Oronsaye Report: MDAs To Go

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By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief

…how FG rejected many recommendations

Faced with a consistently escalating recurrent expenditure in
the face of dwindling revenue, the federal government has been
seeking ways to cut the huge cost of government for many years.
Several committees have been set up by successive administrations
towards reducing the number of federal government Ministries,
Departments and Agencies (MDAs) but to no avail.

In 2011, the then President Goodluck Jonathan set up the
Presidential Committee on Restructuring and Rationalisation of
Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies, under the
Chairmanship of Mr. Steve Oronsaye.

Mr. Oronsaye had private sector background, from where he joined
the civil service at a very high level and rose rapidly to become
the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. His choice
was considered apt with the belief that having come from an
original private sector, he would look at ways of cutting cost of
governing by eliminating wastage through duplicated functions
across several government MDAs.

Members of the committee included: Japh CT Nwosu; Rabiu D.
Abubakar; Salman Mann; Hamza A. Tahir; Adetunji Adesunkanmi ; and
Umar Mohammed (Member/Secretary).

The Oronsaye Committee turned in an 800-page report to President
Jonathan after eight weeks of its assignment. It had
far-reaching recommendations on MDAs that should be scraped, those
to be merged and those to become self-funding, thereby freeing
funds for the much-needed capital projects across the country.

Another key recommendation of the committee was to discontinue
government funding of professional bodies and councils.
Consequently, there is need to amend the Professional Bodies
(Special Provisions) Act, 1972 which mandates government to provide
financial support of various kinds to such bodies.

Ever since then, there has been a lull in the actions towards
the implementation of the recommendations of the report. A
key impediment was the fact that most of the affected agencies were
creations of legislation. Consequently, the enabling laws had
to be repealed before they cease to exist.

In a democracy, such processes could be cumbersome, especially
given the fact that the Chief Executive Officers and management
staff of the agencies don’t want to let go. The strategy of
high-level lobbying, it was learned, was employed by many of the
agencies’ managers such that when the government White paper of the
Oronsaye report was released, most of the recommendations for
scrapping and mergers were rejected government.

The White paper Drafting Committee had Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke
(SAN), the then Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of
Justice (Chairman) and many top government functionaries such as:
Ms. Ama Pepple, Minister of Land, Housing/Urban Development;
Alhaji Isa Bello Sali, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation;
Chief Emeka Wogu, then Minister of Labour and Productivity; Mrs
Omobola Johnson, Minister of Communication Technology; and Dr.
Shamsuddeen Usman, Minister/Deputy Chairman, National Planning
Commission.

Others were: Dr A. J. Awosika, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of
Power; Engr. Emeka Eze, Director-General, Bureau of Public
Procurement; Dr. Ochi C. Achinuvu, Senior Special Assistant,
Economic Matters, Office of the COS to the President; and Mr. Femi
Olayisade, Permanent Secretary, General Services Office (OSGF) who
served as member/secretary.

Some of the agencies with glaring duplicated functions that the
Oronsaye committee recommended should be merged were ignored in the
government White paper, which was released in 2014.

After many years, it was only in September last year that
President Muhammadu Buhari indicated the need to revisit the
Oronsaye report with a view to implementing the government White
Paper on it.

MDAs to go

Based on the White Paper, the Fiscal Responsibility Commission
(FRC) would be abolished and its enabling law repealed as its
functions are being performed by the Revenue Mobilisation
Allocation and Fiscal Commission. A similar fate awaits the
Salaries and Wages Income Commission.

Aviation

The trio of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA),
Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian
Metrological Agency (NIMET) were recommended to be merged into a
new body to be known as the Federal Civil Aviation Authority (FCAA)
and their respective enabling laws amended accordingly to reflect
the merger.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) be privatised
without further delay. The recommendations were accepted by
the government.

NIPC & NEPC

On the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC), the
Committee recommended that it be merged with the Nigerian Export
Promotion Council (NEPC) to synergize for management and
utilization of resources. The government noted this
recommendation.

NAPEP

NAPEP was recommended to be scrapped and its functions
transferred to the new body that will emerge from the merger of the
NDE and SMEDAN. NAPEP has already been scraped.

Utilities Charges Commission, UCC

The committee recommended that Utilities Charges Commission
(UCC) be scrapped. The government accepted the
recommendation.

Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine

The Committee recommends that the Passed Bill on the Nigeria
Agriculture Quarantine Service should not be assented to by the
President. The government accepted the recommendation.

National Commission for Nomadic Education

The Committee recommended that the enabling law of the National
Commission for Nomadic Education be repealed and the Commission’s
activities taken over by the Universal Basic Education Commission.
This is also in line with Government’s earlier decision as
contained on the Report of the Ahmed Joda Panel on the Review,
Harmonization and rationalisation of Federal Parastatals,
Institutions and Agencies. The government noted the
recommendation.

