ADDRESS
BY BOSS MUSTAPHA, SECRETARY TO THE
GOVERNMENT OF THE FEDERATION AT THE INAUGURATION OF
SUB-COMMITTEES ON (A) IMPLEMENTATION OF GOVERNMENT
WHITE PAPER ON RESTRUCTURING AND RATIONALIZATION OF
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PARASTATALS, AGENCIES AND
COMMISSIONS AND (B) REVIEW OF NEW PARASTATALS,
AGENCIES AND COMMISSIONS CREATED AFTER SUBMISSION
OF THE REPORT ON RESTRUCTURING HELD AT THE
CONFERENCE ROOM OF THE SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNMENT
OF THE FEDERATION ON THURSDAY, 4TH NOVEMBER, 2021
Protocol
I am very pleased to present this address at today’s event designed
to finalise what most Nigerians may have considered a seemingly
intractable challenge in Nigeria’s drive to evolve a sustainable governance
architecture for effective service delivery by the Public Service. I want to
sincerely thank all of you for agreeing to serve on these Committees.
-
As you are aware, various administrations have been concerned with
different aspects of governance of the Public Service of Nigeria and one
of these areas have always been the increasing cost of governance
without seeming concurrent productivity in the quality of service delivery.
This had led to a number of reforms, some of which achieved their
objectives, others did not while some were either truncated or not
implemented at all.
- However, it is heart-warming that some of the recent reforms and
strategies being put in place are beginning to show the potential of
yielding desired results. Worthy of immediate mention is the Federal Civil
Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP) 2021 – 2025 and its
associated Revised Public Service Rules (PSR) as well as the introduction
of Performance Management System (PMS).
4.
It was in a bid to address this, amongst others, that the Committee
on the Restructuring and Rationalization of Federal Government
Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies was constituted 18
th August, 2011
and submitted its report on 16th April, 2012. The report recommended
that of the 541 Statutory and Non-Statutory Federal Government
Parastatals, Agencies and Commissions, 263 statutory agencies should be
reduced to 161, 38 agencies should be abolished, 52 agencies should be
merged, and 14 should revert back to Departments in Ministries.
5.
Subsequently, the White Paper on the Report was issued and
published in March, 2014 and was followed by the White Paper
implementation Committee inaugurated in May, 2014. However, for a
number of reasons, most of which were anchored on political expediency,
the White paper not only rejected a large number of the
recommendations, it also merely noted an equally greater number of
others. But again even those accepted were not implemented.
6.
Thus, Nigeria has continued to suffer under a daily increasing weight
of a high cost of governance under-pinned by high personnel and overhead costs to the detriment of having adequate resources for
development projects. For a long time now, the country has been
struggling to make sure that at least 30% of its annual budget goes into
capital projects.
7.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, you would all agree with me
that the inability to implement the report of the Committee on
Restructuring and Rationalization of Federal Government Parastatals,
Agencies and Commissions is costing government highly. This cost grows
higher for every delay that the implementation suffers. This is further
worsened by the fact that immediately after the report was released,
parastatals and agencies billed for mergers or scrapping began developing
means of further entrenching themselves as a major expenditure source
to government. Furthermore, new agencies were also created to
compound the situation.
8.
At this juncture, permit me to say that besides the impropriety of
Government funding professional associations, the underlying principles for restructuring and rationalizing these government agencies remain
more urgent now than when the initial committee was constituted in 2011
and they include:
(a)
The economic challenges and the need for Government make
more efficient use of its increasingly scarce resources;
(b)
Nigeria has undertaken reforms in the past and lessons have
been learnt;
(c)
The imperative to reform to meet the challenges of a better
socio-political and economic society;
(d)
Futility of creating another body to perform the functions of an
already existing statutory entity as the inefficiency and
ineffectiveness of an existing institution does not justify the
creation of a new one; and
(e)
The need for efficient and effective management of government
structures and functionaries to guarantee better service delivery
and good governance.
9.
