Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election Peter Obi, has called on President Bola Tinubu to meticulously implement the Steve Oronsanye report on streamlining and downsizing government operations.
Obi who was writing on his X handle Wednesday said this was necessary so that government could get the desired outcome and also avoid putting civil servants that would be affected in employment jeopardy. He added that the Federal government should go beyond the Oronsanye report and cut down on government spending across board.
” We must not rush to implement the Oronsanye Report just because those that will be directly affected are mostly civil servants,” Obi said
“A very deep understanding of the workings of the Federal bureaucracy will be required to effectively implement the Report.
“Grasping the symmetries between the federal and the other tiers of government will be imperative as Federal agencies have branches and outreaches in all the 36 states. We the political leaders, should be ready to back up such implementation with our sacrifices from comfort and selfishness, for the overall development of the nation.
“In implementing this Report, conscious effort must be made to cushion the effects of such a major overhaul on the workers, to avoid driving more people into hardship, in these very challenging times.
“Also Nigerians are yet to be informed about the extant White Paper pertinent to the report’s implementation. Moreover, you cannot ask those who are likely to be affected by the downsizing to manage the process.
“Government must also show clearly the amount of resources to be saved in the implied shrinking of government. It should also indicate clearly where and how the saved resources are to be redeployed.
“More importantly, the implementation needs to be accompanied by a template to avoid a future bloating of government. By doing the right things and implementing the right policies, we will build the New Nigeria of our dreams.”
He submitted that down sizing government has always been part of his manifesto.
“I have always been an advocate of the 3 critical components of the Oronsaye Report, which are: i) drastically cutting the cost of governance; ii) eliminating the overlapping of responsibilities to ensure that responsibilities are appropriately domiciled; and iii) increasing efficiency and effectiveness, which will increase productivity.
“Although the implementation of the report is long overdue, its implementation is a welcome development so long as the decision is informed by these principles. Beyond implementing the Oronsaye Report, the government should go further and cut the cost of governance across board.”
Meanwhile the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has assured that there wouldn’t be any job loss in the wake of the expected downsizing.
“The whole idea is that the government wants to reduce cost and also improve efficiency in service delivery. It does not mean that government is out to retrench workers or throw people into the labour market,” said Idris in statement signed by his media aide.
“President Tinubu’s unwavering commitment to fiscal prudence and responsible governance by championing a comprehensive review of the government‘s commissions, agencies, and parastatals.”
The Oronsanye report has been in the making for 12 years. It was submitted in 2012 during the regime of Goodluck Jonathan. In the recommendations 29 government agencies would be merged and eight parastatals collapsed into others.
