By Cross Udo, Abuja
Workers in the Federal Civil Service yesterday expressed fears over the recent approval by President Tinubu for the adoption for implementation of some of the Steve Oronsaye Report, saying that it may lead to job loss.
Speaking with journalists yesterday in Abuja, the President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Comrade Tommy Okon, said that cutting down the cost of governance should cut across the three arms of government.
He further said, “We have received several messages and calls from the workers and other stakeholders wanting to know if the implementation of the Oronsaye Report would affect jobs or lead to job loss. Let me use this opportunity to state that we cannot continue to do the same thing all the time and expect different results.
“As a union, we have been on this issue of cutting the cost of governance and this has to be done holistically, taking into consideration all arms of government: the Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary. These will be the best ways to make governance efficient, cost-effective, and productive. Let me also say that being in the Union does not warrant blind and thoughtless criticism.
“Whenever the government takes the right decision, we should agree and if need be, suggest even better ideas to move the nation forward just like what the Trade Union Congress did by forwarding 15 (Fifteen) points suggestions to Mr President on how to get the nation out of the wood.
“The Oronsaye Report established that there are 541 FG Parastatals, Commissions, Agencies (Statutory and non-statutory) and recommended that 263 of the statutory agencies should be reduced to 161, while 38 agencies should be abolished and 52 should be merged.
“It also recommended that 14 of the agencies should revert to departments in ministries. Out of the 104 (One hundred and four) MDAs, some of those to be scrapped, fused, and merged include the EFCC, ICPC, CCB, NTA, NCC, PPPRA, COREN, PTAD, VON, NAHCON, NCPC, etc.”
*Labour proposes part-time for National Assembly members
The association also advised President Bola Tinubu to make the National Assembly members operate on a part-time basis or adopt a unicameral system.
He said, “We have been clamouring for government at all levels to cut the cost of governance, to us, this is one of the best ways to achieve it.
“Therefore, there is the need for the government to drastically cut the cost of governance, eliminate the overlapping of responsibilities to ensure that responsibilities are appropriately domiciled, increasing efficiency, effectiveness, productivity, national competitiveness, and international ranking.
“Now that the government must implement the Report, we call on President Bola Tinubu GCFR to re-examine the contents of the Report in line with the present National realities because the state of the nation 12 years ago when the Report was birthed cannot be the same today.
“Government should ensure that the Acts establishing these Agencies of government are repealed before the implementation to forestall litigations. The government must as a matter of urgency do away with unnecessary and needless wastages of our scarce resources on frivolities, and deploy such funds to the critical areas of Education, Health, Transportation, Food Security, and National Security and pull people out of poverty.
“However, these should be done with due diligence because those that will be directly affected are mostly Civil Servants.
“Gentlemen of the press, let me use this opportunity to call on the Constitution Review Committee to also consider either making the National Assembly operate on a part-time basis or make it a Unicameral Legislature to cut the cost of governance because there are not many distinctive features between both Houses except for Confirmation of Ministers and other statutory compliance which could be addressed once the Constitution is amended.
“The National Assembly should stop further consideration of Bills for the establishment of Government Agencies to reduce wastages. We call on the Government to make a conscious effort to cushion the effect of this major overhaul on the workers to avoid bringing more people into hardship at this very challenging and trying time.
“Government should also carry out more enlightenment campaigns to educate the populace on the gains of implementing the Report. We also believe that the government should involve the Organised Labour in the implementation process to ensure credibility. Finally, we warn that job loss at this critical time of our socio-economic challenges and food crisis would be a recipe for mass protest and industrial unrest.”
