of the Nigerian Army University and the Nigerian Defence Academy, with the former functioning as a faculty within the latter.
- Integration of the Air Force Institute of Technology as a faculty within the Nigerian Defence Academy.
- Transformation of the Debt Management Office into an extra-ministerial department in the Federal Ministry of Finance.
- Return of the Public Health Department to the Federal Ministry of Health.
Additionally, the Oronsaye report recommended ceasing government funding to professional bodies and councils.
This involves revising the Professional Bodies (Special Provisions) Act of 1972, which currently mandates financial assistance from the government to these organizations.
The extensive list includes various professional councils and boards in Nigeria, such as the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, Computer Professionals Council of Nigeria, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, Nigeria Press Council, Architects Registration Council, Council for Registered Engineers of Nigeria, Estate Surveyors’ Registration Board, Town Planners Council, Nigerian Builders Council, Quantity Surveyors’ Registration Board of Nigeria, and Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists.
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