The Federal Government is set to reduce its workforce.
It is designing what it calls an exit package for government workers that will be leaving the service.
Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, said reducing the size of government has become imperative given the huge amount the government spends on recurrent expenditure annually.
Some Federal Government workers will lose their jobs when agencies are merged.
Mrs Ahmed said: “There is a special committee led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) that is working on the review of agencies with the view to collapsing them partly using the Oransanye report.
“At the end of it what we want to do is to reduce the size of government and also to reduce the size of personnel cost and part of it will be designing the exit packages that are realistic”.
The reason for the planned merger of agencies, the finance minister, said is because “we are revenue-challenged”.
Presidents of two Federal Workers’ unions who spoke with our correspondent are Comrade Lawrence Amaechi, President, Nigeria Civil Service Union and President, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, Dr Tommy Okon.
In separate interviews, Amaechi said his union would monitor the implementation of the White Paper of the Oronsaye Committee report.
He said: “Before they implement they will put us in their committee and if we are satisfied that Mr A must go where is his cheque?
Is it complete? Give it to him and he will go and better his life.
“The Oronsaye committee white paper has long been gazetted. At this point we cannot stop it. It is just to follow the implementation; how it will not affect our workers badly.
“When the implementation starts we will know how to fight it.”
On his part, President, ASCSN, Dr Okon said: “We have to meet as a Congress and take a decision that will be all encompassing. I cannot speak on the position yet until we meet. Once we meet then we will make our position known.
– The Nation