President Bola Tinubu recently decided to implement the Stephen Oronsaye report, which advocates for a more streamlined government through the merger and elimination of certain agencies.
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The think tank on Tuesday in its policy note written by Joe Abah, former director general of the Bureau of Public Service Reform, highlighted the complexity of government mergers. In addition to the 10-member committee previously announced by the government, Agora Policy recommends the establishment of specific merger committees for each agency involved to ensure a focused and detailed strategy for the merging process.
To kickstart the process, Agora Policy recommends an immediate independent audit of assets and staff across all affected agencies. However, the think tank also acknowledged the possibility of job losses, emphasising the importance of offering enhanced packages for voluntary exits.“There is a need to rationalise staffing. This should be done sequentially, starting with redeploying people to other parts of the public service where their skills may be needed. However, it would be better to be upfront with the public and the trade unions that some people would have to go.
To address the resource implications that come with the complexity of merging government agencies, the policy note recommended the guidance that was prepared by the Bureau of Public Service Reform nearly 10 years ago.