Senators on Wednesday asked the Federal Government to retrench workers of some moribund government agencies in the country.
The senators made this known during the consideration of the report of the Senator Adeola Olamilekan-led Ad-hoc Committee.
Speaking on the report, Senator Ben Murray Bruce said the report should give the Senate and by extension the National Assembly the required legislative weapon for scrapping many of the agencies that are nothing but drain pipes on the nation’s economy.
According to Olamilekan, the Voice of Nigeria, which was created during the era of cold war between the western and eastern blocs, has lost its relevance of existence and yet still being heavily funded by the Federal Government without remitting any reasonable revenue into the Federation Account.
He said: The Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, which made N1.2 billion under remittance out of N7 billion generated, going by this report needs just about 2,000 efficient workforce as against the over bloated 8,000 workforce it presently parades.
“Unfortunately, this is how Nigeria has been since 1960, but this is how a country should not be run.
“So, if we want to have a capital cum development driven budget on yearly basis as against excessive recurrent expenditure loaded budget.
“Many of these agencies need to be scrapped, sold or privatised.”
Also contributing, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, said besides amending the laws, it was imperative to either merge or scrap some of the agencies of government that were not productive or useful to the economy.
Ekweremadu called on the Senate to study the Steven Orosanye’s Committee report and make further recommendations for the scrapping or merger of some agencies that were consuming government revenue rather than generating revenue.
He said: “Some of these agencies were created before the Constitution was drafted and are not in tandem with present day realities.”
Speaking in support of other speakers, Senator Tayo Alasoadura stated that all the 601 Federal Government agencies are over bloated and not understaffed in anyway with attendant heavy burden on the nation’s revenues in form of huge salaries.”
Senators ask FG to retrench
