May Day: Merger, Scrapping Of MDAs Won’t Affect Jobs – FG
May 1, 2020
As fear grips civil servants over a possible loss of jobs in the federal civil service following a presidential directive to commence the process of merging and scrapping ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), the federal government has calmed frayed nerves, saying there is no need to panic.
Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, had in an interview session with Channels Television on Wednesday said President Muhammadu Buhari has already instructed the head of civil service (HoS) and secretary to the government of the federation (SGF) to review the recommendations of the Stephen Oronsaye presidential panel report on MDAs and make recommendations to government on modalities for the merger/scrapping of the MDAs.
The 800-page Oronsaye-led committee report that was presented to the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan is centered on restructuring and rationalisation of federal government parastatals, commissions and agencies with a focus on cutting cost of governance.
As part of efforts towards cutting the cost of governance, the Buhari administration is said to have approved the immediate merger of 102 federal agencies in line with recommendations of the Oronsaye report.
The agencies under consideration in the report were grouped into six categories of recommendation as follows: merger, abolishment, self-funding, commercialisation, privatisation and staff audit/management.
The minister’s statement on Wednesday had triggered panic, with many civil servants pointing to the possibility of massive job loss, especially as the country grapples with health challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the sharp decline in revenue to government due to fall in oil prices.
But she told LEADERSHIP Friday yesterday that, while government was determined to trim federal bureaucracy and cost of governance, it would not in any way affect jobs of civil servants.
Hajiya Ahmed said the merger and scrapping of the MDAs would be determined by the SGF and HoS.
Also, in an interview with LEADERSHIP Friday, special adviser on media and communications to the minister, Yunusa Tanko Abdullahi, said downsizing had never been the priority of the Buhari administration from inception till date.
He said, “The two arms will have to come up with a white paper on it but before then the status quo stands. There is no law that says when you merge you will lay off staff. Laying off of staff has not featured in the minister’s presentation now or at any time”.
He confirmed that the president has approved that his administration should implement the recommendations of the Oronsaye report.
He noted: “So, the Oronsaye report is a report that has reviewed the whole size of government and has made significant recommendations in terms of trimming and that is reducing the number of agencies and that would mean merging some agencies together.
“And this is a report that has been in place for a long time but hasn’t been implemented but the president has approved that it should be implemented and we have conveyed Mr President’s approval to the arm of government that is responsible for this and that will be the office of SGF and the office of the HoS”.
We’re Still Studying Report Says NLC
The president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, told LEADERSHIP Friday that labour was still studying the report and will respond appropriately.
Also, the Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU), the umbrella body of civil servants, said it will ensure that workers’ rights are protected.
In response to a text by our reporter, president of the union, Comrade Lawrence Ameachi said, “We will request to be joined in the implementation committee so as to protect our members from being sacked.”