Nigerian House Proposes Agency Mergers to Cut Government Costs

House of Representatives members urged merging federal agencies with overlapping functions during Wednesday's session. This move aligns with recommendations from the Presidential Committee on government agency reform, which proposed reducing statutory agencies from 263 to 161 to lower governance costs in Nigeria.

Ossai Nicholas Ossai, Health Services committee chair, led efforts to integrate federal agencies under the Ministry of Health during the 2017/2018 budget defense.

Chike Okafor emphasized strengthening existing agencies to ensure effective service delivery, noting the committee's role in reconciling agency functions through targeted budget reviews.

The committee's sub-committees aim to reconcile agency functions by revisiting their 2018 budgets, with immediate action required to finalize reconciliations before the next fiscal cycle.

House of Representatives members called for merging federal agencies with overlapping functions during Wednesday's session. This action follows the Presidential Committee on government agency reform's recommendation to reduce statutory agencies from 263 to 161, aiming to lower governance costs in Nigeria.

Ossai Nicholas Ossai, Health Services committee chair, led the 2017/2018 budget defense campaign to integrate federal agencies under the Ministry of Health's purview.

Chike Okafor stressed strengthening existing agencies to ensure effective service delivery, highlighting the committee's role in reconciling agency functions through targeted budget reviews.

The committee's sub-committees will reconcile agency functions by revisiting 2018 budgets, with immediate action required to finalize reconciliations before the next fiscal cycle.