Fresh comments by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila that no timeline can be given now for the implementation of the Stephen Oronsaye Report are disturbing. This is a strong indication that President Bola Tinubu may be toeing the line of his predecessors who not only reneged on their promises to implement the report but later undermined it with impunity.
Noting needless duplications, overlaps, redundancies, corruption and inefficiency in the service, former President Goodluck Jonathan established the Presidential Committee on Restructuring and Rationalisation of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies in 2011 to streamline and rationalise the civil service for efficiency and optimum results.
Headed by ex-Head of Service Stephen Oronsaye, the 10-man committee in 2012 recommended that the 263 statutory agencies be slashed to 161, 38 abolished, 52 merged, and 14 absorbed by departments in ministries.
That upbeat moment has been twisted by inaction. A PUNCH analysis revealed that, if duly implemented, it could save the treasury over N241 billion. This confirms experts’ position that cutting costs and blocking loopholes alone will save the government huge sums.
It contradicts the President’s fiat for the full implementation of the Oronsaye report. Six months ago, Tinubu constituted a committee to implement the reform within 12 weeks.
While it is convenient not to have a timeline for the implementation of the report because “it is not as easy as it sounds” and implementing it requires “thoroughness,” per Gbajabiamila, it was possible to speedily amend the Constitution and assent to issues of little consequence, including changing the National Anthem.
It is inexplicable that since 2012, successive presidents have promised to implement the report and established committees to implement the report but have not found the courage to do so. Jonathan set the tone by not only failing to implement the report but also establishing new agencies and universities.
Muhammadu Buhari, who succeeded him, created more institutions, including the Nigeria Data Protection Commission and universities. Tinubu continued in the footsteps of his predecessors by establishing the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, the Ministry of Livestock and Animal Production and seven tertiary institutions. He has 49 ministries, the most bloated in Nigeria’s history. Like Jonathan and Buhari, Tinubu is merely buying time.
The outcome of this presidential negligence is that MDAs have risen to 1,316 from the 161 recommended by the Oronsaye Committee.
The Federal Civil Service is a burden to the country. With an estimated population of 720,000, it is taking an unfair share of Nigeria’s till. A sum of N4.12 trillion was allocated for their salaries and emoluments in 2024. Their contributions to national development are grossly disproportional to the allocations.
The civil service is buffeted by sleaze, bureaucracy, nepotism, inefficiency and ‘ghost worker’ syndrome. The NBS estimates that roughly N721 billion, representing 0.35 per cent of the GDP, was paid in cash bribes to public officials in Nigeria in 2023.
This presidential lethargy, the corruption and inefficiency of the civil servants have thrown the country into a ditch. In March, the Debt Management Office said Nigeria’s debt profile rose by N24.33 trillion in three months to stand at N121.67 trillion ($91.46 billion).
The country’s economic outlook and heavy debt burden are concerning as it serviced debt by 74 per cent of its income in the first quarter. The way out of the gloom is to introduce radical policies and transformation strategies driven by a lean and efficient civil service. Tinubu must provide a clear action plan and implement the Oronsaye report immediately.
The National Assembly should amend relevant sections of the Constitution on this as a matter of urgency.
