The Federal Government has lamented the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nation’s economy and urged the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to block all revenue leakages while improving on revenue generation.
Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, who spoke during the service-wide sensitisation webinar for the 2021 (2nd edition) of the Federal Civil Service Innovation competition held in Abuja, underscored the need for fiscal responsibility on the part of the MDAs.
She urged the competitors in this year’s innovation challenge to focus their ideas on reducing waste, cutting the cost of governance and enhance revenue generation, adding that “we must begin to block revenue leakages and improve revenue generation.”
“Our aim is to ensure that we evolve a new civil service that is professional, meritocratic, technologically- driven and world-class for sustainable national development” she added.
To attain this goal, Dr Yemi-Esan added that “we must be prepared to change our attitude by working locally and thinking globally in all ramifications.”
According to her, the incorporation of the Public Service Innovation in the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP) 2017-2020 and Successor Plan 2021- 2025 was a glaring testimony of the Federal Government’s intention to turn around the Service.
The Annual Innovation Competition instituted by the Office was to ensure high impact and transformative solutions for the benefit of the Service, she further said.
Nigeria, along with other developing countries, she stated, has recognized that innovation has the potentials to facilitate customer-focused, cost-effective and seamless services to citizens, adding that it is a tool for improving governance and scaling up service quality.
Besides creating a platform to prevent the suppression of innovative ideas and encourage creativity in the public service, the annual Innovation competition has yielded positive outcomes, she added.
Dr Yemi-Esan said a number of ideas adopted from the competition are already at different levels of implementation. One of these, she added is the Anonymous Reporting System (ARS) and the computer-based Examination for the timely conduct and marking of the Confirmation and Promotion (COMPRO) examination in the Federal Civil Service.
Director, Communications, HOS office, Mr AbdulGaniyu Aminu, quoted the Head of Service in a statement as noting further that President Muhammadu Buhari administration had taken proactive steps in institutionalizing Innovation culture in the Nigerian public sector.
This, she explained was in the incorporation of Public Service Innovation as a key priority in the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021-2025.
As part of efforts to rejuvenate the service, she said her office has established a Service Innovation Department headed by a Director while Service Innovation Divisions domiciled in the Reform Coordination and Service Improvement Departments of all MDAs are headed by Deputy Directors.
She warned that her office will be carrying out intense scrutiny of the activities of the divisions and demand regular reports on their activities so as to ensure they live up to the purpose for which they were established.
Earlier in her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties Office (SDO), Mrs Ibiene Roberts, said the culture of innovation was essential in the public service so as to increase service efficiency, minimise the cost of governance as well as increase productivity.
According to her, Innovation will also enable competitiveness in a globalized economy, adding that Innovation will enhance the ability of the public sector to adapt to changing environments, Improve performance and enhance public value as well as enhance response to the expectations of citizens while inculcating an organizational culture of creativity.
Mrs Roberts said the sensitisation was being organized to acquaint civil servants with the modalities for the conduct of the competition and encourage them to share common interests and ideas to work as a team.
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