Govt merges EFCC, ICPC; scraps BPE, NAPEP, six other agencies

The Nigerian government appears set to scrap at least eight federal
agencies, commissions, and parastatals out of about 220 recommended
for abolition in the report of the Stephen Oronsaye-led Presidential
Committee on the Rationalisation andRestructuring of Federal
Government Parastatals, Commissionsand Agencies, PREMIUM TIMES has
learnt.
As part of the rationalisation, the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related
Commission are to be merged into a single entity.
PREMIUM TIMES learnt that a White Paper on the Orosanye-committee
report was extensively discussed in at least three meetings of the
Executive Council of the Federation, otherwise known as FEC.
As part of the deliberations on the report, a review committee on the
draft White Paper, chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan, approved
that some agencies be either scrapped completely or merged with those
performing similar functions.
PREMIUM TIMES findings reveal eight of those agencies.
The agencies to be scrapped completely include the Bureau of Public
Enterprises (BPE); Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC); Nigeria
Export Promotion Council (NEPC); National Salaries, Incomes and Wages
Commission (NSIWC); National Poverty Eradication programme (NAPEP);
Utilities Charges Commission (UCC); the National Economic Intelligence
Committee (NEIC) and the Public Complaints Commission (PCC).
Affected Agencies
Bureau of Public Enterprises
The BPE was established with the mandate of implementing the Nigerian
government policy on privatization and commercialization and preparing
public enterprises for privatization and commercialization.
The government has already "directed that a "Sunset Clause" should be
introduced to the BPE to conclude its assignment and wound down,"
according to the review committee's conclusion.
This implies that the BPE would wind up once it concludes its
assignment of privatization of public enterprises.
Fiscal Responsibility Commission
Another agency that has been recommended to be scrapped is the Fiscal
Responsibility Commission, FRC, which was established to help monitor
government financial activities and enthrone a regime of prudent,
ethical and effective management of public monies and resources by the
tiers of government.
Already, the Jonathan-headed review committee has directed the
Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, to initiate
the necessary actions to give effect to the decision to abolish the
FRC.
A third agency that could be scrapped is the Nigerian Export Promotion
Council(NEPC) established in 1977 to help minimize the bureaucratic
bottlenecks and increase autonomy in dealing with members of the
organised private sector to promote the export of Nigerian goods and
commodities.
The fourth agency that may be scrapped is the National Salaries,
Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), which was established by Act 99
of 1993 charged with the responsibility of managing all issues
pertaining to compensation and renumeration in the the public service.
National Poverty Eradication Programme(NAPEP), which the committee
said might be scrapped, was conceived in 2001 by the Federal
Government to help address poverty in the country and related issues,
while the Utilities Charges Commission(UCC) wasestablished to help
evaluate trends in tariff charged to provide thegovernment with
information relating to the scheduled utilities and their tariff
charges.
The other agencies that might be affected includeNational Economic
Intelligence Committee(NEIC), which was established to serve as a
vehicle for effective monitoring of the implementation of government's
national economic policies and programmes for the overall development
of the country, while thePublic Complaints Commission(PCC) was
established to helpbridge the gap between the elite and the
down-trodden in the society.