FEC scraps BPE, NAPEP, NEIC, 217 other agencies

…Approves merger of EFCC, ICPC
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has agreed to scrap the Bureau of Public Enterprises and 219 other parastatals and agencies.
Also, in spite of the controversy, the government has accepted the recommendation to merge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
But the government has accepted the recommendation to conduct a “proper investigation into the allegations made by the National Boundaries Commission against the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation (OSGOF) over the funding of two non-existent boundary demarcations.
The OSGOF will also be probed for alleged illegal extension of Nigeria’s maritime boundary from 200 nautical miles to 350 nautical miles at the cost of US$12 million without consulting.
These are the highlights of the outcome of a review of the White Paper on the report of the Presidential Committee on the Rationalization and Restructuring of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions, which was headed by ex-Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Steve Oronsaye.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) had spent the last three weeks to review the report and concluded the exercise on June 26.
The Federal Government FG had in 2011 inaugurated the Oronsaye panel to restructure and rationalize Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies of the government as part of measures to reduce the rising budget profile.
After the submission of the report, a White Paper Committee was set up to look at the recommendations of the Presidential Committee.
The FEC, however, finally debated and ratified the recommendations of the White paper Committee.
According to a document obtained by our correspondent, some of the agencies to be scrapped are the BPE; National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP); Fiscal Responsibility Commission(FRC); Public Complaints Commission(PCC); Nigerian Export Promotion Council; Public Complaints Commission (PCC); National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC); Federal Highways Department; Utilities Charges Commission; and National Economic Intelligence Committee among others.



The Nation