Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has said that he fears the implementation of the Oronsaye Report may lead to downsizing workers, and more hardship.

“In implementing this Report, conscious effort must be made to cushion the effects of such a major overhaul on the workers, to avoid driving more people into hardship, in these very challenging times,” Obi said in a statement.

“It should also indicate clearly where and how the saved resources are to be redeployed. More importantly, the implementation needs to be accompanied by a template to avoid a future bloating of government. By doing the right things and implementing the right policies, we will build the New Nigeria of our dreams.”

Obi reacting to the approval by President Bola Tinubu for the implementation of the Oronsaye panel Report, said it is “long overdue,” and a welcome development.

He stated that implementing the report is crucial for achieving efficient, cost-effective, and productive governance.

“Whenever the government takes the right decision, we should agree and if need be, propose related or even better ideas to move the nation forward,” Obi said.

“Also Nigerians are yet to be informed about the extant White Paper pertinent to the report’s implementation. Moreover, you cannot ask those who are likely to be affected by the downsizing to manage the process.”

He noted that he has always been an advocate of the three critical components of the Oronsaye Report, which are: drastically cutting the cost of governance; eliminating the overlapping of responsibilities to ensure that responsibilities are appropriately domiciled; and increasing efficiency and effectiveness, which will increase productivity.

Obi, a former governor of Amambra State, warmed that the government must not rush to implement the Oronsaye Report just because those that will be directly affected are mostly civil servants, stating that “a deep understanding of the workings of the Federal bureaucracy will be required to effectively implement the Report.”

“We the political leaders, should be ready to back up such implementation with our sacrifices from comfort and selfishness, for the overall development of the nation,” Obi stated.

He urged the government should do away with the bogus and needless wastages of scarce resources on frivolous issues, and deploy such funds to the critical areas of Education, Health, and pulling people out of poverty.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, had assured Nigerians that the implementation of the Oronsaye Report will not lead to job losses.

Idris made the remarks in Abuja on Wednesday at the third edition of the Ministerial Press Briefing Series.

Idris noted that the report’s implementation aims to “reduce cost and also improve efficiency in service delivery,” not to lay off staff.

“The whole idea is that government wants to reduce cost and also improve efficiency in service delivery. It does not mean that government is out to retrench workers or throw people into the labour market,” Idris said. (The Guardian: Text, Excluding Headline)

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