The Executive Council of the Federation, also known as the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Monday approved the implementation of the recommendations of the Steve Oronsaye panel on the restructuring and rationalisation of Federal agencies, parastatals and commissions.
The government said the implementation of the policy involves the merging, subsuming and scrapping of agencies with similar functions.
Bayo Onanuga, the special adviser on information and strategy to President Bola Tinubu said the measure became necessary to enhance efficiency in the federal service, and reduce the cost of governance.
“The Oronsaye report was submitted in 2012 to the Goodluck Jonathan administration,” Mr Onanuga said in a statement. “In 2014, the Jonathan government released a white paper on the report. The Buhari administration after re-examining the white paper also released a second white paper in August 2022, but did not implement the report.
“However, the Tinubu administration has decided to confront the monster of high governance cost by implementing elements of the report.
“An eight-man committee has a 12-week deadline to ensure that the necessary legislative amendments and administrative restructuring needed to implement the reforms are effected in an efficient manner.
“The committee comprises Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Head of the Civil Service, Attorney General and Justice Minister, Budget and Planning Minister, DG Bureau of Public Service Reform, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, Special assistant to the president on National Assembly. The Cabinet Affairs Office will serve as the secretariat.”
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Print Media, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, later shared a full list of the agencies to be affected.
List of agencies, commissions and parastatals affected by the approval of the Federal Executive Council meeting (FEC) of 26th February, 2024 on the recommendation of the 2022 and 2012 reports on restructuring and rationalization of federal government parastatals agencies and commissions [Oronsaye Panel Report]
Agencies to be scrapped
- Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate to be scrapped and functions
transferred to the Federal Ministry of Finance - National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC) to be scrapped and
functions transferred to the department of Basic and Secondary Education in
Federal Ministry of Education.
Agencies to be merged
- National Agency for the Control of Aids (NACA) to be merged under the Centre
for Disease Control in Federal Ministry of Health. - National Emergency Agency (NEMA) to be merged with National Commission
Refugee, Migration and Internally Displaced persons [NCFRMI]. - Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA) to be merged with
Directorate of Technical Aid (DTAC) and to function as a department in the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. - Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC) to be merged with Bureau for Public Enterprise (BPE).
- Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) to be merged with Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC).
- National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) to be
merged with National Centre for Agriculture Mechanization (NCAM) and
Project Development Institute (PRODA) - National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) to be merged with
National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB). - National Institute for Leather Science Technology (NILEST) to be merged with
National Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT). - The Nomadic Education Commission (NEC) to be merged with National
Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult Education and Non Formal Education. - Federal Radio Corporation (FRCN) to be merged with Voice of Nigeria (VON)
- The National Commission for Museums and Monuments to be merged with National gallery of Arts.
- The National Theatre to be merged with National Troupe of Nigeria.
- The National Metallurgical Development Centre (NMDC) to be merged with National Metallurgical Training Institute (NMTI).
- Nigerian Army University (NAUB)should be merged Nigerian Defence Academy
(NDA) - Airforce Institute of Technology (AFIT) should be merged Nigerian Defence
Academy (NDA)
Agencies to be subsumed
- Service Compact with all Nigerians (SERVICOM) to be subsumed to function as
a department under Bureau for Public Service Reforms (BPSR). - Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA) to be subsumed to function
as a department under the National Boundary Commission (NBC). - National Salaries, Income and Wages Commissioned (NSIWC) to be subsumed
into Revenue Mobilization & Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMAFC). - Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution to be subsumed under Nigerian
Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) - Public Complains Commission (PCC) to be subsumed under National Human
Rights Commission (NHRC). - Nigerian Institute for Trypanosomiasis (NITR) to be subsumed into Institute of
Veterinary Research (VOM). - Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA) to be subsumed
under the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development
(NIPRD). - National Intelligence Agency Pension Commission to be subsumed under the
administration of Nigerian Pension Commission (PenCom). - The Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) to be subsumed as a
department in the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy.
Agencies to be relocated
- Niger Delta Powerholding Company (NDHC) to be relocated to Ministry of
power. - National Agricultural Land Development Agency [NALDA] to be relocated to the
Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security - National Blood Service Commission to be converted into an Agency and
relocated to the Federal Ministry of Health - Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) to be converted into an Agency
and transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.