ONE YEAR OF ACHIEVEMENTS AT THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC SERVICE REFORMS (BPSR) - ( AUGUST 2013 - AUGUST, 2014) - PART 2

Dr. Joe Abah. DG, BPSR.

BPSR Achievements

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

4 Resuscitation of the Steering Committee on Public Service Reforms (SCR)

The Steering Committee on Reforms (SCR) is an all-inclusive body of the principal actors of the reform process across the Federal Public Service and is responsible for providing leadership and direction for reform implementation efforts in the Public Service.  The SCR was first constituted in 2004 at the onset of the Public Service reforms with a membership of 26 drawn from across the central service agencies. The Bureau serves as the Secretariat and in that capacity; it serves as the coordinating secretariat for all sectoral reforms of Government.  The Secretary to the Government of the Federation is the chairman while the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation serve as the Vice-Chairman.

It worthy of note that the Steering Committee on Reforms was not functioning since 2008 until October, 2013, when following representations made to the President by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. President approved the reconstitution of the Steering Committee on Reforms (SCR) on 17^th September, 2013. The SCR has been moribund since 2009 and with its reconstitution in 2013; the SCR has been able to put the reform agenda in proper perspective.

5     Refreshed the National Strategy for Public Service Reforms (NSPSR).

In 2008 it was decided that there was a need for a National Strategy for Public Service Reforms (NSPSR) to be developed as a coordinating strategic document for public service reforms. This was informed by the realization that many reforms were on-going across the public service, but not all of them were known about outside the lead MDAs. Furthermore, there was no central monitoring or evaluation of reform, which means limited feedback and diminishing improvement from lessons learned as well as lost opportunities for the effective coordination of related reforms across government. It was felt that bringing together all the separate strands of public service reform together into a strategic document would make for better linkages, ensure that the reforms are communicated, and introduce an effective monitoring, reporting and evaluation mechanism of public service reform implementation efforts.

On the basis of this, the Bureau in collaboration with the UK-Department for International Development (DFID) developed the NSPSR in 2008 as a coordinating strategic document for public service reforms.   The NSPSR provides a common vision and a long-term agenda to guide the rebuilding and transformation of the Federal Public Service. The strategy document derived its framework from VISION 20:2020, NEEDS 2 document and the Transformation Agenda. Its ultimate objective is to have a World-Class Public Service for achieving Nigeria’s Vision 20-2020 and to become one of the 20 leading economies in the world by 2020.

The NSPSR is a long-term strategy with three main phased implementation plan as follows:

       i.         Reinvigorating the Public Service with emphasis on critical institutional changes, restoring professionalism and client-focus, and delivering effective basic services by 2017;

     ii.         Transforming the Public Service into a valued-based, strong, and well-performing institution by 2020; and

   iii.         Attaining world-class levels of service delivery in the public service by 2025.

The target dates set out the points when all MDAs should complete each phase. However, different parts of the public service are at different stages already and will move through the phases at a different place.

In 2014 the Bureau working with a team of senior public servants constituted into an Inter-Ministerial Technical Team (IMTT) and advisers and consultants refreshed the NSPSR to accommodate the current realities in the strategy document reform implementation efforts. For the short-to-medium term, the NSPSR is focused on implementing the President’s Transformation Agenda and ensuring consistency in service delivery across the Public Service. As part of the process of validating the NSPSR, the NSPSR was presented to the SCR. It is expected to be presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in August for consideration and approval. The Bureau is currently developing the NSPSR operational plans and implementation of the NSPSR will commence in August, 2015.

…to be continued tomorrow in part 3.