During the week social media blogging platform Instablog posted a video of Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination with the headline “FG finally scraps FRCN, ICPC, NCDC, NCC, NTA, several others.”
Bala Usman in the video spoke about the MDAs that will be merged when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu implements the Steve Oronsaye Report on the restructuring of agencies of government. The report was the outcome of a reform process initiated by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2014.
The Oronsaye report established that there were 541 parastatals, commissions and agencies (statutory and non-statutory) and recommended that 263 of the statutory agencies should be reduced to 161, while 38 agencies should be abolished and 52 should be merged
The committee also recommended that 14 of the agencies should revert to departments in ministries.
Claim: FG Scrapping FRCN, ICPC, NCDC, NCC, NTA
Verification
CDD War Room traced the video to its first report which was in February 2024. The news report highlighted the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in the merging, scrapping and subsuming of some Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government in line with its policy of reducing the cost of governance.
The video posted by Instablog did not indicate the crapping of any of the agencies listed. However, we found in another video posted by the same platform in February part of the footage that stated that the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) was to be merged with the Voice of Nigeria (VON).
CDD War Room found other reports by the media which noted the merging of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
A media further reported the merging of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) alongside the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and the Voice of Nigeria (VON).
The report also mentioned the merger of the Nigerian Communications Commission and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).
Verdict: Misleading
The report of the Nigerian Federal Government has scraped these agencies is misleading. The Federal Executive Council only talked about the possibility of a merger for most of these government agencies.
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