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The senator representing Kebbi Central, Adamu Aliero, has said the Senate will do “whatever is required in terms of legislation” to ensure the implementation of the Oronsaye report.
“We are in support of the implementation of the Oronsaye report and whatever is required, in terms of legislation, the National Assembly will do it,” Aliero told journalists after he emerged from closed-door talks with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja on Thursday.
Aliero described the report’s implementation as “overdue,” calling for a 50/50 per cent split in allocations for recurrent and capital expenditures, respectively.
Twelve years after it received the Stephen Oronsaye Report, the Federal Executive Council, on Monday, February 27, 2024, approved the implementation of some of its recommendations to reduce the cost of governance.
Consequently, 29 government agencies were earmarked for merger, even as eight parastatals will be subsumed into eight other agencies. Four agencies have been relocated to four various ministries, while one was tagged for scrapping.
Submitted in 2012, the Oronsaye report on public sector reforms revealed that there were 541 statutory and non-statutory—Federal Government parastatals, commissions and agencies.
A year earlier, then-President Goodluck Jonathan had set up the Presidential Committee on Restructuring and Rationalisation of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies under the leadership of former Head of Civil Service, Stephen Oronsaye.
The 800-page report recommended that 263 of the statutory agencies be slashed to 161, 38 agencies be scrapped, 52 be merged and 14 be reverted to departments in various ministries.
A Sunday PUNCH analysis revealed that the Nigerian Government could save over N241bn if the report is duly implemented.
Aliero, who has chaired the Senate committee on land transport since August 2023, maintained, “The Oronsoye report implementation has been long overdue because the cost of governance is getting extremely high to the extent that over 70 per cent of whatever is budgeted goes into running government leaving only 30 per cent for capital projects.
“This is not good for a developing country like Nigeria. I will be very glad if we can reduce the cost of governance by about 50 per cent and then 50 per cent of the budgeted amount should be used for capital development.
“So the National Assembly is certainly in support of the implementation of the Oronsoye report and anybody who means well for Nigeria will certainly support the implementation of this report. It is a well-intentioned report. It should have been implemented a long time ago.”
Asked about the National Assembly’s contribution to ease implementation, the former Kebbi State Governor said, “The National Assembly is working hand-in-hand with the executive branch of the government. There is harmony. There is a cordial relationship between the National Assembly and the executive arm and it will continue.”
Aliero, a member of the main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party, argued that his party is a “responsible opposition.”
He urged lawmakers to prioritise the nation over party affiliations when deliberating on matters critical to Nigerians’ welfare.
“We have a responsible opposition. Wherever the government is going wrong, we come and tell the government, ‘You are wrong. Do the right thing.’ And it doesn’t mean that cooperation or harmony means compromising whatever is your party’s stance.
“Once you are elected, and particularly in the National Assembly, we have only one government. We have one senate. Even if you have differences of party, it should not show in the debate you are doing.
“What is most important is to defend the interests of Nigeria. Do what is good for the entire country. Don’t look at your party.”
Aleiro described his visit to the President as a “friendly” engagement that allowed him to “talk about the situation in the country generally, particularly the security situation and also the inflationary trend.”
However, he admitted discussions on “several issues” some of which, he said, “I cannot reveal to you because it’s so personal to me and him.”
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