Presidential monologue ( 9)
TODAY, my focus is on the adoption of Steve Oronsaye Report on the restructuring and rationalisation of the federal bureaucracy comprising agencies, parastatals, and commissions by the Executive Council of the Federation on February 26.
Mr President, this effort is commendable even though seen by a segment of the public as diversionary from the economic crunch that your impulsive policy has dragged the country into.
This is not saying in absolute terms that your inchoate administration is responsible for all the problems of the country. Grant that some people are bound to feel so, but it is the right policy in the right direction.
It would be recalled that the Oronsaye Panel was empaneled in 2011 by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration and had called for rationalisation of several aspects of the federal bureaucracy through the consolidation, merger, or outright take out of redundant and inefficient government parastatals. Apart from issuing a white paper on the report, it was archived despite clamour by critical segments of society for the cutting of the cost of governance to reduce waste in public expenditure.
In what seemed a motion without movement, the Buhari administration issued a second white paper on the report without implementation. Mr. President, you seemed to have broken the jinx in this respect. It is the reason why Idris Mohammed, your Minister of Information and National Orientation, noted that “In a very bold move today, this administration, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, consistent again with his courage to take very far- reaching decisions in the interest of Nigerians, has taken a decision to implement the so- called Oronsaye Report…” Indeed, the Oronsaye Report acknowledged 541 agencies, parastatals, and commissions and recommended a reduction to 362, the merger of 52 agencies, and the abolition of 38 others. This was more than a decade ago; the situation has since changed. Indeed, government bureaucratic agencies have risen to about 941. The present action of the government and the change that has occurred has implications for the reform process and jobs. The former is the reason why Hon. Nkemkanma, a co- sponsor of the motion for a review of the Oronsaye Report in the House of Representatives, said the report was dated, and might not capture present realities due to the dynamism in society relations encompassing the economy, polity, technology, and all facets of our national life.
In his words, “Contrary to the assumption that the full implementation of the report would reduce the cost of governance, with the current realities, the full implementation of the report will not substantially reduce the cost of governance as it does not reflect the current situation in the Public Service of the Federation.” Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, usually sparring with government praises, gave Mr. President a pass mark, and were he to be president, he would take similar action because implementing the report would allow for efficiency, cost- effectiveness, and productivity. He supplied a caveat, “we must not rush to implement the Oronsaye Report just because those that will be directly affected are mostly civil servants. A very deep understanding of the workings of the Federal bureaucracy will be required to effectively implement the Report. Grasping the symmetries between the federal and the other tiers of government will be imperative as Federal agencies have branches and outreaches in all the 36 states.”
Obi’s take on the role of the opposition to the extent that “Being in opposition does not warrant blind and thoughtless criticism. Whenever the government takes the right decision, we should agree and if need be, propose related or even better ideas to move the nation forward” is noteworthy.
The working class is bothered about the loss of jobs that might occur in the implementation process. It is precisely why the two labour centres have directed their members in the public sector to ensure none that of its members loses his or her job. The workers have attributed the non- implementation of the Oronsaye Report to the fear of job losses, not sheer cowardice on the part of previous administrations.
Mr. President, your administration should not defend the indefensible; it would lead to downsizing the staff strength of the federal civil service unless the government wants to retain those staff watching Nollywood in the office waiting for 4: 00 pm to exit the office every day, not to mention the incestuous recruitment and ghost workers that abound.
The Oronsaye Report quite recommended the elimination of redundancy and duplicity of role. However, the genius of the exercise, would include the deployment of the affected staff to new productive areas of the national economy. As good as the new road taken is, it suffers a credibility problem. The step would be farreaching if you would summon the courage and prune down your bloated cabinet of 45 ministers, many of whom are not so gifted and with itching palms. The National Assembly should be a partner in the amendment of relevant sections for the reform to come into effect. Mr. President, think ahead and think through your policy to retain credibility in the eyes of the citizenry.