News

Obasanjo Says Continuity Vital For Effective Reforms In Civil Service

Published

8 months ago

July 30, 2024

Gloria Ikibah

By Gloria Ikibah

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has said that there must be continuity for any reforms to be effective in Nigeria.

The former President stated this at the Aig Imoukhuede Foundation Annual Workshop with the theme “Rethinking Reforms, focusing on Why Many Reforms Fail In Nigeria and What We Can Do About Us”, on Tuesday in Abuja.

According to Obasanjo the greatest pain of reform is discontinuity and that the best thing for any reform would be for the initiator, the owner, the executor, the driver and the sustainer to be continual.

“Any break in continuity means virtually the end of reform. And then one thing we must understand is reform is a lifelong thing. The process of reform, even in your daily life, in your own life, you are reforming.

“You are making adjustment. So why should it be difficult? I don’t believe that it should be difficult. When I was looking for debt relief, one of the things that they told me as I went around the world is reform.

“Now, the point I am making is that reform is continual. It is not a destination. It is a journey”, he stated.

Former President Obasanjo also said there is the need for recognition of technocrats in the civil service, stateinh that they play a crucial role in driving reforms and effective governance.

He explained “Technocrats have power, and we must recognise that”, even as he’d referred to the Permanent Secretaries and other civil servants as the tetechnocrats.

Her added: “And that journey must continue. Now, I have met and I have had to deal with some of the best in the public service of this country. And we have, and from the point you have made, it will appear that those that I have met and dealt with, you still have people like that in the service today.

“The point is that we need as good men and women in the public service as we need in the private sector. And the public service, if you look very hard, as I had looked when I had the opportunity, the public service contains some of the best men and women in every sense of the word that you can find in this country. The question is that some of them are frustrated.

“Some of them are inadequately rewarded. And this we have to take note of and correct where we need to correct. The second point, or the third point I want to make, for the public service, and it is the entire public service, which means the executive, the legislative, the judiciary, and the technocrats.

“Normally, we tend to leave the technocrat. And that’s a mistake. They have power”.

According to him, for any reform to succeed there must be collaboration between political heads and technocrats.

“Reform requires political heads and technocrats working together, respecting and understanding each other. That’s when you can have real reform.

“Why many reforms in Nigeria, why many reform fails in Nigeria, and what we can do about it. Outgoing Head of Service, I want to thank you for all that you are doing and all that you have done and all that remains to be done”, he asserted.

In her address, the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Folashade Esan, acknowledged that there are challenges and impediments in the implementation of successful reform programmes in Nigeria.

She noted that there is need for the reform action to deal with those challenges and listed them.

“The first is a lack of inclusive implementation strategy framework. Poor funding and inadequate budgetary provisions in the MTAs to fund the implementation of reforms.

“Lack of skilled manpower. Poor communication at planning and implementation stages. Poor or total lack of ownership of reforms by sub-nationals.

“Poor involvement of citizens. Lack of synergy between the public and private sector organizations. Lack of synergy amongst implementing MTAs.

“Policy somersaults and rivalry and conflict of interest even among government institutions. Some others include lack of political will and ownership to support reform implementation. Resistance to change.

“Poor ICT infrastructure. Political interferences in bureaucratic processes. Dwindling support by partners.

“Lack of legislation to legalize and institutionalize reforms. Lack of institutional capacity. Weak governance structures around the reform processes.

“Inadequate follow-through mechanisms for implementation of reforms. And lastly, a lack of shared wisdom, vision on national development among others. And so with all these impediments, barriers to reforms, in 2020, the Office of the Head of Service had an opportunity to review the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan”, Esan stated.

She revealed that efforts made to address these challenges, includes wide stakeholder consultation, governance structure for reform initiatives, and capacity building.

The HoS noted the key elements for successful reform pprogrammes which she identifies as “Systems and support structures, partnerships, high-level monitoring, capacity building, compensation systems, and change management strategy are crucial for success”.

She also acknowledged the progress made in re-engineering the civil service, saying, “It is essential to recognize and celebrate the good work of our officers and partners while sanctioning indiscipline and poor performance.”

In his welcome address, the chairman Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede highlighted the importance of efficient and motivated public service in achieving good governance, production and distribution of public goods, formulation and implementation of economic policy, and management of public expenditure.

He noted that Nigeria’s current Human Development Index ranking of 161 out of 189 countries is a reflection of the performance of government over several decades.

He emphasised the need for a strong public service, saying, “This is what is holding us back. And you would agree that there’s a correlation between the strength of a country’s public sector and its strength as a nation.”

Aig-Imoukhuede also highlighted the foundation’s efforts to transform public service delivery, including building a critical mass of public sector leaders, providing technical support and funding for digitization efforts, and upskilling thousands of workers in the civil service.

“It’s simple. There’s nothing you can do about it. This is why all nations in the world have a continuing focus on ensuring that their government works.

