Nigeria – Evolution, Philosophy and Ethics of Public Administration, the Civil Service, and Reforms.

TRADITIONAL POLITICAL ADMINISTRATION

Many of you would have learnt in literature that the country called Nigeria never   existed before colonial   contact.  The   various   peoples and ethnic groups that made up Nigeria today were politically independent of   each other.

Ethno-political   groups   such   as   the   Yoruba,   Igbo,   Hausa-Fulani,   Junkun,  Tiv, Nupe, Kalabari, Ibibio, Urobo and others were living independently of   each other groups in terms of  political organization and administration.  For instance, the Yoruba traditional political administration centered around the town (“ilu”) with the “Oba” (king) at the helm of administrative affairs.   He had a council of chiefs made up of quarter chiefs.  The council of chiefs made decisions that were presented to the “Oba” for ratification.  There were chiefs   in- charge of specific portfolios in the town’s administration.  The Bashorun was the prime-minister, the head of   the council of chiefs.   The Are-Ona- Kakanfo was the head of the army.

The town had a judicial system right from the family level to the quarters, and at the apex was the “Oba” who had power over life and death.

In the same way, the Hausa-Fulani, Tiv, Igbo and the others had their own elaborate administrative system.

In   general,   the   respective   administrative   systems,   besides   judicial administration, conduct of wars and maintenance of law and order, they also performed the functions of collecting taxes, carrying out community projects such as construction of markets, bridges and maintenance of streets.

COLONIAL CONTACT AND INDIRECT RULE

European colonial contact with the pre-colonial peoples of Nigeria started in the 14th Century, first by British explorers who wanted to find out about River   Niger, and later followed by Christian Missionaries who were later followed by administrators when effective occupation had taken place.  The area called Nigeria today was allocated to Britain at the 1884/85 Berlin Conference.

The   mode  of  administration  met   on  ground by  the  colonialists   were  not  comparable  to  what  obtained  in  Europe  and  consequently,  it  was  labeled  traditional   administration   to   reflect   its   non-conformity   with   modern  administrative   system   that   obtained   in   Britain.     Therefore,   the system had   to   be discarded.

Britain had the difficulty of  putting direct administration on Nigeria for the problems  of  shortage  of  personnel and language barrier  among others, she therefore  had  to  introduce  indirect  rule  system  by making  minimum  use  of  British  administrators while traditional chiefs were put in the fore-front of the system  officially also referred to as Native Authority, a form of  rudimentary local  administration.

The rise of modern local government system began in the early 1950s.  This  was  as   a  result  of   unrelenting   criticisms   of  the  indirect  rule  system  by  nationalists.  Before this period, in a constitutional reform, the 1946 Richards   constitution introduced the civil service at  the central level, while the  Foot  Commission   was   set   up   in   1948   by   the   colonial   governor   to   provide  modalities   for   the  Nigerianization  of  the  civil  service.    A  process   which  continued till 1960 when Nigeria had independence.

In essence, the Nigeria public administration as  known today was a colonial  creation.

ERA OF  NIGERIANIZATION AND INDEPENDENCE

Effective Nigerianization of the civil service did not take place until Nigeria  attained independence.   The top positions of the service at the Federal and regional levels were occupied by expatriates.  The four existing civil services,  and later  five when Mid-western region was  created embarked on a  much  more drastic Nigeianization drives, though with varied speed at the regions.

There was also re-structuring of the services to suit the needs of federal level  and the regions.

The major character of public administration in the country today can therefore be summarized as follows:

(i) It has a foreign origin having being a British colonial legacy.

(ii) The  most prominent concern of the colonial administration was  the  maintenance of law and order  so to provide a conducive atmosphere  for their stay and economic activities.

(iii) Another  concern was  the exploration, exploitation and appropriation  of the country’s natural resources which were their primary motive of   colonizing Nigeria. 

(iv) Increasing recruitment of Nigerians into the service was facilitated by  decolonization.

(v) Nigeria inherited the British style of personnel management.

