About 100 federal agencies that have already
been pencilled down for scrap or merger have received a total allocation
of over N200 billion in the 2014 budget.
Analysis of the budget by Daily Trust indicates that even though the affected agencies have been described by a government report as wasteful and indolent, provision has been made for them in next year's budget.
A presidential committee on the restructuring of government agencies, headed by former head of service Stephen Oronsaye, had recommended for the merger or scrapping of about 100 agencies.
The report submitted last year said most of the agencies are unwieldy and fueling wastages, indolence and corruption.
The Federal Executive Council approved a white paper on the report in April.
The committee, which was set up to reduce cost of governance, in the executive summary of its report, recommended, among others, the scrapping of 38 agencies, merger of 52 and reversal of 14 to departments in existing ministries.
President Goodluck Jonathan, while submitting the 2014-2016 Medium Term Expenditure Frameworks (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) to the National Assembly, said the government had not rationalised the said agencies because the laws setting them up have not been repealed.
"It had been hoped that significant savings would be made from the implementation of government's white paper on rationalising public agencies. Unfortunately, very little or no savings are likely to be made from the implementation of government's white paper on rationalising public agencies due to the fact that many agencies recommended for closure or merger were allowed to remain partly due to the fact that some of them are underpinned by law, which cannot be repealed in the short run," Jonathan had said.
Our correspondent reports that up to December 19 when the National Assembly adjourned for the Christmas and the New Year recess, no bill proposing either merger or scrapping of any of the affected agencies have been presented to the parliament.
Agencies in this category that received their usual allocation in the 2014 budget are: Petroleum Technology Development Fund N50bn; Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency N6.4 billion; Ajaokuta Steel Company, N3.9 billion and National Iron Ore Mining Company N1.5 billion.
Source:Daily Trust
Analysis of the budget by Daily Trust indicates that even though the affected agencies have been described by a government report as wasteful and indolent, provision has been made for them in next year's budget.
A presidential committee on the restructuring of government agencies, headed by former head of service Stephen Oronsaye, had recommended for the merger or scrapping of about 100 agencies.
The report submitted last year said most of the agencies are unwieldy and fueling wastages, indolence and corruption.
The Federal Executive Council approved a white paper on the report in April.
The committee, which was set up to reduce cost of governance, in the executive summary of its report, recommended, among others, the scrapping of 38 agencies, merger of 52 and reversal of 14 to departments in existing ministries.
President Goodluck Jonathan, while submitting the 2014-2016 Medium Term Expenditure Frameworks (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) to the National Assembly, said the government had not rationalised the said agencies because the laws setting them up have not been repealed.
"It had been hoped that significant savings would be made from the implementation of government's white paper on rationalising public agencies. Unfortunately, very little or no savings are likely to be made from the implementation of government's white paper on rationalising public agencies due to the fact that many agencies recommended for closure or merger were allowed to remain partly due to the fact that some of them are underpinned by law, which cannot be repealed in the short run," Jonathan had said.
Our correspondent reports that up to December 19 when the National Assembly adjourned for the Christmas and the New Year recess, no bill proposing either merger or scrapping of any of the affected agencies have been presented to the parliament.
Agencies in this category that received their usual allocation in the 2014 budget are: Petroleum Technology Development Fund N50bn; Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency N6.4 billion; Ajaokuta Steel Company, N3.9 billion and National Iron Ore Mining Company N1.5 billion.
Source:Daily Trust
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