If I were President, I would have implemented the Oronsaye Report (Obi).
Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, has said that he would have likewise put the Oronsaye Report into action if he were president of Nigeria right now.
Through his official X handle, Mr. Obi responded to text messages asking for his position on the Oransaye Report. He said that he had previously declared during campaigns that he would have cooperated with the committee’s recommendations.
The ex-governor of Anambra State went on to say that putting the recommendations of the report into action is a great approach to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity of government.
He emphasised that being in opposition does not give one licence to criticise without consideration. He went on to say that when the administration makes a good decision, we should support it and, if necessary, offer other solutions that are just as good, if not better, for the country.
Two days before to President Bola Tinubu’s announcement of numerous government agencies’ mergers, subsumptions, scrappings, and relocations—announced in the report of the Oronsanye-led committee—Obi made his remarks.
Speaking further about the development, Mr. Obi emphasised his long-standing support for the three key points of the Oronsaye Report: reducing the cost of governance by a significant margin, ensuring that responsibilities are properly domiciled by eliminating overlapping ones, and increasing productivity through improving efficiency and effectiveness.
Although the report’s implementation is long overdue, the flagbearer of the Labour Party said that it is excellent news as long as the decision is based on the three essential principles.
On the other hand, he stressed that the government need to go above and beyond just executing the Oronsaye Report by slashing the cost of governance generally.
Full text of Peter Obi’s comment as it appeared on X (formerly Twitter) is below. The President has just ordered the complete implementation of the recommendations made in the Oronsaye Report, and I’ve gotten multiple text messages inquiring as to whether or not I would have followed his lead. Regarding their inquiries,
Please see my platform and my answers to comparable questions from past campaigns for more information. When asked on October 5, 2022, at Havard University, “Will you adopt the Oronsaye Report?” I said yes.
To elaborate, I said that putting the findings into action is a great first step towards more productive, efficient, and cost-effective government. Just because you disagree doesn’t mean you can be critical and unthinking.
When the government makes a good decision, we should support it and, if necessary, offer additional, superior suggestions to keep the country moving ahead.
In my opinion, the three most important recommendations made by the Oronsaye Report are as follows: (i) reducing government spending significantly; (ii) ensuring that duties are properly assigned by doing away with duplication of effort; and (iii) maximising efficiency and effectiveness to boost output.
While the report’s implementation has been delayed for far too long, it is nevertheless excellent news as long as these principles guide the decision-making process. Going above and beyond what is recommended in the Oronsaye Report, the government ought to significantly reduce the overall cost of governance.
Since the government has already decided to follow the report’s recommendations, it should stop wasting money on meaningless causes and instead put it into education, healthcare, and helping people escape poverty.
Having said that, we shouldn’t move hastily to execute the Oronsaye Report simply because the majority of its beneficiaries are government employees. To successfully execute the report, one must have an in-depth familiarity with the inner workings of the federal bureaucracy.
Since federal agencies have branches and outreaches in all 36 states, it will be vital to grasp the symmetries between the federal and other levels of government.
As political leaders, we must be prepared to support such an initiative by giving up some of our own conveniences and egos for the greater good of our country.
To ensure that as many people as possible are not further burdened during these difficult times, it is imperative that all measures be taken to mitigate the impact of this report’s implementation on the workforce.
Additionally, the Nigerian people have not been notified about the current white paper that is relevant to the report’s execution. Plus, you can’t put the onus of managing the downsizing on the people who are most likely to be impacted by it.
Additionally, the government needs to make it crystal apparent how much money will be saved by the indicated reduction in government. It should also make it crystal clear how and where the spared resources will be redirected.
Even more crucially, a model must accompany the rollout in order to forestall further government overspending. We can create the Nigeria we envision if we act morally and adopt sound policies.