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SEE List of merged MDAs, scrapped agencies of govt
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the merging, scrapping and subsuming of some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of Federal Government in line with its policy of reducing cost of governance.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the merging, scrapping and subsuming of some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of Federal Government in line with its policy of reducing cost of governance.
Hajiya Hadiza Bala-Usman, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, unveiled some of the merged, subsumed and scrapped MDAs at the end of the FEC meeting on Monday, February 26, 2024.
She said the decision was based on the Steve Oronsaye Report on civil service reforms inaugurated under former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2014.
With the new arrangement, the Nigerian Army University in Borno State will be merged with the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA). The university will now functions as a faculty within the Academy.
Similarly, the Air Force Institute of Technology will also be merged with the Nigerian Defence Academy to function as the faculty of Nigerian Defence Academy.
Also, the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission is to be merged with Bureau of Public Enterprise and be rechristened as `Public Enterprises and Infrastructural Concession Commission.
The Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria is to be merged with the Voice of Nigeria while the National Commission for Museum and Monuments is to be merged with the National Gallery of Acts.
She said the National Theatre is to be merged with National Troupe of Nigeria while the National Meteorological Development Centre is to be merged with the National Meteorological Training Institute.
National Agency for Control of HIV/AIDS (NACA) is to be merged with the Centre for Disease Control in the Federal Ministry of Health while National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is to be merge with the National Commission for Refugee Migration and Internally Displaced Persons.
The Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa will be merged with the Directorate of Technical Aid and to function as a Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission is to be merged with Nigerian Export Promotion Council while the National Agency for Science and Technology and Science and Engineering Infrastructure is to be merged with National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation and the Project Development Institute.
The Special Adviser further said that the National Biotechnology Development Agency will be merged with the National Centre for Genetic Resource and Biotechnology.
She said the National Institute for Leather Science Technology will be merged with the National Institute for Chemical Technology while the Nomadic Education Commission will be merged with the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult Education and Non-formal Education.
On the agencies to be subsumed, Bala-Usman said the Service Compact with Nigeria (SERVICOM) will be subsumed to function as a department under the Bureau of Public Service Reform.
She said the Border Communities Development Agency will be subsumed to function as a department under the National Boundary Commission.
National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission is to be subsumed under Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission. The National Assembly will need to amend the constitution as RMAFC was established by the Constitution.
The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution is to be subsumed under the Institute for International Affairs.
The Public Complaints Commission is to be subsumed under the National Human Rights Commission while the Nigerian Institute for Trypanosomiasis to be subsumed into the Institute for Veterinary Research.
The National Medicine Development Agency will be subsumed under the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development while the National Intelligence Agency Pension Commission to be subsumed under the Nigerian Pension Commission.
On the agencies to be relocated, the Presidential aide said the Niger Delta Power Holding Company to be relocated to the Ministry of Power while the National Agricultural Land Development Agency (NALDA) to be relocated to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
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The National Blood Service Commission will be converted into an agency and relocated to the Federal Ministry of Health while the Nigerian Diaspora Commission is to be converted into an agency and to be relocated to the Federal Ministry of Finance.
Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) to be scrapped and functions to be taken over by Federal Ministry of Finance.
Bala-Usman said the President had constituted a committee that would work within 12 weeks, to ensure that necessary restructuring and legislative amendments needed to ensure full actualisation of these approvals were granted.
The committee comprises Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Head of the Civil Service, Attorney General and Justice Minister, Budget and Planning Minister, DG Bureau of Public Service Reform, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, Special assistant to the president on National Assembly. The Cabinet Affairs Office will serve as the secretariat.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says it will sustain salary payments for up to 12 months to families of personnel who die in the line of duty.
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, approved the welfare initiative as part of measures to strengthen support for families of fallen personnel.
A credible NAF source who pleaded anonymity disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Sunday in Abuja.
He said the policy, which provided a special extension of salary payments to the spouses or next of kin of NAF personnel killed in action, would help cushion the impact of their loss.