NOSDRA & NESREA

National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and
National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency
(NESREA) and their function performed in the Ministry of
Environment. The White paper was not definitive on government
position on this recommendation as it said that it noted it.

Stop of professional bodies’ funding

Based on the recommendations of the committee, the government
accepted to stop funding many professional bodies. They included:
Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN); Computer
Professionals Council of Nigeria (CPRCN); Advertising Practitioners
Council of Nigeria (APCON); Nigeria Press Council; Architects
Registration Council ; Council for Registered Engineers of Nigeria
(COREN); Estate Surveyors’ Registration Board (ESRB); Town Planners
Council (TPC); Nigerian Builders Council (NBC; Quantity Surveyors’
Registration Board of Nigeria (QSRB); Nigerian Builders Council
(NBC); and Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists
(COMEG).

Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution to be scrapped and
its functions to be transferred to the Department of Strategic
Studies in the Nigerian Institute for International Affairs
(NIIA).

The committee recommended that the Petroleum Products Pricing
Regulatory Authority (PPPRA) and Petroleum Equalisation Fund be
merged with Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF). Government was
undecided on this recommendation.

Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to become
self-funding

NASENI & NCAM
Based on the committee recommendations, National Agency for Science
and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI); Federal Institute for
Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO); and Projects Development
Institute (PRODA) should merge. Government accepted the
recommendations on the merger of NASENI and NCAM with the exclusion
oFFIIRO.

The recommendation that the National Council of Arts and Culture
(NCAC) be merged with the National Troupe and the National Theatre
into one agency was accepted by government. The merged entity is to
be named National Theatre of Nigeria.

An audit of staff of the National Commission for Museums and
Monuments and the National Gallery of Art would be carried out with
a view to merging them.

Government accepted the recommendation that the Nigerian
Shippers’ Council (NSC) present practice where the Nigerian
Shippers’ Council (NSC) and others share at source the seven Port
Development Surcharge be reviewed; and that it should be
self-financing was accepted by government.

Similarly, government agreed that Council for the Regulation of
Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) be sustained by its members’
subscription; and budgetary allocation to CRFFN be stopped.

Rejected recommendations

Many of the recommendations of the committee were rejected by
government. They included the abolishment of the Federal
Character Commission. However, the White Paper rejected the
recommendation. It said that the commission should, instead be
strengthened to perform it duties better.

Federal Civil Service Commission

The committee recommended a Constitutional amendment to reflect
a change in name to Federal Public Service Commission. It
recommended further a reduction in the number of commissioners to a
minimum of seven or a maximum of 12, one of whom would be Chairman
and that the tenure of the chairman and commissioners of the
proposed FPSC be reduced to a three-year non-renewable term to be
rotated among the states in each geo-political zone. This
recommendation was also rejected by government, except in respect
of the single term of five years.

The committee also recommended that 1999 Constitution be amended
to expunge the registration of births and deaths from among the
functions of Local Government councils since the same are contained
in the Exclusive List. Government also rejected this
recommendation. It said that LGs should continue to register births
and death, but that they should render returns to the National
Population Commission.

Government, however, accepted the recommendation that the
National Identity Management Commission NIMC Act be amended to
delete Section 6(i)(b) which deals with the registration of births
and deaths in Nigeria and that NIMC should obtain date on births
and deaths from the National Population Commission.

EFCC, ICPC and CCB

The Committee recommended as follows, that: the Code of Conduct
Tribunal be renamed “Anti Corruption Tribunal” and upgraded to the
status of a Court of Superior Records with the responsibility for
handling only corruption cases from a proposed merger of lCPC, EFCC
and the Code of Conduct Bureau; Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and other
Related Crimes Commission (ICPC) and the Code of Conduct
Bureau. The government rejected this recommendation.

NCRC & BPE

The Committee recommended that Infrastructure Concession
Regulatory Commission (ICRC) be subsumed in the Bureau of Public
Enterprises (BPE) for greater synergy and their enabling laws
amended accordingly. Government rejected the recommendation.
The committee recommended that the Public Complaints Commission
(PCC) (be abolished and its enabling law repealed. It was
rejected.

In the Office of the Vice President

The committee recommended the scrapping of the Border
Communities Development Agency (BCDA) and its functions taken over
by the National Boundary Commission. The recommendation was
rejected by the government.

Similarly, on the National Institute for Policy and Strategic
Studies (NIPS), the Committee recommended that the federal
government should stop funding the recurrent expenditure of the
organization and limit itself to funding only capital
projects. It was rejected.

NEMA

National Emergency Management (NEMA) recommended the merger of
NEMA with the National Refugees Commission. This
recommendation was also rejected.

DMO

Oronsaye committee recommended that the Debt Management Office
be removed from the Office of the Vice President and made an
ex-Ministerial Department in the Federal Ministry of finance. The
recommendation was equally rejected.

