FG merges NAMA, NCAA, NiMET

The Federal Government has approved the merger of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency in its bid to restructure commissions and agencies.

The government also approved the scrapping of the National Poverty Eradication Programme and the Fiscal Responsibility Commission.

These are some of the highlights of the White Paper issued by government on the report of the Steve Oronsaye-led Presidential Committee on the Restructuring and Rationalisation of pulic parastatals, commissions and agencies.

A copy of the 105-page document dated March 2014 was made available to State House correspondents on Monday.

According to the document, the three agencies in the aviation sector will fuse into a new body to be known as the Federal Civil Aviation Authority. Their respective enabling laws would be amended accordingly to reflect the merger.

Another highlight of the White Paper is government’s rejection of the committee’s recommendation for the merger of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other-Related Offences Commission and the Code of Conduct Bureau.

It also rejected the renaming of Code of Conduct Tribunal to Anti-Corruption Tribunal.

The government also rejected the recommendation that Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission be subsumed under the Bureau of Public Enterprises for greater synergy.

While rejecting the recommendation for an amendment in name and status of the Federal Civil Service Commission to the Federal Public Service Commission, the government however accepted the recommendation of a single term of five years for the chairman and members of the commission.

It also accepted the recommendation for the scrapping of FRC and directed the Attorney-General of the Federation to initiate necessary action for its abolition.

Government further directed that the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission should henceforth perform the functions of the FRC.

According to the document, the government also accepted the recommendation that the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission’s enabling law be repealed and the functions of the commission be subsumed under the RMAFC.