A professor of Public Administration at the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (IPSS) Kuru, Plateau State, Professor Tunji Olaopa, has identified an efficient public service as the key factor in the delivery of dividends of democracy to citizens of the country.
The retired federal permanent secretary noted that there was a need for the public service to be reformed holistically, which he said was pivotal for the nation not to witness failures in its quest to attain and achieve democratic gains across the board.
Olaopa stated this while delivering a lecture in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital on Thursday during an event marking the 2022 Africa Public Service Day(APSD) and book presentation titled, Leadership, Policy Process and Governance in the Nigerian Public Service, in honour of the retiring Head of service of Ekiti, Mrs ‘Peju Babafemi.
Speaking on the topic, ‘Unfinished Business of Reform in Nigeria: Next Level Pubic Service Reform Agenda ‘ he explained that the rate of redundancy in the public service was disturbing and affecting the effective service delivery, adding that past reforms had failed to achieve desired results.
He recommended a constitution of national conference to discuss the future of the service and make it more competitive profession that would help in placing the country on the pedestal of socio-economic development.
The political scientist said, “Indeed, the African Public Service Day celebration is a befitting reminder to the administrative axiom that the public service is the institutional bulwark that ensures the efficient delivery of democratic dividends to the citizens.
“The fundamental implication of this is that once the public administration fails, the entire democratic experiment fails. And it is this realisation of the immense significance of the public service to Nigeria’s post-independence governance consolidation that led to the myriads of reform efforts initiated by consecutive Nigeran governments, from independence till date.
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“Apart from the fact that government has gotten used to delivering on its policies and programs through a task force approach, and at that with the technical support of policy experts and consultants, governments, and indeed the public service, tend to look at implementation and service delivery as an afterthought, rather than as policy priority. ”
Lamenting the present state of the civil service and the need for urgent reform, Olaopa said, ” Our public administration profession and its civil service need significant reprofiling through deep-seated reform to increase its IQ, restore the public service cherished values and ethics, merit-propelled professionalism and its stewardship relationship with the public as the reason for its existence as a profession and management system if it would ever regain its prestige and therefore be trusted as guardian of the democratic governance codes, institutional memory and continuity in governance. What are we doing to harness our collective strengths as bureaucrats, academics, researchers, and development workers to give our profession the future it deserves?
“The Nigerian civil service in Nigeria is perhaps one of the few professions anywhere, where anything goes; where mediocre can infiltrate and find a place to stand. Largely because we have lost the essence of the public service as a vocation, a deep spiritual calling, a professional space where only those with the training, orientation and discipline to create public value alone should be found.
“Nigerian public service has unfortunately traded its professionalism to rent-seeking in the context of the politics that the Nigeria nation plays with its destiny.”
Speaking, the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, who was represented by his deputy, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi while commending the guest lecturer for his deep knowledge of the topic, adding that efficient and effective civil service is paramount to the success of any administration.
He commended the retiring Babafemi for her commitment to the reformation of the state’s public service, adding that since her appointment in February 2020, she has redefined and changed the narratives about the service in the state.
In her remarks, the visibly elated Peju Babafemi said that the choice of the guest lecturer was deliberate, ” for us to benefit from his rich and deep-rooted experience in the public sector.”
While commending the state governor for her appointment two years ago, Babafemi said that the service under her witnessed tremendous facelift both in human and infrastructural aspects.
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Efficient public service key to delivery of democratic gains ― Olaopa
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