Concerns have been raised by the House of Representatives regarding the outdated 2012 Steve Oronsaye Report, urging President Bola Tinubu to conduct a thorough review before implementing any recommendations. In response, a 23-member committee, led by House Leader Julius Ihonvbere, was established to propose suitable steps to address potential consequences arising from the Oronsaye Report review.
During a session on Thursday, legislators Kama Nkemkanma, Olumide Osoba, and Gaza Gbefi brought forward a motion addressing the urgency of the matter. They highlighted recommendations from the Oronsaye Report, which included reducing statutory agencies from 263 to 161, abolishing 38 agencies, converting 14 agencies into departments within ministries, and conducting a management audit on 89 agencies to capture employee biometric data.
The legislators emphasized potential government savings of over N862 billion between 2012 and 2015 if the recommendations were implemented. The breakdown indicated savings from agencies suggested for elimination, consolidation, professional organizations, universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and federal medical center boards.
They pointed out that the White Paper Committee established by Jonathan’s administration dismissed most suggestions, and the approved ones were not executed. The legislators noted that in November 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration inaugurated committees chaired by retired Heads of Civil Service to review the Oronsaye Report and agencies created between 2014 and 2021. Another committee was set up in July 2022 to produce a White Paper on the reports.