Office of the SGF

In the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the
Federation (SGF), it was recommended that the road safety functions
of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) should revert to the
highways department of the Federal Ministry of Works.

That the Commission’s personnel be redeployed to the relevant
organizations (the Police Service Commission, the Federal Civil
Service Commission and the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) in the
Federal Capital Territory Authority) for due regularization. It
added that in line with best practice, the Police, who have the
core responsibilities of security should provide the functions of
the commission, especially highways patrol and duties relating to
road traffic accidents and the removal of the wreckage of vehicles
from the highways. The government rejected the
recommendation.

For National Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (NACA) it
recommended that the Act be repealed and it be merged with the
division currently handling HIV/AIDS in the Public Health
Department be merged as a Department under the Centre for Disease
Control in the Federal Ministry of Health. The recommendation
was rejected by government.

Pilgrims Commissions

The committee recommended that the National Hajj Commission of
Nigeria (NAHCON) and Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC)
be scraped and government restrict itself to only providing
consular service and vaccination of intending pilgrims. The
recommendation was rejected.

In the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, it was
recommended that the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN) be
merged with the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria
(ASCON). The recommendation was rejected.

The proposed merger of Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR)
Service Compact with all Nigerians (SERVICOM) was equally rejected
by governemnt.

The committee recommended that all the Research Institutes in
the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development be funded
from the proposed National Research Development Fund to be set up
by government

NCC & NBC merger

Nigerian Communications Commission, the Nigerian Broadcasting
Commission and the regulatory functions of the Nigerian Postal
Services were recommended by the committee to be merged. It
recommended that a new body: Communications Regulatory Authority of
Nigerian (CRAN) be created to carry out their functions. However,
the government rejected the recommendation.
NITDA.

The committee recommended that the National Information
Technology Development Agency (NITDA) functions be transferred to
the Ministry of Technology as a Department. It was rejected by
government.
The committee recommended that government shares in the Nigerian
Communications Satellite (NigComSat) Limited be sold to private
investors. The recommendation was accepted but that
government would maintain minority shares in the organization.

NECO & NABTEB

NECO and NABTEB were recommended to be scraped and their
functions reverted to the West African Examinations Council.
The government rejected the recommendation.

The committee recommended that the National Board for Technical
Education and National Commission for Colleges of Education be
subsumed under the National Universities Commission. It said
that a new Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) be
established to take all their functions. Government rejected the
recommendations.

NTA, FRCN & VON merger

The committee recommended that the Federal Radio Corporation of
Nigeria (FRCN) and the Voice of Nigeria (VON) should be
merged. The government rejected it.

NDE & SMEDAN

National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and the SMEDAN be
merged to form a single agency for job and wealth creation.
The recommended was rejected in the White paper.

In the mining sector, the committee recommended that the Nigeria
Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) be merged with the National Steel
Raw Materials Exploration Agency (NSRMEA) for greater efficiency
and coordinated service delivery. This recommendation was
also rejected.

National Metallurgical Development Center (NMDC), Jos and the
National Metallurgical Training Institute, Onitsha be
scraped. The government rejected the recommendation but said
the ministry should out ways to commercialise those agencies in
order to remove them from government funding. Nigerian Institute of
Mining and Geosciences (NIMG), Jos was also recommended for
scraping, but the government rejected the recommendation.

PTDF & NCDMB merger

The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) be subsumed
under the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB)
to ensure synergy and establish a one-stop shop for training and
placement of competent Nigerians in the oil and gas sector.
The recommendation was rejected in the White paper.

The committee’s recommendation for the scraping of National
Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN); National Rural
Electrification Agency (NREA) were equally rejected by
government.

Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC); National
Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA); Nigerian Natural Medicine
Development Agency (NNMDA) be scrapped. The government
rejected all those recommendations.

Nigerian Institute for Leather Science Technology (NILEST) and
National Research Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT) were
to be merged based on the committee recommendations. The
government rejected it.

Similarly, the recommendation that the Energy Commission of
Nigeria (ECN) be scraped and the functions transferred to the
Ministry of Power was rejected by government.

The committee recommended that Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone
Authority (OGFZA) be reverted to the Nigeria Export Processing
Zones Authority. The government rejected it. Instead, it
directed that Onne OGFZA to be renamed Oil and Gas Free Zones
Authority.

The committee recommended that Industrial Training Fund (lTF)
and Nigerian Financial Reporting Council (NFRC) be
self-funding. Government rejected the recommendation.

In the transport sector, the recommendation that government
should stop funding the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron was
rejected.

Government rejected the recommendation to merge the Federal
Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) along with the Federal Highways
Department of the Federal Ministry of Works, and be transformed
into an extra-ministerial Department.

Government also rejected the recommendation to discontinue
funding of the Nigerian Law School Council of Legal Education and
Nigerian Law School (CLE &NLS);

Editors Note; Written by Emma Ujah,
Abuja Bureau Chief and originally published in
Vanguard ^[1]