He explained that, in line with existing public service rules, salary payments normally cease upon the death of a personnel member.
According to him, the new initiative will see salaries of personnel killed in the line of duty continue for up to 12 months from the date of death, or until all death benefits are fully processed and paid, whichever comes first.
The official said the initiative was designed to prevent financial hardship for bereaved families during the period of administrative processing of death benefits.
He added that the CAS had also approved additional welfare packages for officers, airmen and airwomen of the service.
“These measures are aimed at cushioning the prevailing economic pressures and reinforcing the NAF’s commitment to the wellbeing of its personnel.
“These initiatives are also part of a broader welfare reform agenda anchored on the understanding that the wellbeing of personnel and their families is a strategic enabler of combat effectiveness.
“Enhanced welfare drives effective warfare, ensuring that no airman is left unequipped, untrained or unmotivated,” he said.
The source further said that the initiatives reaffirmed the NAF’s resolve to honour the sacrifices of fallen heroes, support the families they left behind and sustain a motivated and mission-ready force.
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has directed the Renewed Hope Ambassadors to distribute rice across all states of the federation in support of citizens observing the ongoing Ramadan and Lenten seasons.
The initiative is intended to strengthen national unity and demonstrate compassion during a period that holds deep spiritual significance for both Muslims and Christians.
A statement issued by the Director-General, Renewed Hope Ambassadors and governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma explained that “under the directive, the Renewed Hope Ambassadors will coordinate the distribution through their nationwide grassroots network to ensure that families across Nigeria benefit from the intervention during this holy season when both Muslims and Christians are fasting.”
According to the statement: “It is worth noting that a similar intervention was carried out during the last Christmas season, when rice was also distributed to support Nigerians celebrating the festive period.
“This continued effort reflects the administration’s consistent commitment to standing with citizens during important religious and cultural seasons.
“Both Christian and Muslim communities will receive rice as part of the nationwide distribution effort, reflecting the President’s commitment to inclusivity, solidarity, and shared national values.”
Commenting on the initiative, Governor Uzodimma said the programme underscored the President’s belief in supporting citizens during this period of fasting while strengthening interfaith harmony.
He said: “This initiative reflects President Tinubu’s commitment to unity and compassion. Ramadan and Lent are seasons that remind us of sacrifice, charity, and care for one another. Through this distribution, the Renewed Hope Ambassadors will ensure that families across Nigeria feel the spirit of togetherness during this sacred period.”
The statement concluded by saying that the distribution will be carried out across nationwide through the state, local government, and ward structures of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors to ensure broad reach and transparency.
The Police Command in Osun says it has arrested two officers of the Nigeria Customs Service(NCS) in connection with a shooting incident that left a driver dead in Osogbo.
This was contained in a statement issued by the command’s spokesperson, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, on Sunday.
Ojelabi explained that the two officers of the NCS were arrested in connection with a shooting incident that occurred at Dada Estate Area, Osogbo, on Sunday.
“The suspects were reportedly chasing suspected tokunbo (foreign-used) vehicles when the incident occurred.
“Meanwhile, the driver of the said ash-coloured Toyota Corolla, one of the vehicles being chased by the Customs officers, was shot and confirmed dead by a medical doctor at the Osun State University Teaching Hospital,” he said.
The command’s spokesperson said that the corpse of the yet-to-be-identified victim had been deposited in a morgue.
Ojelabi said several items were recovered from the scene, including a Beretta pistol with breech number 125024, 11 rounds of 9mm live ammunition and one expanded 9mm shell.
Other items recovered were a white Toyota Corolla with Lagos registration number AAA 400 GQ, and an ash Toyota Corolla with registration number GFQ 0982.
He said that the Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, had ordered a thorough investigation to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident.
He assured members of the public that anyone found culpable would face the full wrath of the law.
He urged residents to remain calm and continue to cooperate with security agencies by providing credible information that can aid the investigation.
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