Twelve years after the submission of the Stephen Oronsaye Report, the Federal Government announced on Monday its approval of the implementation of some of its recommendations aimed at reducing the cost of governance.
Consequently, 29 government agencies will be merged, while eight parastatals will be integrated into eight other agencies.
Additionally, four agencies are set to be relocated to various ministries, and one agency is slated for scrapping.
As per the announcement made by Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, it comes in response to the 2012 Oronsaye report, which pointed out the increase in government parastatals and suggested major restructuring.
The report suggested reducing the number of statutory agencies from 263 to 161, scrapping 38 agencies, merging 52, and reverting 14 to departments within ministries.
It also proposed repealing the law, establishing the National Salaries and Wages Commission and merging Nigeria’s top three anti-corruption agencies.
The decision to implement the Oronsaye report was part of President Bola Tinubu’s agenda for governance reform.
Agencies slated for merger include the National Agency for Control of HIV/AIDS, the National Emergency Management Agency, and the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa.
Certain agencies such as the Federal Radio Corporation and the National Commission for Museum and Monuments are set to be merged or subsumed into other entities.
Some agencies, like SERVICOM and the Border Communities Development Agency, will become departments within other agencies.
The restructuring effort aims to enhance government efficiency, reduce duplication of functions, and free up resources for developmental projects. To facilitate the restructuring and ensure legislative amendments, President Tinubu constituted a committee with a 12-week mandate to oversee the process.
