FG Approves Two New Agencies, Disregards Oronsaye Report

President Bola Tinubu and the legislative branch of government have continued to press for the establishment of additional ministries, agencies, and commissions, months after the President called for the full execution of Stephen Oronsaye’s report.
According to Punch, the President approved the two new commissions beginning February 26, 2024.
These two organizations are the South East Development Commission and the North West Development Commission.

On February 26, 2024, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, revealed the President’s decision via a post on X (previously Twitter).

Onanuga stated, “Twelve years after the Steve Oronsaye panel published its report on restructuring and rationalising Federal Government parastatals and agencies, followed by a white paper two years later, President Tinubu and the Federal Executive Council today chose to execute the recommendations.

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

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 a former Head of Service of the Federation, Steven Oronsaye.

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.

In July 2022, the then-Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, established another white paper committee, led by Ebele Okeke, to evaluate the Pepple committee’s report. However, the Buhari administration did not carry out the report’s recommendations.

While the debate over the report’s implementation continued, the National Assembly and succeeding governments established agencies and organizations, raising the expense of governance in the process.

The bloated government has resulted in a constant growth in the Federal Government’s recurring expenditure.

On July 9, 2024, the President approved the formation 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 the first reading of three new legislation that would establish three different Federal Tertiary institutions.

The first was a bill introduced by Senator Khalid Mustapha (Kaduna North) that sought to create a Federal College of Education (Technical) in Saminaka, Kaduna State.

The second proposal, supported by Siyako Anthony (Gombe South), called for the establishment of a Federal College of Medical Science and Laboratory Technology.

The third bill, introduced by Akobundu Austin (Abia Central), attempted to create the Federal College of Technology, Ikwuano, in Abia State.

On March 13, 2024, Clement Jimbo, a congressman in the House of Representatives, advocated for the building of a new Federal College of Medical Laboratory Science and Technology in Eka-Midim, 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 day, Suleiman Sadiq (Kwara North) introduced a bill to establish the National Institute for Education Planning and Administration, as well as other related subjects, which passed second reading.

Other measures, including one aimed at establishing a national tax crimes and oversight panel, have passed the second reading in the House of Representatives after being submitted on March 6, 2024.