(vi) The country also inherited the British pattern of public service with  the basic and enduring character  principles of hierarchical structure,  permanent tenure, impartiality, political neutrality and anonymity.

THE CIVIL SERVICE

CHARACTERISTICS

Let us recall some of what you learnt on the evolution of the Nigerian Public  Administrative System. You learnt that before colonial contact  the various  peoples  and ethnic  groups  were independent and had their  own systems  of  administration that the British colonial administrators later  called traditional  political system. European   contact   started   about   1400   AD   for   varied   reasons   including principal   economic   reasons.   Nigeria   was   ceded  to  Britain   but  could  not impose   direct   British   administration   for   reasons   bordering   on   language  barrier, shortage  of  British, personnel  and  lack of   adequate  funds.  British  administrators had to adopt indirect rule by engaging local traditional rulers  and chiefs in administration. Educated nationalists opposed indirect rule and by 1940s, colonial administrators stated a policy of Nigerianizing the public service and continued after independence in 1960.

In this unit, you will now learn in details the characteristics of Nigeria’s civil  service. As you have just learned, the Nigeria civil service was a legacy of   British colonial administration. The structure of the service was designed by Britain, so also were the operational procedures such as the General Order   and   Financial   instructions.   While   some   of   these   rules,   regulation   and instructions have been amended, a large portion of them remain unchanged.  The civil service share similar characteristics with the British model since it was its creation. What are these characteristics?

These includes:

i. Hierarchical structure. Nigeria’s civil service is vertically structured with a flow of positions from top to bottom with different layers of   positions. The chief  civil servant is  the Head Of Service to whom all  other   top  civil   servants   in  each  cadre  reports.  He carries out   the posting of top civil servants. in each ministry, the permanent secretary occupies  the apex position. Followed by directors, deputy directors,  assistant  directors, chiefs, principal, senior, higher and other  personnel in that  order   down   to   messengers,   gardeners,   cleaners   and   gatemen.  Communication flow follow the same upward-downward, downward- upward order. The   civil   service   also   has   a   horizontal   structure   indicating   the different job divisions in each ministry. Each ministry is structured into departments,   units,   sections,   divisions   and   field   offices.   The permanent secretary   co-ordinates   all   departments   in   the   ministry.  Directives follow both the horizontal and vertical order.

ii. Written rules and regulation. The civil service relies on written rules and regulations for its daily duties. In this regard, the service relies on the General Order (GO) and financial instructions to guide it. The GO   contains the  guiding laws  and professional ethics for  civil servants.  Civil servants are not expected to operate outside the law.  Beside the  GO, there are other  regulatory instruments that can be found in the  successive reforms by regimes. 

iii. Impartiality principle. Civil servants are by regulations not expected  to be partial  or  slow  undue  favouratism in the performance of  their  official assignments. This is so because, they are being paid from the  tax payers  money  whom  they  cannot  afford therefore  discriminate  against. The service is therefore considered to be epitome of fairness   and justice.

iv. Political   neutrality.   Civil   servants   are   not   expected   to  engage   in  partisan   politics.   They   are   no   servants   to   any   party   in   power.  Therefore, if civil servants are members of the opposition losing party  in the election, they cannot be loyal to the ruling party and will not be  loyal   or   committed   to   the   execution   of   the   party   polices.   Civil  servants   are   therefore  expected   to   be   neutral   and   insulated   from  partisan party politics.

v. Permanence.   Civil   servants   enjoy  permanent   tenure.   Their   job  is  guaranteed  until   retirement   age.  Civil   servants   can   only   be   fired  before attaining retirement age if  they commit any serious crimes. Or   they   can   take   voluntary   exist   from   service.   The   service   is   only  guaranteed if civil servants remain loyal and politically non-partisan,  and abide by the law.

vi. Principle of anonymity. Civil servants are expected to do their job like loyal  servants.  They are   neither   supposed to  be  heard,  praised  or   blamed on governmental policies. They must not talk to the press on official  issues or  express personal opinions unless  so directed from  above. They do not take blames for the failure of government policies   and   neither   are   they   praised   for   their   success.   The minister/commission is the chief policy-maker and official spokesman  of  government  in  each  ministry.  He  therefore  takes  the   blame  or   praises on official issues as the case may be.

