A RECENT poll result from a partnership between NOI Polls Limited and a media organisation has revealed that most Nigerians have endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari’sproposal to merge some ministries and parastatals.Majority of Nigerians (72 per cent) support the proposed merger of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government, with the fusion of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).Further findings indicates that most Nigerians (65 per cent) are well informed of the President’s decision to appoint his ministers in September 2015, which was made public after the publication by the Washington Post in July 2015 of the President’s article titled: “Nigeria Committed to Good Governance and Fighting Terror”(1). This decision stirred varying opinions from Nigerians.On the one hand, most Nigerians (87 per cent) consider September 2015 as a good time for thePresident to appoint his ministers, citing ‘he needs time to select the best persons’ (31 per cent), ‘for better governance’ (13 per cent), among other reasons.On the other hand, some Nigerians viewed the President’s decision as a delay, while reporting that the appointment of the ministers is ‘long overdue’ (61 per cent of 13 per cent), and has resulted in ‘delay in the execution of programmes’ (14 per cent of 13 per cent) as well as ‘economic stagnation’ (12 per cent of 13 per cent).More than half (58 per cent) of Nigerians surveyed showed awareness of the proposed merging of some ministries and parastatals by the President; following the recommendation of the transition committee to reduce the number of ministries from its present number 42 to 19, with the aim of reducing the cost of governance as well as making these agencies more effective and responsive to the needs of Nigerians.In conclusion, the poll has revealed that most Nigerians (65 per cent) are aware and in support (87 per cent) of the President’s decision to appoint his ministers in September 2015; mainly as they believe ‘the President needs time to select the best persons’ (31 per cent) to serve in this capacity; which in turn would aid good governance.Although some Nigerians (13 per cent) showed no support for the appointment of ministers in September as they believe this exercise is ‘long overdue’ (61 per cent), and has caused ‘delay in the execution of programmes’ (14 per cent) among other reasons.Similarly, more than half of the Nigerian adult population (58 per cent) are aware of the President’s proposition to merge some ministries and parastatals to reduce their current figure from 42 to 19; and a higher proportion ofNigerians in this category (72 per cent) confirmed their support for the proposed merging of some ministries and parastatals.In line with this, a larger proportion (16 per cent) of them suggesting that the EFCC and ICPC should be merged together.


http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/08/

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