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The Federal Government on Sunday reiterated its commitment to implementing the Stephen Oronsaye report, which aims to reduce the cost of governance by merging, scrapping, and relocating various departments and agencies.
Speaking to newsmen, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, assured that work on the report is still ongoing. He stated, "There is progress on it. You recall the report was handed to a special committee to review. That committee is still working on it. Once it is ready, it will be presented to the government."
Echoing Idris's comments, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed that the committee is working within the set 12-week deadline, which has not yet expired. "It is still in progress. I believe you are aware that Akume’s committee was directed by the president to look into the report. They have not reported back to the FEC. The Federal Government has not put it on hold. It is something that is still on the table. Let us just wait for the Akume panel to finish working on the report," Onanuga stated.
The 800-page Oronsaye report, submitted in 2014 by then Head of the Civil Service Stephen Oronsaye, recommended significant restructuring of the federal agencies. It proposed reducing the number of statutory agencies from 541 to 263, abolishing 38 agencies, merging 52, and converting 14 into departments within ministries. However, many of its recommendations were initially rejected by former Attorney-General Mohammed Adoke.
In 2021, former President Muhammadu Buhari established two committees to review the report and the government’s white paper, focusing on agencies created between 2014 and 2022. The review process is ongoing, with the government waiting for the committees' final recommendations.
