Federal Executive Council Gives Nod to Oronsaye Report Implementation, Authorizes Agency Mergers

By Aaron Elekwachi

Federal Executive Council (FEC) Endorses Stephen Oronsaye Panel Recommendations for Agency Mergers and Reforms

In a meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu on Monday, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the comprehensive implementation of the Stephen Oronsaye Panel report. This decision encompasses the merging, subsuming, scrapping, or relocating of various parastatals, agencies, and commissions.

The move, according to Hadiza Bala Usman, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, is aimed at reducing the cost of governance and enhancing efficiency across the governance spectrum.

To facilitate the execution of these proposed changes, FEC established an eight-member committee tasked with implementing the mergers, scrappings, and relocations within a timeframe of 12 weeks. The committee comprises high-ranking officials such as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Head of the Civil Service, Attorney General and Justice Minister, Budget and Planning Minister, Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reform, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, and Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters. The Cabinet Affairs Office will serve as the secretariat for the committee.

Furthermore, FEC received a report from the inter-ministerial panel assigned to review the National Social Investment Programme's operations. Additionally, the Council sanctioned the immediate resumption of direct payments to 12 million households, benefiting approximately 60 million Nigerians, subject to certain conditions.

The implementation of the Oronsaye Report, initiated in 2011 under then-President Goodluck Jonathan, aims to streamline government agencies and curb wasteful expenditure. The report identified numerous overlapping agencies, leading to recommendations for consolidation and abolition.

Key Recommendations for Implementation include:

1. National Salaries, Income and wages Commission to be subsumed under Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission. The National Assembly will need to amend the constitution as RMAFC was established by the constitution.

2. Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission to be merged with Bureau of Public Enterprise and be rechristened as `Public Enterprises and Infrastructural Concession Commission.

3. National Human Rights Commission to swallow Public Complaints Commission
4. Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate(PTAD) to be scrapped and functions to be taken over by Federal Ministry of Finance.

5. NEMA and National Commission for Refugees to be fused to become National Emergency and Refugee Management Commission.

6. Border Communities Development Agency to become a department under National Boundary Commission.

7. NACA and NCDC to be merged.

8. SERVICOM to become a department under the Bureau for Public Service Reform(BPSR).

9. NALDA to return to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

10. Federal Ministry of Science to supervise a new agency that combines NCAM, NASENI and PRODA.

11. National Commission for Museums and Monuments and National Gallery of Arts to become one entity that will be known as National Commission for Museums, Monuments and Gallery of Arts.

12. National Theatre to be merged with National Troupe.

13. Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa and Directorate of Technical Aid Corp to be merged under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

14. Nigerians in Diaspora Commission to become an agency under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

15. Federal Radio Corporation and Voice of Nigeria to be one entity to be known as Federal Broadcasting Corporation of Nigeria.

16. National Biotechnology Development Agency(NABDA) and National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology to be emerged into an agency to be known as National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency(NBRDA).

17. National Institute for Leather Science Technology and National Institute for Chemical Technology to become one agency.

18. Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency and National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development to become one agency.

19. The National Metallurgical Development Centre and National Metallurgical Training Institute will be merged.

20. National Institute for Trypanosomiasis to be subsumed under Institute of Veterinary Research in Vom, Jos.

21. The Niger Delta Power Holding Company to be relocated to the Ministry of Power.

22. The National Agricultural Land Development Agency to be relocated to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

23. The National Blood Service Commission to be converted into an agency and relocated to the Ministry of Health.

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