BY OKEY NDIRIBE
ABUJA— Chairman of the Presidential Committee on the Rationalisation of Federal Government Agencies and Parastatals, Mr Steve Oronsanye, has said the committee’s focus won’t be the mass sack of workers of the affected institutions but to find a way of reducing cost so that Nigeria would be the better for it.

Orosanye made this remark, yesterday, in Abuja while speaking to reporters shortly after submitting the interim report of the Presidential Committee on the NDDC, which he also headed, to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim.

While submitting the report earlier, Oronsaye had stated that the Committee had actually completed its work but added that it was only waiting for the submission of memoranda from members of the public.

In his remarks at the occasion, Anyim said he was pleased that the committee completed its work on time, adding that given the background of the former Head of Service of the Federation, he was sure that the committee had done a thorough job.

The SGF further stated that the Federal Government would take the report of the Committee and its recommendations very seriously and assured the members that the document would be submitted to President Goodluck Jonathan .

President Jonathan had last month set up the seven man committee to audit contracts awarded by the NDDC. The Committee was also charged to examine other transactions and activities that hindered the activities of the NDDC.

The Committee was also directed to look into the problems that hindered the operations of the NNDC and generated several concerns among stakeholders. Other members of the Committee were . Bamidele Aturu, B. O. N. Oti, ,Senator Bassew Ewa Henshaw, Mrs. Koripama-Agari, Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim, a representative of the Bureau for Public Procurement and Mr. Raymond U. Brown of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation as Secretary.

The Terms of Reference of the Committee were as follows: To assess and evaluate a sample of some NDDC Projects ; evaluate the contractor’s prequalification process in the Commission; evaluate the roles and relationship of the Board, Management and Staff of the Commission; evaluate the procurement practices of the Commission and its compliance to the letter and spirit of the Public Procurement Act; evaluate the institutionalization of the orientation of all personnel of the Commission at all levels, in order to inform and manage expectations and evaluate fund management of the Commission.

Senator Anyim had also charged members of the Committee to unravel the causes of the crisis which had bedeviled the commission over the years. The SGF had also stated that the Federal government was aware there were internal squabbles among members of the commission’s board and management team.