In this light, the need for cutting down the cost of governance
cannot be more compelling than now especially in the face of our declining
revenue and the need to make the Federal Government less of a cost
centre and more of a revenue generator on one hand and on the other
hand less an employer of labour but more as the creator of enabling
environment for the private sector to galvanise the needed income
streams and job opportunities for national development.
-
These two Committees viz:
(a) Review the Main Report and White paper on Restructuring and
rationalization of Federal Government Parastatals, Agencies and
Commissions;
and
(b) Review New Agencies created after the Submission of the above
report from 2014 to date;
were therefore constituted to provide Government with action plan and
roadmap of implementing the recommendations contained therein.
-
The membership of the Sub-Committee (A) main Report and the
White Paper arising therefrom, and seated to my left, are:
• Mr.Goni Bukar Aji, Retired HOS
Chairman
• Permanent Secretary, Labour and Employment
Member
• Permanent Secretary, Finance
Member
• Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communication Tech & Digital
Economy
Member
• Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power
Member
• Permanent Secretary, CMO, OHCSF
Member
• Permanent Secretary, GSO, OSGF
Member
• Solicitor General/Perm Sec, Ministry of Justice
Member
• Permanent Secretary, Federal Civil Service
Commission
Member
• Bureau of Public Service Reforms
Member/Secretary
-
The work of the Sub-Committee shall be guided by the following
Terms of Reference:
(i)
To study and analyze the findings and recommendations
contained in the reform of the Presidential Committee on the
Restructuring and Rationalization of Government Parastatals,
Agencies and Commissions as well as its ensuing White Paper;
(ii)
Advise Government on recommendations to be implemented,
with suggestions on a not more than one year time frame,
taking cognizance of exit strategy(ies) for man and materials;
(iii) Develop Key Performance Indicators to guide assessment of
the implementation process; and
(iv) To produce and submit a draft white paper on the report,
taking cognizance of the prevailing fiscal and monetary
measures, for the consideration of government within six (6)
Weeks.
- On the other hand, the membership of the Sub-Committee (B) to
Review the new Agencies/Parastatals that were created after the above
report, and seated to my right, are as follows:
• Ms. Amal Pepple, CFR, Fmr. HOS
Chairman
• Prof. Sunday O. Afolabi, Fmr. HOS
Member
• Permanent Secretary, Ecological Project Office - Member
• Permanent Secretary, FCTA -
Member
• Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior -
Member
• Permanent Secretary, Niger Delta Affairs -
Member
• Permanent Secretary, PEAO (OSGF) -
Member
• Linus Awute, Rtd. Perm Sec. -
Member
• Mohammed Abbas, Rtd. Perm. Sec. -
Member
• Dr. Ibrahim Dauda, Rtd. Perm. Sec.
Member
• Mrs. Kehinde Ajoni, Rtd. Perm. Sec.
Member
• Bureau of Public Service Reforms
-
The work of the Sub-Committee shall be guided by the following
Terms of Reference:
(i)
To determine the need for the existence or otherwise of the
new Agencies/Commissions/Parastatals in the light of the
exigencies of increasing cost of governance, eliminating,
duplicating/overlap of functions of Agencies;
(ii)
Proffer time based recommendations, not exceeding one year,
on restructuring and rationalisation, if deemed appropriate of
these new agencies;
(iii)
Develop Key Performance Indicators to guide assessment of
the implementation process; and
(iv)
To produce and submit a final report, with appropriate
recommendations, within six (6) weeks.
-
I am aware that the time frame set for finalizing your assignment
appears too stringent, but I have directed the Secretariat, headed by the
DG, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) to ensure that all resources
are provided to enable speedy completion of this urgent National
Assignment.
-
It is my hope that with the caliber of members of these SubCommittees this national assignment will be carried out with total commitment and integrity. It is equally expected of members to conduct assigned duties in an open and transparent manner at all times.
-
On this note, it is my honour and privilege to inaugurate the SubCommittees on (a) the Implementation of Government Whitepaper on
Restructuring and Rationalization of Federal Government Parastatals,
Agencies and Commissions (PACs) and (b) Review of Agencies created
after the submission of the above report. I look forward to working with
all on delivering these assignments.
- I thank you most sincerely for your attention.