Dr Joe Abah, a former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, says the Nigerian civil service is not a burden to governance, but a critical driver of national growth.
By Okon Okon
Dr Joe Abah, a former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, says the Nigerian civil service is not a burden to governance, but a critical driver of national growth.
Abah stated this on Wednesday in Abuja at the maiden edition of International Conference on Civil Service Reform, with the theme: “Rejuvenate, Innovate and Accelerate.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference is part of activities lined-up for the 2025 Civil Service Week, aimed at reforming the nation’s civil service among world-class public service.
NAN also reports that the conference
brought together key stakeholders, including foreign delegates, past and present permanent secretaries, former heads of service, and heads of service from the 36 states of the federation.
Abah frowned at a growing trend, where political office holders often undermine civil servants by bringing in aides who may lack the necessary experience and institutional knowledge.
“When ministers flood the system with aides who don’t know as much as the civil servants, and then leave after a few years, things revert to the way they were. That way, nothing really changes,” he added.
He dismissed generalisations about the inefficiency of civil servants, adding that any workforce would appear unproductive if under-utilised for years.
“If we challenge our civil servants and trust them to deliver, they will rise to the occasion.
“Politicians must understand that civil servants have the experience, training, education, and knowledge needed to move this country forward,” Abah said.
According to him, in most developed and transformed countries, civil service played a central role in policy formulation and national development.
“In countries that have transformed, the transformation has usually hinged on a capable, merit-based civil service.
“The civil service is expected to guide ministers in developing policies in the interest of the people,” he said.
Speaking further, he emphasised the need for fair compensation in the civil service, stating that decent work requires decent pay.
“A director who has worked for 27 years should not be unable to afford decent accommodation.
“One family emergency should not render such a person poor,” he said.
Abah acknowledged the dysfunction in parts of the system but insisted that some sectors were making progress.
He cited the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the improved passport application system as examples of functional systems.
“Nigeria recently became the first country in the world to enable passport renewal via mobile phones. It shows that some things do work, even if many do not,” he said.
He urged young Nigerians not to lose hope, noting that earlier generations had experienced a functional public system.
“Many young Nigerians have never seen a system that works.
But in the past, public service jobs were preferred over banking or oil jobs. That culture can be rebuilt,” he stressed. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)