By Our correspondent
Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the February 25, 2023 election, discarded party sentiments to hail President Bola Tinubu, for finally deciding to implement the Steve Orosanye Report, seeking to cut the cost of governance.
Obi, an ardent advocate of lean government and crusader against waste, who hailed it as a welcome development, however cautioned that the move announced on Monday, must not be rushed, because it favoured civil servants.
Delivering his position, through his X platform, he wrote: “I have received several text messages from people wanting to know if I would have implemented the Oronsaye Report, which full implementation has just been directed by the President. In response to their questions,
“I would like to refer everyone to my Manifesto and my response to similar questions during my campaigns. On the 5th of October, 2022 at Havard University, I was asked: “Will you implement the Oronsaye Report?” and I responded in the affirmative.
“I went further to explain that implementing the report is one of the best ways to make governance efficient, cost-effective, and productive. Being in opposition does not warrant blind and thoughtless criticism.
“Whenever the government takes the right decision, we should agree and if need be, propose related or even better ideas to move the nation forward. I have always been an advocate of the 3 critical components of the Oronsaye Report, which are:i)drastically cutting the cost of governance;ii) eliminating the overlapping of responsibilities to ensure that responsibilities are appropriately domiciled; and ii) increasing efficiency and effectiveness, which will increase productivity.
“Although the implementation of the report is long overdue, its implementation is a welcome development so long as the decision is informed by these principles. Beyond implementing the Oronsaye Report, the government should go further and cut the cost of governance across board.
“Having found it imperative to implement the Report, the government should now do away with the bogus and needless wastages of our scarce resources on frivolous issues, and deploy such funds to the critical areas of Education, Health, and pulling people out of poverty.
“However, we must not rush to implement the Oronsaye Report just because those that will be directly affected are mostly civil servants. A very deep understanding of the workings of the Federal bureaucracy will be required to effectively implement the Report.
“Grasping the symetries between the federal and the other tiers of government will be imperative as Federal agencies have branches and outreaches in all the 36 states.
“We the political leaders, should be ready to back up such implementation with our sacrifices from comfort and selfishness, for the overall development of the nation. In implementing this Report, conscious effort must be made to cushion the effects of such a major overhaul on the workers, to avoid driving more people into hardship, in these very challenging times.
“Also Nigerians are yet to be informed about the extant White Paper pertinent to the report’s implementation. Moreover, you cannot ask those who are likely to be affected by the downsizing to manage the process.
“Government must also show clearly the amount of resources to be saved in the implied shrinking of government. It should also indicate clearly where and how the saved resources are to be redeployed.
“More importantly, the implementation needs to be accompanied by a template to avoid a future bloating of government. By doing the right things and implementing the right policies, we will build the New Nigeria of our dreams.”
