President Jonathan Scraps NAPEP, FRC; Refuses To Merge EFCC, ICPC And CCB
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| Pres.Goodluck Jonathan |
Goodluck Jonathan’s government today approved the recommendation of a committee headed by former official of the Civil Service, Steve Oronsaye on the scrapping of the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) and the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC).
However, it turned down the recommendation of the merger of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent and Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), and Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB). The proposal for the renaming of the Code of Conduct Tribunal as Anti Corruption Tribunal was equally rejected.
According to the White Paper on the Report of the Presidential Committee on Restructuring and Rationalization of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies — which was submitted to the president by Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke — the Federal Government accepted the proposal for merging the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NMA) into a new body to be known as the Federal Civil Aviation Authority (FCAA).
The government also accepted to amend their respective enabling laws accordingly to reflect the merger, while amending the enabling law of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) and restructuring the college.
The recommendation for the withdrawal of the Bill seeking for the establishment of NEPAD as an agency of the Federal Government from the National Assembly (since there are existing laws relating to most of NEPAD’s activities) was accepted as well.
The Presidential Committee on the Rationalization and Restructuring of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies chaired by Oronsaye also recommended the abolishment of the Utilities Charges Commission as well as the reversal of its enabling law, to be initiated by office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
The Federal Government accepted it, as well as the recommendation for the commercialisation of the National Agricultural Insurance Corporation and the recommendation that the passed bill on the Nigeria Agriculture Quarantine Service should be dissented to by the president.
The federal government similarly accepted the recommendation that the Veterinary Research Council of Nigeria, being a professional body, should begin to fund itself and henceforth forfeit budgetary allocation.
The Federal Government accepted the proposal for the partial commercialization of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) and that of selling off its shares in the Nigerian Communication Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Limited in favour of retaining minority shares. It also accepted to transfer to the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) all functions of NIGCOMSAT relating to space development.
Other recommendations accepted include that of merging the Nigerian Institute for Education Planners and Administrators (NIEPA) with the National Teachers Institute, that of the commercialisation of the Nigerian Film Corporation from the 2013 fiscal year but with government seed funding, of immediately closing all offices of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies outside Lagos and Abuja, of merging the National Council of Arts and Culture with the National Troupe and the National Theatre into the National Council of Arts and Culture, and of withdrawing its funding of the Nigerian Financial Reporting Council (from 2015) and the Industrial Training Fund (from 2014).
The Federal Government accepted recommendation of the scrapping of Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) whose functions would then be performed by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, and that of the need to repeal the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission’s enabling law and subsuming its functions under Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission.
However, it rejected the recommendation of an amendment in name and status of the Federal Civil Service Commission to the Federal Public Service Commission, despite accepting the recommendation of a single term of five years for the chairman and members of the commission.
The Federal Government also rejected the recommendation of subsuming the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission under the Bureau of Public Enterprises, and that relating to the merger of the Nigerian television Authority (NTA), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigerian (FRCN) and Voice of Nigeria (VON) into one body to be known as the Federal Corporation Broadcasting of Nigeria (FCBN). Notwithstanding, the proposal for fully commercialization of NTA by 2013 was accepted.
It rejected the recommendation of the abolition of Federal Character Commission, of an amendment in the name and status of the Federal Civil Service Commission to the Federal Public Service Commission, of repealing the law establishing the Border Communities Development Agency and reverting its functions to the National Boundary Commission, as well as that of the withdrawal of funding for the current expenditure of the National Institute on Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) from the 2015 fiscal year.
Also rejected include the recommendation of merging the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the National Refugees Commission into one agency to be known as the National Emergency Management and Refugees Commission, and that of repealing the Act setting up the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and reverting the commission to the Highways Department of the Federal Ministry of Works.
In all, Oronsaye’s committee recommended the abolition of 38 agencies, the merger of 52 and reversal of 14 agencies to departments in the relevant ministries. It also recommended the management audit of 89 agencies capturing biometric features of staff, as well as the discontinuation ng of professional bodies/councils.
