By Jude Atupulazi
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the directive to implement the Steve Orosanye Report.
Tinubu had on February 26, ordered the full implementation of the report of the Presidential Committee on the Rationalization and Restructuring of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions, and Agencies, headed by retired accountant, Stephen Oronsaye.
The president said he resolved to implement the Oronsaye report to pave the way for a leaner government by merging some agencies and scrapping some others.
Peter Obi, reacting in a statement via his official X handle the next morning, said the directive for the implementation of the report was a welcome development but long overdue.
The former governor of Anambra State said that beyond implementing the Oronsaye Report, the Federal Government should also go further and cut the cost of governance across all levels.
Obi further urged the government to abandon extravagant and unnecessary expenditures that drained the nation’s limited resources, and redirect those funds towards essential areas such as education and healthcare to uplift people out of poverty.
He also called on political leaders to demonstrate their commitment to national development by making sacrifices, relinquishing personal comfort and self-interest.
However, Obi cautioned against hastily implementing the report, noting that the primary individuals affected would be civil servants. He emphasized the necessity for a thorough comprehension of federal bureaucracy’s intricacies to ensure the report’s effective implementation.
The statement read; ‘I have received several text messages from people wanting to know if I would have implemented the Oronsaye Report, which full implementation has just been directed by the President.
‘In response to their questions, I would like to refer everyone to my manifesto and my response to similar questions during my campaigns.
‘On the 5th of October, 2022, at Havard University, I was asked: “Will you implement the Oronsaye Report?” and I responded in the affirmative. I went further to explain that implementing the report was one of the best ways to make governance efficient, cost-effective, and productive.
‘Being in opposition does not warrant blind and thoughtless criticism. Whenever the government takes the right decision, we should agree, and, if need be, propose related or even better ideas to move the nation forward.
‘I have always been an advocate of the three critical components of the Oronsaye Report, which are drastically cutting the cost of governance; eliminating the overlapping of responsibilities to ensure that responsibilities are appropriately domiciled; and increasing efficiency and effectiveness, which will increase productivity.
‘Although the implementation of the report is long overdue, its implementation is a welcome development so long as the decision is informed by these principles. Beyond implementing the Oronsaye Report, the government should go further and cut the cost of governance across the board.
‘Having found it imperative to implement the report, the government should now do away with the bogus and needless wastages of our scarce resources on frivolous issues, and deploy such funds to the critical areas of education, health, and pulling people out of poverty.
‘However, we must not rush to implement the Oronsaye Report just because those that will be directly affected are mostly civil servants. A very deep understanding of the workings of the Federal Bureaucracy will be required to effectively implement the report.
‘Grasping the symmetries between the federal and the other tiers of government will be imperative as federal agencies have branches and outreaches in all the 36 states. We, the political leaders, should be ready to back up such implementation with our sacrifices from comfort and selfishness, for the overall development of the nation.
‘In implementing this report, a conscious effort must be made to cushion the effects of such a major overhaul on the workers, to avoid driving more people into hardship in these very challenging times.
‘Also Nigerians are yet to be informed about the extant White Paper pertinent to the report’s implementation. Moreover, you cannot ask those who are likely to be affected by the downsizing to manage the process.
‘Government must also show clearly, the amount of resources to be saved in the implied shrinking of government. It should also indicate clearly where and how the saved resources are to be redeployed,’ Obi stated.
He noted that more importantly, the implementation needed to be accompanied by a template to avoid a future bloating of government, noting that by doing the right things and implementing the right policies, a New Nigeria would be built.
