Jonathan orders implementation of white paper on Oronsaye report
President Goodluck Jonathan has directed that a committee be set up to implement the White Paper on the report of the Presidential Committee on Restructuring and Rationalisation of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies.
The president directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim and the Head of Service of the Federation, Alhaji Boni Aji, to constitute the committee.
Information Minister Labaran Maku said Jonathan issued the directive yesterday at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.
Maku said to commence the rationalisation, the committee would work on the merger of the agencies and parastatals already marked for merger.
He said the president assured the council that the government would be moving fast in implementing the 105page White Paper to cut cost, ensure efficiency and enhance productivity in civil service.
“You’d recall that the White Paper on the report of the Oronsaye report on the restructuring of agencies has already been publicised. The president said we’ll be moving ahead quickly in the implementation of the document because his administration is very serious in bringing down the cost of governance and ensuring more efficiency.
“He has therefore directed the SGF and the Head of Service to put up a committee for his approval to work on the merger of the agencies that have been marked for merger to cut cost and make them more effective,” the minister said.
In the White Paper, the government endorsed the recommendation of the merger of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET).
The three aviation parastatals will be fused into a new agency to be known as the Federal Civil Aviation Authority; while their respective enabling laws would be amended accordingly to reflect the merger.
According to the document, the government has also approved the scrapping of the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) and the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC).