The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has called for a clear action plan for the implementation model of the Stephen Oronsaye report.
LCCI director-general, Dr Chinyere Almona, on Friday in Lagos, said the call was to avoid an over-bloated structure that worsened bureaucracy and reduced the chance of service inefficiency due to loss of expertise.
The federal government had approved the implementation of Oronsaye report aimed at restructuring federal agencies, parastatals, and commissions.
The move, which involves merging, subsuming, and scrapping agencies with similar functions, is expected to enhance efficiency in the civil service and reduce the cost of governance.
Ms Almona stated that the decision by the presidential committee to implement the report was quite commendable, particularly at this time when Nigerians were clamouring for a reduction in the cost of governance in the face of harsh economic conditions.
She noted that the transformative journey called for a deep commitment and a strong will on the part of the federal government to implement the report.
“There are issues that can be addressed almost immediately, while issues bordering on regulatory and legislative frameworks can be taken through the legally required processes within the shortest time possible.
“It would be important for Nigerians to begin to see quick actions regarding implementation immediately.
“In the next few days, Nigerians would expect to see submissions to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for all necessary approvals and actions,” she said.
The LCCI DG presented some recommendations to ensure the report was implemented in the best interest of all Nigerians.
She emphasised the need to establish a steering committee comprising some members of the Oronsaye committee, as much as it is feasible to ensure continuity.
Ms Almona added that effective implementation required the cooperation of all stakeholders, hence the need for robust communication and publicity throughout the implementation process to drive transparency and accountability.
She said the emerging new structure and composition should have clear definitions of functions, protocols, and reporting lines.
“In addition to the clearly defined functions, inter-agency and inter-ministerial engagement should be encouraged.
“As the new structure emerges, we recommend that the ministries return to their core function of policy formulation, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting while the agencies under them do the implementation of such policies.
The National Assembly is a very critical stakeholder in this exercise and needs to be fully involved and interested in supporting the implementation.
“The laws that established the agencies would need to be reviewed, some would be repealed, and new ones formulated and signed into law,” she said.
(NAN)
