Some civil servants are advocating for the federal government to streamline governance costs by reducing the number of ministers and consolidating the two federal legislative chambers.
The civil servants spoke to journalists on Sunday in Abuja, following a recent presidential directive mandating the immediate execution of the Oronsaye report.
The Oronsaye report, commissioned in 2014 by the Stephen Oronsaye Presidential Committee on Restructuring and Rationalisation of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions, and Agencies, proposed the amalgamation and elimination of various government entities.
According to the presidency, the implementation of this report could result in the scrapping, merging, or absorption of 30 federal government agencies, commissions, and parastatals.
Bola Tinubu has recently instructed the prompt implementation of the report to alleviate governance expenses amidst dwindling government revenues.
Expressing concerns, a senior civil servant, preferring anonymity, criticized Tinubu’s directive as a diversion from the adverse economic conditions exacerbated by misguided government policies. He urged the president to initiate cost-cutting measures by consolidating ministries and reducing the ministerial roster.
“It is a contradiction that the president is seeking to cut the cost of governance when he has appointed the highest number of ministers in the history of the country.
“With a 47-member cabinet, the moral justification to implement the report is lacking.
“I see the directive as diversionary, to shift focus from the biting hardship in the country,” he said.
Sule Ahmed, another civil servant, suggests that the president should commence a constitutional amendment aimed at decreasing the number of lawmakers in the National Assembly.
“A constitutional amendment should pave the way for a reduction of the number of federal lawmakers,” he said.
”I will suggest that the Senate be scrapped so that we adopt the unicameral legislature. A bicameral legislature consumes so much resources with little gain,” he added.
Aisha Bala, a civil servant, also emphasized the importance of the government guaranteeing that any policy it enacts does not lead to unemployment.
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“I hope that the president is sincere about implementing the Orasanye report. In implementing it, the government should ensure that civil servants are not made to lose their jobs.
“The economy is bad enough already, with a very high unemployment rate. Any policy that results in further loss of jobs will be counterproductive at this time,” she said.
Tommy Okon, the president of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), highlighted concerns regarding potential job losses among workers, particularly in the event of mergers within ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).
Mr. Okon called upon the president to establish mechanisms for a thorough review of the report’s recommendations in light of current national circumstances.
He stressed the importance of the government repealing the legislative acts and establishing government agencies before implementation to preempt any legal challenges.
“Any job loss at this critical time of our socioeconomic challenges and food crisis will be a recipe for mass protest and industrial unrest,” he said.
Former Senator Shehu Sani praised Mr. Tinubu for directing the comprehensive execution of the Oronsaye report. However, Sani cautioned the president to proceed with care regarding its full implementation.
He warned that without caution, numerous federal civil servants could face job losses due to the report’s implementation. Sani urged the president and his team to exercise prudence in their efforts to reduce governance expenses to prevent undue hardship for civil servants.
NAN