FUNCTIONS

You learnt above that the traditional functions of public Administration included planning, organizing, staffing, directing, co- ordinating, reporting and budgeting. Nigerian civil servants perform all these functions.

In   addition   to   these   general   functions   they   are   also   perform   specific  responsibilities which include:-

a. Assist   in   policy  formulation.   Policy   formulation   is   the   exclusive  preserved of politicians and political officers. But they may not be able to do  this without the assistance of civil servants who usually provide the necessary  data and information which will guide policy choices  by political  masters.  Civil servants go to the field to collect data, analyse them and provide policy  alternatives with supportive arguments on each.  The final policy choice and  decision are not the responsibilities of civil servants.

b. Policy execution. The primary function of civil servants is to carry out  government’s   order   and   directives,   without   complaints.   Official  policies   are   practically   implanted   by  civil   servants.  And  they  are  expected to perform such function to the best of  their  administrative  and technical ability.

c. Assist  in  law  making.  The   executive, under   a democratic  regime,  presents bills to the parliament for legislation. Before it is duty of civil servants to draft the bill and flesh it up with the necessary details before presentation to parliament for debate. After becoming law with the assent of the president, it is also the duty of civil servants to work  out modalities for its operationalization. 

d. Provision of  social  amenities and services. Civil servants engage in  the provision of some social services as their official assignments. For   instance,   employees   of   water   corporations,   he   Power   Holding  Company   of   Nigeria   (PHCN)   telecommunication   (NITEL),   street  cleaners,  road menders  and railway men are  all  in  a civil  servants   coffers.

e. Continuity of government. Civil servants in the past, especially during  the numerous coup detats Nigeria witnessed, civil servants had always  played prominent roles  in maintaining the continuity of government.  Many of you may recall that during such coups (1966-1983, 1985 and  1993), the constituted governments  were sacked, and for  days after,  they were  always  uncertainties  to who was  the  new  leader  to give  policy directions.

PROBLEMS OF CIVIL SERVICE.

INEFFICIENCY AND INEFFECTIVENESS

The first of these problems is identified as attitudinal factor leading to the problems of inefficiency and ineffectiveness. Derome Mc Kinney and Lawrence Howard (1979:339) conceive efficiency as “spending less   to   gain more”   a   definition   based   on  economic   criterion.  Efficiency can be  further   simplified  as   obtaining  maximum   outputs  with  minimum   inputs.   McKinney   and   Howard   (Ibid,   345)   also   perceive  effectiveness as impact, adequacy, performance and achievement in terms of  productivity.

Nigerian civil servants are adjudged as lazy. Many of them play truancy and  absenteeism. They seem to hate work because files are piled up without being  attended to thereby undermining desired productivity. Nigerian civil servants  believe in the slogan of “we do not sweat on government work”, that is “you  are not expected to put in your maximum best on government job.”

INDISCIPLINE

Many civil servants are indisciplined as they disobey the basic ethics of civil  service. Many come late to office, while others engage in selling of  goods  rounds  offices, sleeping on duty, gossiping, loitering about and reading of newspapers   or  texts  in  preparation  for  examinations. They also engage in insubordination by flouting superior directives.

CORRUPTION AND BRIBERY

Civil servants across hierarchies abuse their offices by engaging in official  corruption and bribery. Top civil servants collude with contractor’s defraud  government, present fictitious receipts for journeys made (and not made) and  for   goods   and  services   procured.   Revenue   collectors   embezzle   revenues  collected or  print private receipts for  revenue collection. The public has to  offer  bribes  before civil  servants  perform  their  official  duties. In essence,  bribery, corruption, graft, manipulation of  accounts are the hallmarks of the  civil service.

Among   the   reasons   adduced   for   corruption   in   the   service   is   poor   remunerations which is a major problem on its own. Civil servants are poorly  paid, salaries  are not paid as  at when due. Many civil servants at all levels;  federal,   state   and   local  governments   are   owed  salary   arrears   up  to   nine  months thereby giving non for servants to make ends meet at all costs.

