Union President Warns of Mass Protests Over Impending Job Losses Amid Government Cost-Cutting Measures
As Nigeria prepares for the implementation of the long-awaited Stephen Oronsaye report, Tommy Etim, the National President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants, has issued a stern warning to the Federal Government. Etim emphasized that potential job losses, coupled with the current economic challenges, could ignite widespread unrest across the nation.
After twelve years since its receipt, the Federal Government recently greenlit the adoption of select recommendations from the Oronsaye Report. This decision, announced last Monday, entails the merging of 29 government agencies and the absorption of eight parastatals into other entities. Additionally, four agencies are slated for relocation to different ministries, while one faces dissolution.
The Oronsaye report, submitted in 2012, uncovered a bloated bureaucracy with 541 statutory and non-statutory federal government parastatals, commissions, and agencies. It proposed a comprehensive restructuring, advocating for the reduction of statutory agencies from 263 to 161, scrapping 38 entities, merging 52, and reverting 14 to ministry departments.
While the Federal Government has sought to allay fears of job losses, Etim commended the initiative to trim governance costs but stressed the need for a holistic approach. He urged against layoffs during the economic downturn and called upon the National Assembly to halt the creation of additional agencies.
Etim further emphasized the importance of repealing acts establishing redundant government bodies before implementation to avoid legal disputes. He urged the government to redirect resources towards critical sectors like education, health, and national security, while involving organized labor in the reform process to ensure transparency.
In a final warning, Etim highlighted the risk of mass protests and industrial unrest if job losses were to occur amidst the ongoing socio-economic challenges and food crises. He urged the government to cushion the impact of these reforms on workers and intensify public awareness campaigns regarding the benefits of the report's implementation.
