ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, ARCH MOHAMMED NAMADI SAMBO,
GCON, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, AT THE INAUGURAL
EDITION OF THE BPSR REFORM SEMINAR SERIES
Vice President Mohammed Sambo was represented by Alhaji Bukar Aji, the Head of the Civil Service |
PROTOCOLS
I am pleased to
have been asked to inaugurate this important initiative of a reform seminar
series. The need to constantly brainstorm to find better ways of doing things
for the benefit of our citizens lies at the very heart of the Government’s
Transformation Agenda. This citizen-centered transformational blueprint
encourages innovation, entrepreneurship, the quest for excellence, the strength
of character to overcome adversity and an unwavering belief in the greatness of
Nigeria. The BPSR Reform Seminar series is a powerful demonstration of these
noble ideals and I congratulate the Director General of the Bureau of Public
Service Reforms, Dr Joe Abah, and his team, for initiating it.
2. At
every opportunity, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, has reiterated and underscored the importance of
the public service to the development of Nigeria. He has had the uncommon
courage and determination to take many difficult decisions for the benefit of
the ordinary Nigerian. These include the unbundling of the power sector (which
previous administrations had not been able to do), the reforms to the electoral
and justice systems, the reform of the banking sector, and the elimination of
fertilizer fraud that had been with us since colonial times.
3. Strenuous
efforts are also been made to reduce the cost of governance and ensure that our
public service organisations deliver better services to citizens. Just a few
weeks ago, I inaugurated the Implementation Committee for the White Paper on
the Presidential Committee on Restructuring and Rationalization of Federal
Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies. The implementation of that
White Paper will significantly reduce the cost of governance, but, equally
importantly, also reposition our parastatals and agencies for greater
effectiveness. Government is also currently considering another White Paper on
the Report of the Presidential Committee on the Review of Reform Processes in
the Nigerian Public Service.
4. We
have strengthened our capacity to coordinate reform efforts to support the
delivery of the Transformation Agenda. This includes updating the National
Strategy for Public Service Reforms, re-establishing the National Steering
Committee on Public Service Reforms (headed by the Secretary to the Government
of the Federation), refocusing SERVICOM, and revamping the Bureau of Public
Service Reforms to fulfill its proper mandate. Engendering an environment of
learning and seeking good practice is squarely within BPSR’s mandate and I am
pleased that this event has generated interest from federal government
officials, senior officials from various state governments and our
international development partners.
5. Our
public services have been through peaks and troughs. From being rated among the
best in the Commonwealth at Independence in 1960, decades of military rule
systematically weakened our public service. The service lost its professionalism,
independence and focus. The return to democratic rule in 1999 started the process
of repositioning the service but a number of the initiatives undertaken were
rule-based reforms. Although these were necessary, they are not sufficient to
satisfy the yearnings of Nigerians. Most of the reforms were focused on the
internal workings of government, with insufficient focus on the welfare of
citizens. Therefore, while the public was aware that there were ongoing
reforms, they found it difficult to relate to those reforms since they often
did not directly affect them.
6. The
administration of Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, President of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, has started to focus reform efforts on tangible
improvements in the lives of citizens. That is why our reform efforts have
focused on ensuring that farmers get their fertilizer and that our major roads
are world class. Using our revamped rail system, we are able to move large
numbers of people and large quantities of goods quickly, safely and cheaply.
Our airports have been refurbished for the first time in decades and our
automobile policy is providing our indigenous manufacturers with the enabling
environment to thrive, create jobs and deliver vehicles to citizens at an
affordable price. All of these visible reforms are completed with systemic
reforms such as the cashless policy, the Treasury Single Account and the
strengthening of our public procurement systems. Together, the reforms
undertaken by the present administration represent perhaps the deepest set of
reforms ever undertaken in this country. It focuses on the levers that will
position us to attain our Vision 20:2020 and puts the ordinary Nigerian at the
center of all reform efforts.
7. It
is for all these reasons that the theme of this seminar: “New Directions for
Public Service Reforms” is apt. I expect that the seminar will throw up new
ideas that could help to guide our future reform efforts. I encourage
participants to exchange ideas freely and to debate the issues robustly. At the
end of the Seminar, I hope that we can take away from it tangible lessons and
next steps that will improve our public services.
8. Ladies
and Gentlemen, it therefore gives me great pleasure to declare the BPSR Reform
Seminar Series open.
God Bless Nigeria.
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