“This is the aim of government reform, to create a government workforce of the size and with the skills, and it doesn’t end there, with the incentives, ethos, and accountability needed to provide quality public services and carry out the functions stated in Chapter 2 of the Nigerian Constitution. This is what is holding us back. And you would agree that there’s a correlation between the strength of a country’s public sector and its strength as a nation.

“As a result, the most important objective of any nation in the 21st century is to have an effective and efficient public service. It is with this belief in mind that my wife Ofoe and I founded the Aike Wakode Foundation. We are convinced that improved public services lead to better outcomes for our people, communities, and economies.

“Through our support, the service has successfully digitized thousands of files, automated 300 processes, acquired hundreds of new digital devices. In addition, our collaboration with Microsoft, we are upskilling thousands of workers in the civil service. A key area of our support to the civil service is the culture change program.

“To change the mindset of this key constituency, we provide communication training, culture change campaign videos, and ongoing assistance for the publication of official newsletters. We’ve helped to develop the civil service culture handbook, better than actually many of the culture handbooks I’ve seen in the private sector, but we must make it work, that applies the values, behaviors, and practices that are essential for delivering the state’s chapter 200. A key element of our foundation’s theory of change is to ensure that every Nigerian citizen takes ownership of the critical need to reform the public service.

“It is not their public service, it is your public service, it is our public service, and understand that as it strengthens, you strengthen as well. So we must join hands, come together, and make it work. This commitment brings us to the purpose of this gathering today, to discuss the topic, rethinking reforms, why many reforms fail in Nigeria, and what we can do about it”, he stated.

The Chairman therefore called on stakeholders to come together and commit to reform the public service, even as he said, this conversation does not end here. And indeed, the Nigerian Public Sector Reform Project reboots here.

News

SAD! APC lawmaker dies while asleep

Published

4 minutes ago

April 9, 2025

ADMIN

The lawmaker representing Kaura Namoda South Constituency in the Zamfara State House of Assembly, Aminu Ibrahim Kasuwar-Daji, has died.

It was gathered that the lawmaker passed on in his sleep during the early hours of Wednesday.

Aminu Ibrahim Kasuwar-Daji’s sudden death came as a shock to many in the state, especially his colleagues and political associates.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara, the party under which he was elected, expressed deep sorrow over his passage.

Members of the party, including the State Working Committee and other supporters, described his death as a great loss.

They said he was known for his dedication and honesty in serving his people.

His family, community members in Kaura Namoda South, and fellow lawmakers have been thrown into mourning as preparations for his burial began.

According to Islamic rites, he was buried today at 3:00 pm in his hometown of Kasuwar-Daji, located in the Kaura Namoda Local Government Area.

Many in the state have continued to express grief as they remember the role he played in representing the people and contributing to the work of the state assembly.

News

Just in: Sam Olumekun takes over as INEC’s Acting Chairman

Published

25 minutes ago

April 9, 2025

ADMIN

Mr. Sam Olumekun has taken over at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as Acting Chairman.

Olumekun is INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education.

He performed his first duties today, receiving a high-level delegation of the Labour Party (LP) at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja with other National Commissioners in attendance.

The delegation was led by Abia State Governor Dr. Alex Otti, who visited the Commission to discuss key developments within the Labour Party.

It was gathered that both parties engaged in discussions centered on enhancing collaboration and reinforcing democratic values.

During the visit, Governor Otti formally presented a Certified True Copy of the recent Supreme Court judgment concerning the party’s leadership.

He noted that the meeting was aimed at fostering clarity, mutual understanding, and institutional alignment regarding the Labour Party’s current structure.

Mr. Olumekun, the Acting INEC Chairman, reaffirmed the Commission’s unwavering commitment to neutrality, transparency, and the rule of law in the discharge of its constitutional responsibilities.

Recall that a viral WhatsApp message had indicated that Prof. Mahmood was sacked by President Bola Tinubu and replaced with one Prof. Bashiru Olamilekan.

“INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmud Yakubu has been replaced with Prof. Bashiru Olamilekan by President Tinubu,” the message, which had no attribution, read. However, both INEC and the Presidency debunked the widespread report.

Yakubu, who is rounding off his second tenure in office, is expected to exit the system towards the end of this year.

The process of appointing an INEC chairman is the President nominating a candidate and forwarding his particulars to the Department of State Services (DSS) for profiling.

After such screening, the President, thereafter, takes the name to the National Council of State for its advisory review.

Based on the outcome, the President sends the name to the Senate for screening and confirmation.

News

Crude oil prices slide further, now selling below $57

Published

52 minutes ago

April 9, 2025

ADMIN

Crude oil prices have dropped below $57, following a previous rate of $59.78.

This decline coincides with the imposition of tariffs on several countries by US President Donald Trump.

A report from West Texas Intermediate attributes this price slump to consistent 6% reductions observed last week.

JPMorgan Chase & Co has warned that these tariffs could likely push both the US and global economies into a recession this year.

The financial institution explained that the tariffs, set to take effect this week, are expected to have widespread economic repercussions.

Market analysts and the business community have expressed concerns about the negative implications of these measures, predicting a slowdown in economic activities and a subsequent decline in oil demand.