The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has granted approval for the implementation of recommendations from the Steve Oronsaye panel regarding the restructuring and rationalization of federal agencies, parastatals, and commissions.
The initiative entails the merging, absorption, and abolition of agencies with overlapping functions, aiming to bolster efficiency within the federal service and curtail governance costs.
According to Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, the decision was imperative to streamline operations.
Onanuga highlighted the origins of the Oronsaye report, submitted to the Goodluck Jonathan administration in 2012 and subsequently endorsed in a white paper by the Jonathan government in 2014. Despite a reevaluation by the Buhari administration in 2022, the report remained unimplemented until now.
Under the leadership of the Tinubu administration, an eight-member committee has been tasked with effecting the necessary legislative and administrative adjustments within a 12-week timeframe.
The committee comprises key figures such as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Head of the Civil Service, and the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, among others, with the Cabinet Affairs Office serving as the secretariat.
Additionally, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Print Media, shared a comprehensive list of agencies slated for restructuring.
Agencies To Be Merged:
1.Infrastructure (NASENI) with National Centre for Agriculture Mechanization (NCAM) and Project Development Institute (PRODA)
2.National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) with National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB)
3.National Institute for Leather Science Technology (NILEST) with National Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT)
4.Nomadic Education Commission (NEC) with National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult Education and Non-Formal Education
5.Federal Radio Corporation (FRCN) with Voice of Nigeria (VON)
6.National Commission for Museums and Monuments with National Gallery of Arts
7. National Theatre with National Troupe of Nigeria
8.National Metallurgical Development Centre (NMDC) with National Metallurgical Training Institute (NMTI)
9.Nigerian Army University (NAUB) with Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA)
10. Airforce Institute of Technology (AFIT) with Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA)
Agencies to be Subsumed:
1.Service Compact with all Nigerians (SERVICOM) under Bureau for Public Service Reforms (BPSR)
2.Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA) under National Boundary Commission (NBC)
3.National Salaries, Income and Wages Commissioned (NSIWC) under Revenue Mobilization & Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMAFC)
4. Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution under Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA)
5.Public Complains Commission (PCC) under National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
6.Nigerian Institute for Trypanosomiasis (NITR) under Institute of Veterinary Research (VOM)
7.Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA) under National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD).
8.National Intelligence Agency Pension Commission under Nigerian Pension Commission (PenCom)
9.Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) as a department within the Ministry of Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy.
These restructuring efforts underscore a strategic move by the government to optimize resources and enhance operational efficiency across various sectors.
