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‘Merging of MDAs in best interest of Nigeria’

By Rotimi Agboluaje, Ibadan
02 May 2020   |   4:03 am
An associate professor of Comparative Politics at the University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State, Dr. Gbade Ojo, yesterday, said the move by the Federal Government to implement recommendations...

An associate professor of Comparative Politics at the University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State, Dr. Gbade Ojo, yesterday, said the move by the Federal Government to implement recommendations of Steve Oronsaye Report, by reducing the number of Ministries, Agencies and Departments (MDAs), is in the best interest of the country.

In an interview with The Guardian in Ibadan, Dr. Ojo, who is the former Chief of Staff to former Oyo State Governor, said the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan administration could not implement the recommendations because 2011 election was drawing near, adding that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led was timid to implement it on time for the fear of losing the second term bid.

It would be recalled that in 2012, former President Goodluck Jonathan inaugurated the Steve Oronsanye Committee with the sole objective of carrying out a restructuring and rationalisation of the Federal Government Agencies, Parastatals and Commissions.

One of the recommendations of the Oronsaye Committee is the scrapping of 102 Federal Government Statutory Agencies from the present 263. Since then, the then administration did not have the temerity to implement the recommendations.

But now, as a result of nose-diving revenue occasioned by Coronavirus, the current administration poised to implement the recommendations.

“The Oronsaye ‘s Committee was a step in the right direction by (Goodluck) Jonathan administration. The snag is that same administration could not implement the recommendations because of preparation for elections that Jonathan lost. Not only that, the Buhari government too was timid to implement same for fear of losing second term bid. Whatever the circumstances, it’s in the best interest of the country that the recommendations are implemented.

“My take is that Federal Government should have set up another smaller committee to review the recommendations in line with current situation in the country and the philosophy of APC (All Progressives Congress) government. The wholesale implementation may perhaps damage the credibility of APC government in this harsh economic reality.

“Indeed, there are a number of overlaps in terms of bureaucracy at federal level, but some of them were designed so ab initio to enhance efficiency. Typical examples are FRSC (Federal Road Safety Corps) and the Police; such merger may not be ideal. Also, Federal Ministry of Finance and Federal Inland Revenue Service,” he said.

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