ONE YEAR OF ACHIEVEMENTS AT THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC SERVICE REFORMS (BPSR) - ( AUGUST 2013 - AUGUST, 2014) - PART 1

The Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) was established on 4^th February, 2004 as an independent and self-accounting body with the mandate to initiate, coordinate and ensure full implementation of government reform policies and programmes. The Bureau is currently headed by a Director-General, Dr. Joe Abah who was appointed on 30^th August, 2013.

Dr. Joe Abah. Director-General, BPSR.

BPSR Achievements

The Bureau’s lists of achievements under the current Director-General from 30^th August 2013 to 30^th August, 2014 are as follows:

(1) Production of the “Transforming Nigeria” document.

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan became President in May 2010 at a period that situations and circumstances were clearly unsustainable and called for serious reforms measures to be taken by Mr. President. The current Administration from inception has pursued with vigour and determination, policies and programmes that are directed at transforming the Nigerian economy and society. In an effort to document the reform programmes of the current Administration, the Bureau teamed up with the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser to the President in a collaborative effort to produce a comprehensive report card of the policies and programmes, sector by sector, of the current Administration achievements from 2010-2014 captioned “Transforming Nigeria”. The compendium on “Transforming Nigeria”, presents a background to each reform initiative, the reform measures undertaken and the associated results and outcomes of the reforms activities are highlighted. Some of the reforms measures documented include, inclusive economic growth, job creation, food security, affordable and accessible healthcare, and investment in human capital development. Others are successful completion of the privatization of the generation and distribution of power, and the creation of the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company to ease severe financing constraints in the housing sector. Although challenges remain, the compendium shows that the country has made tremendous progress in the last three to four years because of the bold reform measures embarked upon by the current Administration.

(2) Production of a Compendium of Public Service Reforms.

The Steering Committee on Public Service Reforms, at its reconstituted meeting in November, 2013 mandated the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) to compile into one document all the key reforms initiatives undertaken in Nigeria since the return of civilian government in 1999. The primary objective of the compilation is to assess what has been working and what is not, identify key challenges and propose useful next step actions. By highlighting what has worked well and what has not worked well, the Compendium aims to provide instructive lessons and guidance on where future reform efforts should be focused. It also aims to provide qualitative (rather than quantitative) baseline that will facilitate future monitoring and evaluation of on-going and new public service reform initiatives. The Compendium on Public Service Reforms serves as the concluding part of the two-piece documentation and assessment effort that started with the “Transforming Nigeria” document in paragraph 2.1 above.

The Compendium on Public Service is divided into seven broad parts made up of 45 Chapters. It covers 44 public service reform programmes. The seven parts are the Introduction (Part 1);  Good Governance and Institutional Building (Part 2); Human Capital Development (Part 3); Prudent Financial Management, Economic Growth, and Poverty Alleviation (Part 4); Infrastructure Development and Services (Part 5); Safety and Security (part 6); and Conclusion and Next Steps (Part 7).

Although the Compendium on Public Service Reforms covers almost all reform initiatives undertaken between 1999 and 2014; its focus has been external – on the citizens – rather than on the internal process improvements that various public organizations have undertaken. In this respect, therefore, the reforms discussed in the Compendium are those that directly affect the lives of ordinary citizens and their experience of governance. In assessing each reform initiative, the Compendium on Public Service Reforms has been guided by ten (10) questions as follows:

• Have the reforms improved the quality and quantity of the public services delivered?
• Do more people now have access to services, including disadvantaged groups such as women, young persons and people with disabilities?
• Have the reforms reduced the cost of governance?
• Have the reforms made the service more affordable for citizens?
• Have the reforms reduced corruption?
• Have the reforms reduced unnecessary bureaucracy and red tape?
• Is the reform initiative likely to lead to improved development outcomes?
• In each sector or governance sphere, are things improving, staying the same or getting worse?
• Where things are improving, will those improvements endure? And
• Where things are not improving, what should be done?

Depending on the subject being reviewed, some of the questions may not directly apply in every case. However, the Bureau has kept all the questions in mind in conducting all the reviews.

It is worthy to note that every administration since the return to democratic governance has contributed in some way to improved governance in the country. While the reform efforts between 1999 and 2009 have been extensively documented, the reforms in the period between 2010 and 2014 are much less well documented and what exists is scattered in various documents. There was, therefore, the need to consolidate the various key reform efforts into a single volume for ease of reference. The assessment of the reforms has been done independently by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, with support from an Inter-Ministerial Technical Team (IMTT) drawn from across the public service. Every effort has been made to be rigorous, balanced and professional, and where things could have been done differently the Compendium is bold enough to say so. It has also taken care to highlight those things that have gone well, so that Nigerians are better aware of how their society is improving. Finally, the next steps proposed at the end of each chapter are expected to guide reformers in their future efforts. More importantly, the next steps presented in the Compendium on Public Service Reforms are aimed at deepening the reform process in Nigeria..

(3) Development of an appropriate Management Structure for the Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

As part of efforts of the current Administration to re-position the Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. President on 5th September, 2013 mandated the Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to work with the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) to develop an appropriate management structure for the NDDC. The Bureau carried out this assignment from Sunday, 9th September to Friday, 13 September 2013, at the NDDC Office, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The week of 16th to 20 September, 2013 was use for information synthesis and report preparation.

The focus of the assignment was the development of a management structure for the NDDC that is fit-for-purpose and that can ensure that the Board and management team of the Commission work effectively and harmoniously to deliver on the mandate for which the NDDC was established. The methodology used for the assignment was one of a rapid institutional assessment to understand the way that NDDC is structured, the effects of that structure on performance and delivery, and to find ways in which a re-designed structure might enhance effectiveness and reduce internal conflict. The Bureau built on previous consultancy reports undertaken in the Commission, consulted widely among NDDC staff, and reviewed extensive documentation covering a wide range of management issues affecting the Commission.  At the completion of the assignment, the Bureau submitted the Report to government. The Report formed the basis for the recent reconstitution of the new Board and Management team of NDDC, and the putting in place of other appropriate structure as well as strengthening the basic management capacity within the Commission.

…to be continued tomorrow in part 2.