Oronsaye report: More hardship, many to lose their Job as Tinubu orders implementation

The report of the Presidential Committee on the Rationalization and Restructuring of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions, and Agencies, led by retired accountant Stephen Oronsaye, was fully implemented by President Bola Tinubu on Monday.

Even though the decision has been anticipated for a while, hundreds of federal government employees are afraid that they may have to return to living on the streets as a result of it, according to ZIGTIE.

Given the harsh circumstances and weak economy surrounding the directive, there is a good chance that organized labour will fiercely oppose its implementation.

On Monday, Tinubu’s administration said that it had decided to put the Oronsaye report into practice in order to create a smaller government by combining some departments and eliminating others.

In a tweet on his X handle, President Tinubu’s Special Advisor on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed the development and stated that many agencies would be eliminated and others amalgamated to create a leaner administration.

The development, he continued, was a result of the broad decisions made at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, which was presided over by the President.

“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 decided to implement the report today.

“Many agencies will be scrapped and many others will be merged, to pave the way to a leaner government,” he posted on his X account.

Additionally, Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, said to State House media following the FEC meeting that some Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, or MDAs, would be eliminated, combined, or integrated into pertinent government organizations.

He stated that the intention was to reduce expenses rather than force Nigerians into labour.

Idris stated that a committee had been established to oversee the report’s implementation and that the specifics of the impacted MDAs will be disclosed shortly.

However, some Nigerians doubt the order’s authenticity because it was issued after the Tinubu administration created a phoney coalition, casting doubt on its commitment to reducing the expense of government.

Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Uche Nwosu, responded to the President’s order on the Oronsaye report by saying Tinubu has shown himself to be a wise and capable leader who is ready to put Nigeria back on the path of progress by reducing the cost of governance.

Implementing the study would reorient the federal public service for greater productivity, according to a statement made on Tuesday in Abuja by Nwosu, president-general of the Ugwumba Leadership Centre for Africa Development.

“Nigeria operates one of the world’s most over-bloated federal civil service structures, and only visionary leadership in the class of Tinubu could face (sic) the bull by the horns to do the needful,” he said.

Professor Pat Utomi, a well-known political economist, called Tinubu’s action a “paradox ahoy” on his X account.

He proposed that it would be appropriate for the administration to begin with cabinet reduction.

“Paradox ahoy. The largest cabinet in Nigerian history has just voted for full implementation of the Oronsaye report. Applause. Applause!!. If we can just start with trimming the cabinet,” he said.

Shehu Sani, a former lawmaker from Kaduna, warned Tinubu against implementing the Oronsaye report in its entirety since it could result in the loss of jobs for thousands of federal civil personnel.

Sani complimented Tinubu on the order as well, stating that it would harmonize federal ministries, departments, and agencies and reduce the cost of governance.

On Monday night, he voiced his thoughts in a post on his X handle, but he also issued a warning that thousands of federal government servants will soon lose their jobs.

He wrote, “The Oronsaye report has gathered dust for over a decade. It’s commendable that now it shall see the light of the day.

“This is a significant step towards cutting the cost of governance and harmonising federal MDAs. But care should be taken in that aspect where thousands of Federal Civil servants will lose their jobs.”

ZIGTIE notes that Tinubu has already faced criticism for allegedly being unwilling to reform the public service, with many citing his selection of fifty ministers as evidence.

Several opponents of the administration contended that having an oversized cabinet at a time when the government was expecting the public to put up with it was economically absurd.

For example, on Sunday, Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the recent general election, blasted Tinubu for not doing what his Argentine counterpart, President Javier Milei, had done, which was to lower the size of government.

The former vice president claimed that Tinubu was unnecessary and shortsighted, attributing the country’s growing economic issue to the opposition and, even more absurdly, to his predecessor. He also added that market forces don’t play politics; instead, they react to the President’s decisions and inactions.

“He (Milei) started off cutting government expenditure by reducing the size of government and wastage; blocked stealing of government funds, and attracted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) through concessions, tax holidays, and improved ease of doing business,” Atiku said.

Furthermore, Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi had previously stated that Nigeria needed a 60% cut in government spending instead of fewer people travelling in the entourage.

Obi’s comments followed Tinubu’s 60% reductions in his entourage for domestic and international travel, which the administration attributed to the president’s cost-cutting efforts.

The former governor of Anambra State, however, felt that the measure was insufficient and argued that a significant decrease in the total cost of government was necessary. This reduction could then be used to fund important areas like poverty alleviation, healthcare, and education.

“Most importantly, what our current economic reality demands is a 60% reduction in the total cost of governance at the federal level. This implies that the recently passed federal budget needs to be revised to cut all wasteful and unnecessary items.

“This is the level of cost-cutting and savings that can meaningfully impact the present state of the economy. This level of cut in the cost of government should lead to substantial savings,” he said.

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