The Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, tuesday launched the strategic document for the Nigerian Civil Service from 2017-2019 aimed at increasing the quality of public service delivery, leading to the provision of a more lasting trajectory for the progressive development of the country.
The policy in four broad spectrum and enunciated by the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HoS), Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, was unveiled at the Banquet Hall of the State House.
“The civil servants pioneered and implemented some of the most robust and community-driven programmes in the history of our country. We have to do something that will improve their lot,’’ Osinbajo said.
He expressed optimism that the plan anchored on four strategic goals, would result in the development of the country if addressed while also offering to be a part of the small group that would transform the country.
The strategic plan, according to Oyo-Ita, which has clearly defined objectives and requisite initiatives for its actualisation is in consonance with the National Strategy for Public Service Reforms.
The four goals include: EPIC, which aims to develop and institutionalise an efficient, productive, incorruptible and citizen-centred culture in the civil service; ECM: design and implement an enterprise content management system; develop entrepreneurial culture and commercial orientation in the civil service and to improve the welfare and benefit packages for public workers.
She said the inculcation of entrepreneurial and commercial culture in public servants would transform the service from being perceived as cost centres to revenue earners, saying that the MDAs would become idea generation powerhouses that would complement the private sectors in creating business opportunities for government.
Meanwhile the Chairman, Africa Initiative for Governance (AIG), Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, has expressed his passion for public sector leadership and change initiative championed by the Presidency and HoS.
He pledged to work with the relevant stakeholders towards enabling the actualisation of these aspirations.
Aig-Imokhuede lamented that the narrative associated with the public sector is that of one dominated by poor performance, stagnation and self-interest in contrast to the true words of excellence, achievement, legacy that hold true in the private sector and civil society.
“These labels are borne out of the unfortunate reality that our country’s public sector is not efficient, not responsive and is becoming synonymous with non-performance. That is the experience of the ordinary Nigerian interacting with the Nigerian public service,” Aig-Imoukhuede said.
He added that at the root of so many of Nigeria’s problems are public servants who are unable to impact and transform the lives of the citizens despite the immense power of public policy within their grasp adding that the public sector in Nigeria is the first line of defence against most of the problems that have prevented the country from attaining its long anticipated potential.
‘’I have, through the AIG, which is a catalyst for public sector transformation, elected to join this crusade for a transformed civil service. I am committing my time and resources towards the dream of a Nigeria where our public sector will match that of Singapore; where Nigeria’s public servants will deliver effective, transformative change in the lives of the citizenry, using the power of public policy,” he said.
Courtesy: THIS DAY
Please ooooo!!! Do as you say.
Good work mr. Acting president
This is good! Civil servant’ s primary job should be to serve the citizens… but the inverse has always been the case. It is good that they are called to a deeper conscience of the nature of their job