Ahead of the implementation of the Stephen Oronsaye report, the National President, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Tommy Etim has warned the Federal Government that job losses at this critical time in the country could lead to mass protests.
Twelve years after it received the Oronsaye Report, the Federal Government, last Monday, approved the implementation of some of its recommendations to reduce the cost of governance.
Consequently, 29 government agencies will be merged even as eight parastatals will be subsumed into eight other agencies.
More so, four agencies have been relocated to four various ministries while one was earmarked for scrapping.
Submitted in 2012, the Oronsaye report on public sector reforms revealed that there were 541 statutory and non-statutory—Federal Government parastatals, commissions and agencies.
A year earlier, then-President Goodluck Jonathan had set up the Presidential Committee on Restructuring and Rationalisation of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies, under the leadership of former Head of Civil Service, Stephen Oronsaye.
The 800-page report recommended that 263 of the statutory agencies be slashed to 161; 38 agencies be scrapped; 52 be merged and 14 be reverted to departments in various ministries.
Last week Wednesday, the Federal Government through its Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, allayed fear of job losses after the implementation of the Oronsaye Report.
At a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, Etim applauded the government for cutting the cost of governance through the implementation of the report, adding that the cost-cutting should be done holistically.
The National President said: “As a union, we have been on this issue of cutting the cost of governance and this has to be done holistically, taking into consideration all arms of government: the executive, legislative and judiciary.
He said: “These will be the best ways to make governance efficient, cost-effective and productive. Let me also say that being in the union does not warrant blind and thoughtless criticism. Whenever the government takes the right decision, we should agree and if need be, suggest even better ideas to move the nation forward just like what the Trade Union Congress did by forwarding 15 points suggestions to Mr. President on how to get the nation out of the woods.
“We have been clamouring for government at all levels to cut the cost of governance, to us, this is one of the best ways to achieve it. Therefore, there is the need for the government to drastically cut the cost of governance, eliminate the overlapping of responsibilities to ensure that responsibilities are appropriately domiciled, increasing efficiency, effectiveness, increased productivity, national competitiveness and international ranking”.
He however advised that there should not be job loss during these economic challenges while urging the National Assembly to halt the creation of more agencies.
“Government should ensure that the Acts establishing these agencies of government are repealed before the implementation to forestall litigation.
“The government must as a matter of urgency do away with unnecessary and needless wastage of our scarce resources on frivolities, and deploy such funds to the critical areas of Education, Health, Transportation, Food Security, National Security and pulling people out of poverty. However, these should be done with due diligence because those who will be directly affected are mostly civil servants.
“Let me use this opportunity to call on the Constitution Review Committee to also consider either making the National Assembly operate on a part-time basis or making it a uni-camera Legislature to cut the cost of governance because there are no such distinctive features between both Houses except for Confirmation of Ministers and other statutory compliance which could be addressed once the Constitution is amended”, he said.
Etim further stated: “The National Assembly should stop further consideration of Bills for the establishment of government agencies to reduce wastages.
“We call on the government to make a conscious effort to cushion the effect of this major overhaul on the workers to avoid bringing more people into hardship at this very challenging and trying time.
“The government should also carry out more enlightenment campaigns to educate the populace on the gains of implementing the report. We also believe that the government should involve organized labour in the implementation process to ensure credibility.
“Finally, we warn that job loss at this critical time of our socio-economic challenges and food crisis would be a recipe for mass protest and industrial unrest”.
