In a significant move aimed at streamlining government operations, President Bola Tinubu has directed the full implementation of the Oronsaye Report, leading to the merging, subsuming, scraping, and relocation of various government agencies. The announcement was made by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, after Monday’s Federal Executive Council meeting at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
According to Idris, the decision aligns with President Tinubu’s commitment to making far-reaching decisions in Nigeria’s best interest. As a result, several agencies, commissions, and departments have been affected, with some being scrapped, modified, marked, subsumed, or relocated to ministries where they are expected to operate more efficiently.
To oversee the implementation of these changes, President Tinubu has constituted a committee, led by Mrs. Hadiza Bala-Usman, Special Adviser on Policy Coordination, with a 12-week timeline.
The Oronsaye Report, submitted in 2012 as part of public sector reforms, identified 541 Federal Government parastatals, commissions, and agencies, both statutory and non-statutory. In 2011, then-President Goodluck Jonathan established the Presidential Committee on Restructuring and Rationalisation of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions, and Agencies, led by former Head of Civil Service, Stephen Oronsaye.
The comprehensive 800-page report recommended various actions, including slashing 263 statutory agencies to 161, scrapping 38 agencies, merging 52, and reverting 14 to departments in different ministries. It also proposed repealing the law establishing the National Salaries and Wages Commission, transferring its functions to the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Responsibility Commission.
Additionally, the report advised merging the nation’s top three anti-corruption agencies—Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB). The implementation of these recommendations aims to enhance efficiency, reduce redundancy, and improve the overall effectiveness of government operations.