By Favour Nnabugwu

ABUJA — The Federal Government has approved the reconstitution of implementation committee on Steve Oronsaye report and the White Paper on restructuring and rationalisation of agencies, parastatals and commissions.

Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, BPSR, Dr Joe Abah, said in an interview with Vanguard in Abuja, yesterday, that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, approved the White Paper, with a view to implementing both recommendations on the country’s civil service reforms.

He said: “The Secretary to the Government of the Federation has approved the reconstitution of the White Paper Implementation Committee on the Restructuring and Rationalisation of Agencies, Parastatals and Commissions.”

He explained that the implementation committee was in existence during the last administration, adding that part of what the committee did then was to consider a number of appeals from agencies of government against some of the white paper recommendations.

“All the appeals were considered but the report did not get to the Federal Executive Council for a revision before the last administration ended but current administration, through the SGF, has approved the reconstitution of that committee to do a number of things.

“One of the things is to again, look into the appeals that have been done and come to a final decision about them.

“Second is to consider what BPSR has independently done, looking at the Oronsaye report and white paper and advising on certain things that could be different in both the Oronsaye report and government white paper.

“The BPSR has carried out a comprehensive review of both the Oronsaye report and the government white paper and provided its advice to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

“There are areas that the Oronsaye report made sense and there are areas that really need to be revisited.”

“The reconstituted committee will examine the appeals, reflecting on BPSR’s submission on the Oronsaye report and the White Paper after which there would be a proper articulated work plan for implementation which was not there before.”

The reconstituted committee comprises the SGF as Chairman, Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Ministers of Transport, Education, Finance, Health, Industry, Trade and Investment, Science and Technology, and Information and Culture, the Minister of State for Transport (Aviation), Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission and DG, BPSR (Secretary).

“We are simply waiting to agree a date with the SGF when the inaugural meeting will happen,’’ Abah said.

He remarked that President Buhari’s administration looked forward to better functioning Ministries, Departments and Agencies that could deliver better governance to Nigerians.

He added:  “We would like to assure Nigerians that government has the political will and technical capability to ensure that we attain the functional, equitable and peaceful Nigeria that we all expect and deserve.”