FG approves two new agencies, ignores Oronsaye report

Months after President Bola Tinubu called for the full implementation of the Stephen Oronsaye, the President alongside the legislative arm of government have continued to push for establishment of a new ministry, agencies and commissions.

A tally done by our correspondent revealed that two new commissions were approved by the President from February 26, 2024 to date.

These two are the South East Development Commission and North West Development Commission.

On February 26, 2024, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga in a post on X (formerly Twitter) announced the decision of the President.

“Twelve years after the Steve Oronsaye panel submitted its report on restructuring and rationalising 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,” Onanuga wrote.

“Many agencies will be scrapped and many others will be merged, to pave the way to a leaner government,” he said.

The Presidency had since released a list of agencies to be scrapped and those to be merged.

In 2011, former President Goodluck Jonathan set up the presidential committee on the reformation of government agencies chaired by Steven Oronsaye, a former Head of Service of the Federation.

Its terms of reference included, among others, examining the enabling Acts and mandates of all the federal agencies, parastatals, and commissions to determine areas of overlap or duplication of functions.

The committee, in its report, recommended that of the 541 Statutory and Non-Statutory Federal Government Parastatals, Agencies and Commissions, 263 statutory agencies should be reduced to 161, 38 agencies should be abolished, 52 agencies should be merged, and 14 should revert to departments in ministries.

A white paper committee, headed by the then Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, reviewed the report and rejected most of the recommendations of the committee when it submitted its report in 2014.

However, even the accepted recommendations were not implemented until the Jonathan administration left office in 2015.

In 2021, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated two committees to implement the report.

One of the committees headed by a former Head of Service, Bukar Aji, was mandated to review the Oronsaye Report and the government white paper.

The other committee chaired by Amal Pepple was mandated to review MDAs created between 2014 and 2021.

The then Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, in July 2022, set up another white paper committee, headed by Ebele Okeke, to review the report of the Pepple committee. However, the Buhari administration failed to implement the report.

While the discourse on the implementation of the report was ongoing, the National Assembly and successive governments have been creating agencies and institutions, therefore, increasing the cost of governance in the process.

The consequence of the bloated government has been the steady increase in the recurrent expenditure of the Federal Government.

On July 9, 2024, the President approved the creation of a new ministry.

On September 14, 2023, the National Livestock Reforms Committee recommended that Tinubu create a “Ministry of Livestock Resources” to, among other deliverables, reduce the decades-long gory conflict between farmers and nomadic cattle herders.

Former Kano State Governor and Chairman of the All Progressives Congress Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, disclosed this to State House Correspondents shortly after he led the committee in an audience with the President at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

It formed part of 21 recommendations captured in a document submitted to the President to enhance the Federal Government’s holistic response to the lingering cases of bloodshed.

The document spelt details of the proposed solutions where the committee advocated a reform agenda examining conflict mitigation and resource management.

On Thursday, February 29, 2024, Senate during its plenary passed for Second Reading the Bill to establish the National Assembly Budget and Research Office.

On March 12, lawmakers in the House of Representatives passed for second reading, a bill Sponsored by Uchenna Okonkwo, a lawmaker representing Idemili north and south federal constituency of Anambra state, the bill proposes to establish the bank to “provide financial support, promote investment and foster sustainable development” in the mining sector.

Similarly on the same day, the Senate pushed for first reading three new bills for the establishment of three different Federal Tertiary institutions.

The first was a bill sponsored by a Senator, Khalid Mustapha (Kaduna North) seeking for the establishment of Federal College of Education (Technical) to be situated in Saminaka in Kaduna state.

The second sponsored by Siyako Anthony (Gombe South) sought for the establishment of a Federal College of Medical Science and Laboratory Technology.

The third bill which was introduced by Akobundu Austin (Abia central) sought for the establishment of Federal College of Technology, Ikwuano in Abia state.

On March 13, 2024, a lawmaker in the House of Representatives, Clement Jimbo pushed for the establishment of a new Federal College of Medical Laboratory Science and Technology to be situated in Eka-Midim in Akwa-Ibom state.

On Tuesday, March 19,2024, another lawmaker in the lower House, Abubakar Fulata pushed for the establishment of the Nigeria Digital Literacy Management Office.

Similarly, the Senate pushed for first reading on the same day, a bill for the establishment of the Police Pension Board as sponsored by Yaroe Dauda (Adamawa North).

The Bill for the establishment of the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute was introduced for first reading in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, March 20,2024 by lawmaker Bello Ambarura.

Also on same date, the Senate pushed for first reading, a bill for the establishment of Federal College of Agriculture, Ocheja in Kogi state which was sponsored by Senator representing Kogi East, Jibrin Isah.

On the same date, a bill to establish National Institute for Education planning and administration and other matters connected therewith sponsored by Suleiman Sadiq( Kwara North) also passed second reading.

Other bills include a bill seeking to establish a national tax crimes and oversight commission has passed the second reading at the House of Representatives which was proposed on March 6, 2024.