Following the commitment of government to implement the Oronsaye Report, a group, Advocacy for Good Ethics and Accountability for Development, said it has identified error in Press Presentation made by the SA to the President on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman.
The SA was said to have listed the Project Development Agency (PRODA) as one of the Agencies to be merged with the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure NASENI, contrary to the recommendations of the Oransaye report and the white Paper of the presidential review committee with Ref: No. SGF.12/S.II.C.5/VOLII and dated August 8th, 2014.
Speaking while addressing journalists on Wednesday in Abuja, Executive Director of the group, Henry Thomas said,
the position of the Ornasaye report and that of the white paper is that National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure be merged with the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization while FIRRO and PRODA should be left to stand alone.
“We however believe that the statement by the SA to the president was made in error and we are by this press briefing calling on the Federal government to ensure that the white paper is implemented unadulterated as both the Oransaye report and white paper has considered everything that needed to be considered before arriving at a conclusion.
“The civil society community will keenly follow every event in the implementation of the report and shall resist any attempt to alter or doctor any part of the white paper dated 8th April, 2014.”
Speaking further, he said the civil society organizations will embrace and support any initiative aimed at reducing the cost of governance but however, “we have discovered with dismay that in most cases the initiatives by government in repositioning the economy are directly affecting the poor masses of the country just like the fuel subsidy removal.
“We support the implementation of the Oransaye report, but however, we urge the government not to be too much in a hurry in trying to do so, as Nigerians are yet to recover from the removal of fuel subsidy. We are therefore, of the opinion that the government should first of all concentrate in stabilizing the economy by reducing the inflation and ensuring that there is adequate food, transportation and housing that the common man can afford.”
He added that the overall aim of the Oronsaye report was cutting the cost of governance. “We are also of the view that in trying to do so, the government should start by cutting the expenditure and allowances of the Executive and the Legislature.
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