Reshaping Civil Service For Improved Service Delivery

Many Nigerians who have interacted with some of civil servants complain of corruption, which manifest in the shape of extortion, delay in service delivery and truancy. Allegations the managers of the system say they are confronting frontally.
They say the system system is gradually taking a new shape following the introduction of innovative programmes as encapsulated in the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP 2021-2025).
The FCSSIP provides strategic direction for the implementation of reforms in the Service.
It is reform blueprint for re-positioning the federal bureaucracy to suit the transformative requirements of modern civil service administration and make it a world-class Service by 2025.
FCSSIP25 was introduced by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF) as a successor of FCSSIP 20 in a bid to consolidate on the successes recorded in the FCSSIP 20 and achieve more milestones.
FCSSIP25 came into existence in December 2021 following its approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and was inaugurated by then President Muhammdu Buhari on June 23, 2022.
The plan has six priority areas of capacity building and talent management, performance management, IPPIS-HR, innovation, digitalisation of content services and staff welfare.
President Bola Tinubu, among other stakeholders, lauded the initiative at the just-concluded 2024 Civil Service Week, saying there were a lot of remarkable reforms in the system via FCSSIP25 initiative programmes.
Tinubu described the civil service as the engine of government necessary for the government to deliver public goods.
“Those who say that a nation is as good as its civil service are close to the truth. You are the real establishment that remains to pilot government affairs as we politicians come and go.
“Over the decades, successive governments initiated various National Development Plans and programs, and all relied on the civil service to translate such plans into high-impact programmes and projects across all sectors of the nation’s economy.We look to you to continue this legacy under our administration.
“Therefore, we are steadfast in our commitment to cultivating, empowering, and professionalising our human capital within the civil service,” he said.
It is imperative to foster a culture of excellence and instil confidence among our civil servants, ” said Tinubu who was represented by Sen. George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation said that Nigeria was training identified good brains to bridge the skills gap and requisite knowledge in the system.
According to her, the civil service was also grooming a new crop of highly skilled leaders through the Leadership Enhancement and Development Programme (LEAD-P) of FCSSIP 2021-2025.
“Already, over 200 officers have been trained and deployed to various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government,” she said.
According to Yemi-Esan, her office, in partnership with the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, had invested in the training and re-training of the workforce to ensure efficient service delivery among the civil servants.
Yemi-Esan recalled that the absence of structures and targeted programmes was a major challenge for the civil service.
“Knowledge and learning are keys for us to ascend to the positions God has for us and also to live up to the expectations of Nigerian citizens.
“We must train ourselves with requisite skills, and we can only do this by continuous training and learning,” Yemi-Esan said.
According to Yemi-Esan, achieving the objectives of upgrading the nation’s civil service sector is the reason behind the introduction of FCSSIP 2021 to 2025, aimed at learning and capacity development of workers.
Prof. Peter Okebukola that the kind of education needed in the workplace in the 21st Century involved critical thinking, problem-solving, digital literacy, innovation, creativity, collaboration and teamwork, among others.
The former executive secretary of National Universities Commission (NUC spoke on “Education Fit For the 21st Century: Preparing Nigerian Public Servants to Address Global Challenges While Fostering Employee Engagement, Retention, and Job Satisfaction.”
He urged strong leadership and accountability, entrepreneurship, use of technology, environmental literacy, resilience, and stress management to strengthen the civil service.
Okebulola said that the managers of the public service should projection on how to reposition the system to function effectively even in the next 50 years.
Mr Yayale Ahmed, former HOS, said the Civil Service Week remained a true reminder and calibration of the essence and place of the system as the engine room of government.
Ahmed said the theme for 2024 service week should address a shift from the conventional competencies and approach to both techniques and delivery so as to meet global best practices.
“This is simply a wake-up call to catch up with modern trends and ways of doing things in the Civil Service.
“To sustain and consolidate the core values of accountability, meritocracy, professionalism, loyalty and efficiency in the civil service, our education must be tailored towards catching up on level playing grounds with modern trends,” he said.
Many critics said the nation’s civil service is bloated, arguing that most civil servants are idle.
Others accuse the system of red-tapism thereby being a clog in the implementation of government policies rather than being a force for good.
It is expected that programmes such as the Civil Service Week should provide the platform to for managers of the system to prove their critics wrong. NAN