FG scraps NAPEP, FRC; merges NCAA, NAMA, NMA
By Adetokunbo Fakeye
Federal Government on Monday released the White Paper on the report of the Presidential Committee on the Rationalisation and Restructuring of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies.
Some of the recommendations made by the committee, headed by a former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Steve Oronsanye, have been accepted and approved, while others were rejected.
Oronsanye Committee, while submitting its report to President Goodluck Jonathan on April 16, 2012, had recommended the reduction of the existing 263 government’s statutory agencies in the country to 161.
It also recommended the abolition of 38 agencies, merger of 52 and reversion of 14 agencies to departments in the relevant ministries in order to reduce cost of governance.
Among approved agencies for scrapping as contained in the government white paper are; National Poverty Eradication Programme and the Fiscal Responsibility Commission.
The White Paper also directed that the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission should perform the function of Fiscal Responsibility Commission while the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission’s enabling law be repealed and the functions of the Commission be subsumed under Revenue Mobilisation And Fiscal Commission with enabling laws of the commission be amended to accommodate the functions of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission and the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission.
However, against the recommendation of the Oronsaye’s committee that, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC; the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, ICPC and the Code of Conduct Bureau be merged, government retains them and also rejected the renaming of Code of Conduct Tribunal to Anti Corruption Tribunal.
Government also rejected the recommendation that the Nigeria Television Authority, the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria and the Voice of Nigeria be merged into one body to be known as Federal Corporation Broadcasting of Nigeria.
The recommendation that the National Emergency Management Agency and the National Refugees Commission be merged into one agency to be known as the National Emergency Management and Refugees Commission and recommendation that the Debt Management Office, under the Office of Vice President, should become an extra-ministerial department in the Federal Ministry of Finance, were overruled.
The government further rejected the recommendation that the Act setting up the Federal Road Safety Commission be repealed and also that the road safety functions of the FRSC be reverted to the Highways Department of the Federal Ministry of Works as well as the recommendation that the enabling law of the National Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS be repealed.
Recommendation that the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria and the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission be abolished and their functions transferred to a department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as the recommendation that government should stops sponsoring pilgrims and pilgrimages, with effect from 2012 fiscal year were rejected.
Privatization of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigerian was rejected in view of the security situation of the country. Recommendation that the Nigerian Communications Commission, the Nigerian Broadcasting commission and the regulatory functions of Nigerian Postal Service be brought together under a unified management structure to be known as the Communications Regulatory Authority of Nigeria.
Government was also rejected with recommendation that the Act establishing the National Examinations Council be repealed and Council’s activities be returned to the West African Examinations Council.
Government however, directed the Minister of Education to streamline the two bodies to ensure standards and integrity.
Other recommendations that were rejected includes the Act of the National Business and Technical Examinations Board said to be repealed and the Boards activities be returned to WAEC; that the National Sports Commission revert to the proposed Ministry of Youth and Sports Development as an agency but approved the management audit of the National Institute for Sports.
The recommendations accepted included: The Bill seeking for the establishment of NEPAD as an agency of the Federal Government be withdrawn from the National Assembly as there are already laws relating to most of their activities being performed by NEPAD; That the trio of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency be merged into a new body to be known as the Federal Civil Aviation Authority and their respective enabling laws be amended accordingly to reflect the merger.
Government also accepted that the Nigerian Financial Reporting Council ceases to be funded by the government from 2015 as well as the Industrial Training Fund to be self funding from 2014 and the allegation made by the National Boundaries Commission against the office of the Surveyor General of the Federation over the funding of two non-existent boundary demarcation be properly investigated.
