Reps move to merge, scrap MDAs to cut cost of governance

The house of representatives’ ad hoc committee has commenced the process of scrapping and merging ministries, departments and agencies(MDAs) to cut down the cost of governance.

The committee is investigating the duplication of functions by the agencies.

Speaking at the investigative hearing on Tuesday, Victor Danzaria, chairman of the committee, said the lawmakers will determine which MDAs should be recommended for scrapping or merger.

The committee had summoned the MDAs to justify why they should remain in existence and as individual entities.

The National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), National Gallery of Art (NGA) and the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), were among the MDAs that appeared before the committee.

“We have agencies, some doing the job of the other. Some are intervening agencies, their lifespans have expired, but they are still there, and the government is still maintaining them by budgetary allocation. It is a waste for this country. We are looking at areas where we (can) shrink governance but increase productivity,” he said.

“This committee also has a mandate of assessing, ascertaining and doing a root-cause analysis of regular bickering among some established agencies. We found out that some of these agencies have duplication of functions. 

“The national assembly makes enabling laws for all these agencies. We are looking at your mandates: what are you supposed to deliver for this country? And when there is bickering between agencies, there is overlap, there is also duplication of functions. This committee was set up to look at your mandates and enabling Acts. Are you executing them? Are you effectively helping the government to deliver good governance in this country?

“The other mandate of this committee is to establish areas of mergers, synergy and justification of the existence of these agencies. As I said, duplication of functions and overlapping could be there. But are they coming in the form of synergy? Do we look at the merger of these agencies to enable the government to fund these organisations effectively?

“Every year, the President asks the national assembly for permission to obtain loans to maintain these agencies. So, it is our responsibility in this national assembly to make sure that the enabling Acts of all those agencies are there and that is why they exist.”