‘Many DGs Will Go’ — Panic In Civil Service As Tinubu Orders Restructuring Based On Oronsaye Report

Anxiety is brewing in the Federal Civil Service following the government’s announcement of plans to implement the 2012 Stephen Oronsaye report.

The report, aimed at streamlining and eliminating redundant agencies, has sparked concerns about job security and potential bias in the restructuring process.

President Bola Tinubu’s approval of immediate implementation of the Oronsaye report, announced after Monday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, followed years of debate and inaction.

The move, revealed by President Tinubu’s media adviser, Bayo Onanuga, involves scrapping, merging, or subsuming about 30 agencies, commissions, and parastatals within the next 12 weeks to reduce the government’s administrative costs.

A director in one of the affected agencies, expressed his concerns to THE WHISTLER, questioning the rationale behind merging agencies with seemingly distinct functions.

He cited the proposed merger of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) as examples.

“NIPC and NEPC do different things SO I don’t see why they are being merged,” said the director.

According to the official, these agencies have distinct functions and merging them could be counterproductive.

The senior government official further expressed concern about potential job losses due to the planned restructuring.

“Definitely, many Directors-General will go as a result of the Federal Government’s resolve to implement the Oronsaye report,” he told THE WHISTLER, adding that some directors may be affected.

The official list of the affected agencies was released by the government on Monday night. Some agencies will be scrapped entirely, with their functions transferred to existing ministries.

Others will be merged, potentially leading to job redundancies and concerns about the effectiveness of the merged entity. Still, others will be subsumed under existing agencies.

The complete list of affected agencies are:

AGENCIES TO BE SCRAPPED

1. Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate to be scrapped and functions transferred to the Federal Ministry of Finance
2. National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC) to be scrapped and functions transferred to the department of Basic and Secondary Education in Federal Ministry of Education.

AGENCIES TO BE MERGED

1. National Agency for the Control of Aids (NACA) to be merged under the Centre for Disease Control in Federal Ministry of Health.
2. National Emergency Agency (NEMA) to be merged with National Commission Refugee, Migration and Internally Displaced persons [NCFRMI].
3. Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA) to be merged with Directorate of Technical Aid (DTAC) and to function as a department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
4. Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC) to be merged with Bureau for Public Enterprise (BPE).
5. Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) to be merged with Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC).
6. National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) to be merged with National Centre for Agriculture Mechanization (NCAM) and
   Project Development Institute (PRODA).
7. National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) to be merged with National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB).
8. National Institute for Leather Science Technology (NILEST) to be merged with National Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT).
9. The Nomadic Education Commission (NEC) to be merged with National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult Education and Non Formal Education.
10. Federal Radio Corporation (FRCN) to be merged with Voice of Nigeria (VON)
11. The National Commission for Museums and Monuments to be merged with National gallery of Arts.
12. The National Theatre to be merged with National Troupe of Nigeria.
13. The National Metallurgical Development Centre (NMDC) to be merged with National Metallurgical Training Institute (NMTI).
14. Nigerian Army University (NAUB)should be merged Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA)
15. Airforce Institute of Technology (AFIT) should be merged Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA)

AGENCIES TO BE SUBSUMED

1. Service Compact with all Nigerians (SERVICOM) to be subsumed to function as a department under Bureau for Public Service Reforms (BPSR).
2. Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA) to be subsumed to function as a department under the National Boundary Commission (NBC).
3. National Salaries, Income and Wages Commissioned (NSIWC) to be subsumed into Revenue Mobilization & Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMAFC).
4. Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution to be subsumed under Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA)
5. Public Complaints Commission (PCC) to be subsumed under National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
6. Nigerian Institute for Trypanosomiasis (NITR) to be subsumed into Institute of Veterinary Research (VOM).
7. Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA) to be subsumed under the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development
   (NIPRD).
8. National Intelligence Agency Pension Commission to be subsumed under the administration of Nigerian Pension Commission (PenCom).
9. The Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) to be subsumed as a department in the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy.

AGENCIES TO BE RELOCATED.

1. Niger Delta Powerholding Company (NDHC) to be relocated to Ministry of power.
2. National Agricultural Land Development Agency [NALDA] to be relocated to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security
3. National Blood Service Commission to be converted into an Agency and relocated to the Federal Ministry of Health
4. Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) to be converted into an Agency and transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.