Tinubu to implement Oronsaye report on federal agencies rationalization

The presidency of Bola Tinubu has given the green light for the full execution of the Stephen Oronsaye report, a document prepared by the Presidential Committee on Restructuring and Rationalization of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions, and Agencies.

This report, initiated by the Goodluck Jonathan administration in 2011, recommended the consolidation or elimination of federal entities to tackle issues of overlap and redundancy.

In 2021, after a period of review, the Muhammadu Buhari administration published a white paper on the report. This paper concurred with the proposal to eliminate six agencies but disagreed with the suggestion to abolish 18 others.

The Tinubu administration announced on Monday via Twitter that it will begin the implementation of the report’s recommendations. The white paper indicates the agencies and parastatals that are set to be eliminated.

• Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC): Its responsibilities will be transferred to the existing Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).
• Utilities Charges Commission: This commission will be dissolved, and its enabling law repealed.
• Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA): This body will be merged with the Directorate of Technical Aids Corps (DTAC) to create a more efficient structure for managing international technical assistance programs.
• National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP): Existing government agencies will absorb the functions previously handled by NAPEP.
• Presidential Committee on Barrack Rehabilitation (PCBR): The responsibilities of this committee will be integrated into relevant ministries, streamlining oversight of military barracks maintenance.
• National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA): The government did not disclose its final decision on NOSDRA, only acknowledging the recommendation for its scrapping.

The 18 agencies that were recommended to be scrapped but will be retained are:

1. Federal Character Commission (FCC)
2. Public Complaints Commission (PCC)
3. Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC)
4. National Hajj Commission of Nigeria
5. Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN)
6. Civil Defence, Immigration and Prisons Services Board (CDIPB)
7. Nigerian Institute of Mining and Geosciences (NIMG)
8. Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI)
9. Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) 
10. Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN)
11. Nigerian Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Studies (NIHOTOUR)
12. National Environmental Standards and Regulations Environment Enforcement Agency (NESREA) 
13. Nigeria Customs Service Board
14. National Productivity Centre (NPC)
15. The National Energy Council (NEC) 
16. National Metallurgical Development Center (NMDC), Jos
17. National Metallurgical Training Institute, Onitsha 
18. National Automotive Council Council (NAC)

Onanuga said in a tweet, “Twelve years after the Steve Oronsaye panel submitted its report on restructuring and rationalizing Federal government parastatals and agencies and a white paper issued two years after, President Tinubu and the Federal Executive Council today decided to implement the report. “Many agencies will be scrapped and many others will be merged, to pave way to a leaner government.”