Highlights of the Stephen Oronsaye Committee Report

It would be recalled that following public outcry over the high cost of governance in the country, former President Goodluck Jonathan on August 18, 2011, inaugurated a committee to restructure and rationalise the federal government agencies, with former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Stephen Oronsaye, as its chairman.
The committee’s mandate included, among others, to: study and review all previous reports/records on the restructuring of federal parastatals and advise on whether they are still relevant or not; examine critically the mandates of the existing federal agencies, parastatals and commissions and determine areas of overlap or duplication of functions and make appropriate recommendations.
Going by the recommendations of the Committee, the figure of statutory agencies is being proposed for reduction to 161 from the current figure of 263.
Aside Oronsaye, the committee also comprises of Japh Nwosu, Rabiu Abubakar, Salman Mann, Hamza Tahir, Adetunji Adesunkanmi and Umar Mohammed.
Collectively, they did a fantastic job with a target to curb bureaucracy, over bloated and needless agencies of Government, in order to cut cost.
Some recommendations includes the following:

• ARMTI should be self financing because they have been operational for more than 32 years.
• NTA, FRCN and VON merged and renamed
• FRSC was recommended for scrapping and sent to relevant departments like Ministry of Works, Police, Vehicle Inspection department but the recommendations was rejected by the Government at that time.
• Abolishing of both Christian and Muslim Pilgrim board and that government should restrict the subsidy of foreign currency for such program. (rejected)
• The Nigerian Law School should reposition itself and self sustain by getting grants, endowment fund and others while Government only caters for essential capital expenses.
• The EFCC, ICPC and Code of Conduct Bureau should be merged and strengthened, while the CCT should be made a anti-corruption tribunal specifically for corruption cases such that the enabling law of CCT be replaced with a newly enacted law accommodating the scope.
• The management audit of all agencies in the Aviation sector and the merger of the trio NAMA, NIMET and NCAA into a body to be known as Federal Civil Aviation Authority (FCAA) while FAAN is privatized without further delay and the committee recommended that Committee members on board of directors should not be more than 7 and they should have relevant experience and knowledge about the committee.
• The NDLEA’s personnel cost be reduced and it’s overhead and capital costs increased to the enhance undercover operations and acquisition of Hi-Tech hardware and systems to fight illicit drugs activities.
• The NDE (National Directorate of Employment) and SMEDAN (Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria) be merged to form a single agency for job and wealth creation called National Agency for Job Creation and Employment (NAJCE)
• The National Productivity Centre (NPC) be scrapped as government does not need a fully fledged organization to sensitize citizen to be productive and hard-working.
• The Nigeria Institute of Mining and Geosciences (NIMG) be abolished and budgetary allocation to the Institute stopped.
• The Committee also recommended amendment of NNPC law to allow for an independent chairman for the Corporation Governing board to be appointed by the President.
• Merger of PPPRA and PEF into a single department in the Ministry of Petroleum
• They PTDF be subsumed by Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) thereby ensuring synergy and establishing nonstop training and placement of competent Nigerian in oil and gas sector. Also DPR be fully funded.
• National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NPTIN) be wounded up as it’s continued existence is unnecessary since PHCN has been privatized the committee recommended.
• The National Rural Electrification Agency (NREA) personnel cost and capital budget allocation be discontinued and that a Technical board be established for the 10 GENCOS and 11 DISCOS. Also that expert be appointed in the TCN committee
• The National Agency for Science and  Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Public and Representative Office Disqualification Act (PRODA), Federal Institute of Industrial Research (FIIRO) and NCAM be merged into one research and development agency.
• The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) was accepted to be changed from the Nigeria Football Association and that Government stops further funding of NFF in accordance with FIFA’s Statues.
• Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and Federal Highways Department of the Ministry of works was recommended to be transformed into an extra ministerial department and funding of road maintenance be classified as special Capital Allocation in the annual budget
• The National Troupe of Nigeria (NTN) and the National Theatre (NT) be merged with the National Council of Arts and Culture (NCAC) into one agency to enable synergy, effectiveness and efficiency.
• The committee recommended that Government stops funding Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA) and their functions be transferred to the Institute of Medical Research in the Federal Ministry of Health.
• The Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), Consumer Protection Council Protection Council (CPC) and the Department of Weights and Measures be merged into a new agency.
• The NYSC was recommended to be restructured with a view to developing a framework to cover critical areas of national socio-economic development to which Corps members would be deployed for their primary assignments focusing on skills training and acquisition.
• The Federal Character Commission (FCC) be abolished and an amendment of the constitution be carried out to reflect the abolition.
• On the powerful Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), the committee recommended that the name be changed to Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) and the constitution be amended to reflect the name change. They recommended board members maximum of 12
• The FPSC have tenured chairman and commissioners for a three-year non-renewable term to be rotated among the states in each geo-political zone and there be the restoration of centralized appointment.

Download the full report here:
Steve Oronsaye Report