Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, moved to allay concerns about potential job cuts following the rollout of the Oronsaye Report on Wednesday.
A dozen years following the submission of the Stephen Oronsaye Report, the Federal Government, on Monday, endorsed the execution of select suggestions to streamline governance expenses.
Idris made this disclosure in a statement, signed by his media aide, Rabiu Ibrahim, on Wednesday.
Hence, the consolidation plan entails the merging of 29 government agencies, alongside the absorption of eight parastatals into eight other agencies.
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Additionally, four agencies have been moved to four distinct ministries, and one has been targeted for elimination.
In its submission back in 2012, the Oronsaye report on public sector reforms brought to light the existence of 541 statutory and non-statutory Federal Government parastatals, commissions, and agencies.
According to the 800-page report, the recommendations included downsizing 263 statutory agencies to 161, abolishing 38 agencies, merging 52, and transforming 14 into departments within ministries.
However, Idris clarified, “The whole idea is that the government wants to reduce cost and also improve efficiency in service delivery. It does not mean that government is out to retrench workers or throw people into the labour market.”
The minister said the implementation of the report, was a clear demonstration of “President Tinubu’s unwavering commitment to fiscal prudence and responsible governance by championing a comprehensive review of the government‘s commissions, agencies, and parastatals.”
He also pointed out that the approval for executing the Oronsaye Report, after a rigorous assessment, aimed to ensure that vital services remained uncompromised.