No fewer than 10 Chief Executive Officers of some Federal Government Agencies and Parastatals may soon be relieved of their plum positions as the Presidency on Monday released the White Paper on the report of Orosanye Committee.
The Presidential Committee on the Rationalisation and Restructuring of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies headed by a former Head of Service of the Federation, Steve Orosanye, submitted its report on April 16, 2012.
The Committee in its report had recommended the reduction of the existing 263 government’s statutory agencies in the country to 161.
Specifically, it recommended the abolition of 38 agencies, merger of 52 and reversion of 14 agencies to departments in the relevant ministries to reduce cost of governance and ensure efficiency.
According to the While Paper released, no fewer than five agencies would be scrapped while some are to either be merged or commercialised.
Among the Director-Generals and Chief Executives that will be dropped are those of the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) and Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC).
Also affected are the Director-Generals of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency NAMA, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency.
The three agencies are now to be merged into a new body to be known as the Federal Civil Aviation Authority FCAA. All the enabling laws would be amended accordingly to reflect the merger while a new Chief Executive would be appointed to head the new Agency- FCAA.
The White Paper on 105 states that the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission should perform the function of Fiscal Responsibility Commission
Also, the recommendation that the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission’s enabling law be repealed and the functions of the Commission be subsumed under Revenue Mobilisation And Fiscal Commission and that RMAFC enabling laws be amended to accommodate the functions of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission and the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission
In line with President Goodluck Jonathan’s resolve to tackle corruption head on, government rejected the recommendation of the merger of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and also rejected the renaming of Code of Conduct Tribunal to Anti Corruption Tribunal.
In the same vein, the recommendation that the NTA, FRCN and VON be merged into one body to be known as Federal Corporation Broadcasting of Nigeria (FCBN) was rejected.
However, the White Paper states that NTA must be fully commercialised by 2013 (last year).
The recommendation that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the National Refugees Commission be merged into one agency to be known as the National Emergency Management and Refugees Commission was rejected.
Also, the recommendation that the Debt Management Office that is under the Office of Vice President should become an extra- ministerial department in the Federal Ministry of Finance was turned down.
The government rejected the recommendation that the Act setting up FRSC be repealed and also recited that road Safety of the FRSC be reverted to the Highways Department of the Federal Ministry of Works as well as the recommendation that the enabling law of the National Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS be repealed.
It also rejected that the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria and the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission be abolished and their functions transferred to a department under Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as the recommendation that government stops sponsoring pilgrims and pilgrimages with effect from 2012 Fiscal year
Government rejected the privatization of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigerian (FAAN) in view of the security situation of the country.
Government rejected that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nigerian Broadcasting commission (NBC ) and the regulatory functions of Nigerian Postal Service ( NIPOST)) be brought together under a unified management structure to be known as the Communications Regulatory Authority of Nigeria.
Government rejected the recommendation that the Act establishing the National Examinations Council be repealed and Council’s activities be returned to the WAEC, but directed the Minister of Education to streamline the two bodies to ensure standards and integrity.
Also, it rejected that the Act of the National Business and technical Examinations Board be repealed and the Boards activities be returned to WAEC.
The government also rejected that the National Sports Commission revert to the proposed Ministry of Youth and Sports Development as an agency but approved the management audit of the National Institute for Sports (NIS).
The recommendations accepted include:
That the Bill seeking for the establishment of NEPAD as an agency of the Federal Government be withdrawn from the National Assembly as there are already laws relating to most of their activities being performed by NEPAD.
It also accepted that the Nigerian Financial Reporting Council ceases to be funded by government from 2015 as well as the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) be self funding from 2014.
