Fresh facts have emerged that President Muhammadu Buhari may be considering to scrap and merge some Ministries Departments and Agencies to save cost of governance.
This is even as he has directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha and the Head of Service, Folashade Mejabi Yemi-Esan, to commence the restructuring of federal government parastatals, commissions and agencies.
This directive comes after he approved the adoption of the Steve Oransaye Committee report.
The Oronsaye committee was constituted during the Goodluck Jonathan administration to seek ways of cutting cost of governance in the country.
The committee, inaugurated in August 2011, submitted its report the following year, recommending the merger, conversion and scrapping of many agencies.
While describing the cost of governance in Nigeria as one of the highest in the world, the committee had recommended a reduction in the number of statutory agencies from 263 to 161.
Ahmed said the Federal Government had started to address the issue of high costs of governance by implementing the report.
After several deliberations, the committee came up with an 800-paged report, recommending the abolishment and merging of 102 government agencies and parastatals.
Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, was on Channels TV where she disclosed that President Buhari has approved the adoption of the report.
“The president has approved that this administration should implement the Oransanye report. It has reviewed the whole of the size of government and has made very significant recommendations in terms of reducing the number of agencies and that would mean merging some agencies.
This is a report that has been in place for a long time and there hasn’t been implementation but the president has approved that this should be implemented and we have conveyed Mr President’s approval to the arms of government that are responsible for this and that will be the office of the secretary of government and the head of civil service of the federation.” Zainab said.
