President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the implementation of a report submitted by the presidential committee on restructuring and rationalization of federal government parastatals, commissions and agencies.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed.
The report was submitted during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.
A former Head of Civil Service, Stephen Oronsaye had led a committee set up by former President Jonathan to identify civil service inadequacies.
The seven-man committee had then noted that the “rationalization of agencies, parastatals and commissions would have human dimensions and cost implications.”
They recommended that the government focus on empowering the MDAs “to do more for less.”
The report is called ‘the Oronsaye report’ and in it was the recommendation for the abolishment and merging of 102 government agencies and parastatals.
Mrs. Ahmed told Channels TV yesterday that Buhari’s approval has been forwarded to the Head of Civil Service and Secretary-General of the Federation.
According to him, “The president has approved that this administration should implement the Oronsaye 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 the civil service of the federation.”