FG set to scrap UTME, NECO, NAPEP others

Indications emerged last night that the Federal Government may have
resolved to scrap some of its agencies in line with the
recommendations of the Steve Oronsaye-led Presidential Committee on
the Rationalization and Restructuring of Federal Government
Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies following the completion of
study of its White Paper Committee report.


Among those scrapped are Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination
(UMTE), National Examination Council (NECO), Public Complaints
Commission, National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) and the
Fiscal Mobilization and Allocation Commission among others.


The Oronsaye committee had recommended the abolition of 38 agencies,
the merger of 52 and the reversion of 14 to departments in the
ministries from which they were carved out, a move the committee
argued would save the government more than N862 billion between 2012
and 2015 should its proposal be adopted. A reliable government source
confirmed that President Goodluck Jonathan, Vice President Namadi
Sambo and selected senior aides of the president met twice and
eventually took decisions, which included the scrapping of some
agencies and merging of others.


Another source revealed that the with the scrapping of the UTME,
individual universities in the country would conduct their own
admission examinations and admit students while the Joint
Matriculation and Examination Board will set and ensure compliance to
standards as it acts as the clearing house. The source said JAMB would
be modeled along the line of Universities and Colleges Admission
Service (UCAS), the central organization through which applications
are processed for entry to higher education in the United Kingdom.


According to the source, "individual university will do their own
examination and admission. If you want to apply to a university, you
do so but in order not to have a situation where oneperson gets
multiple admission, JAMB acts as a clearing house to free up spaces.
All the universities are free now to admit students." Even though
details were still being worked out, it was learnt that government's
decision, was informed by the need to promote merit inadmission into
the nation's universities because "the idea is to ensure that the best
students go to the best universities."


The source further disclosed that the presidenthad also approved that
the West African Examination Council (WAEC) is now expected totake
over the functions and vast infrastructure of NECO, which now ceases
to exist. The sources confirmed that WAEC would now conduct two
external examinations in a year, January and November. The Public
Complaints Commission is to be merged with the Human Rights
Commission, just as NAPEP would also be scrapped and replaced National
Agency for Job Creation and Empowerment.


The Oronsaye-led Presidential Committee on the Rationalisation made
far-reaching recommendations, which, it explained, were aimed at
helping the government to effect a drastic reduction in the size of
its bloated bureaucracy, eliminating duplication of functions and
bringing down the cost of governance. The committee submitted its
report to the president in April last year.