To induce and promote efficiency and accountability the salaries of workers need be reviewed upward and paid promptly.

 ETHNICITY AND FAVOURITISM.

Nigeria civil servants suffer  from lack of  national out look like the general  civil  society  of   which  the  civil  servants  are  a  part.  The civil service is supposed to be a national institution promoting national unity. Primordial relations underscores everything in the civil service. The merit system, which is part of the American model, is supposed to be the guiding principle in appointments   and   promotion   in   the   service.   This   has   not   been   so.  Appointments, promotion and other privileges in the service are determined by ethnic considerations. The ethnic groups are all interested in who becomes the   head   of   service,   permanent   secretary   and   other   key   positions.   Co- operation  or  lack  of  it  in  the  service  depends  on the ethnic  origin of   the  officials.  Co-operation is guaranteed among the immediate subordinates if   they are from the same ethnic bloc with the superior, while it is denied if the contrary   is   the   case.   The   service   is   also   marked   with   favoritism.  Administrative   favors   are   extended     to   ethnic   bloc   members,   friends, relations and those generally known, while others are denied of the service  needed out rightly, unless they can bribe their ways out. Favoritism, as you learnt earlier when treating the characteristics of the civil service, violates the  principles of impartiality and impersonality of the civil service.

REFORMS

3.1.1. CONCEPT OF REFORM.

You should recall what you learnt in the last unit on problems of the Nigerian  civil service. You learned in the unit that service is suffering the following:

a. Inefficiency and ineffectiveness b.  Corruption and bribery c. Ethnicity and favouritism 

These problems need to be resolved and remedied, or else, the service will  not be able to perform the expected roles in the socio-economic development  of  the nation. Successive leaders have tried one way or the other  to provide  remedial measure by coming with some reforms.

Let us ask a question; what is meant by reform? Reform is about changing from bad to good. Improving the quality of a thing,  practice or structure. Reform is an acknowledgment of a problem, a problem  that need to be resolved. Reform is  about creating a new life for  something.  Adding new  energy to be able to perform better. Overall, reform is about  creating improved opportunities for better  performance, improved efficiency  for  enhanced productivity. Reform is an all life exercise and not just a one- time surgical operation. This  is  so because  no condition is  permanent. No  engine can permanently work efficiently  unless  it is  also being constantly  serviced and repaired. So also are  administrative institutions  like the civil  service. They need to  be oiled regularly by way of  reforms in order to make  them constantly  be in good shape and in good working condition.

REFORMS BETWEEN 1948 AND 1973

Between 1934 and 1948, we had the

1.     1934 Hunt Commission

2.     1942 Bridges Committee

3.     1945 Tudor-Davies Commission

4.     1946 Harragin Commission

5.     1946 Smaller Commission

Introduction   of   reforms   to   the   Nigerian   civil   service   is   to   direct  acknowledgement of  the problems  of  the service at some particular  times,  and   therefore,   a   way   of   correcting   the   perceived   inadequacies   by   the  authorities The colonial authorities  which heralded the British patterned administrative  model to the country itself  flagged off reforms in the system. The reforms were initiated by way of commissions. The first of these commissions to be so recognized was the 1948 Foot Commission. It came about as a result of   meeting nationalist demands.

The major pre-occupation of the Foot Commission was the Nigerianization of the civil service. Hitherto, the middle and top levels of the service were occupied by colonial administrators, while educated Nigerians and nationalists were not recruited to the service. Prolonged agitations by the nationalists brought  about   the   recommendations   of   the   commission   for   the   recruitment   of  educated Nigerians  to  the  service and the  training of  Nigeria  and  higher   institutions in Nigeria and abroad to replace the expatriates.

The   1954   Phillipson   commission   followed   the   foot   commission.   The  commission’s recommendations heralded the abandonment of the united civil  service, leading to the decentralization of the service on regional basis. The central and regional governments had a separate public service commission each. Nigerian officials were given the options to join either the federal or   regional service.

At independence in 1960, and up till 1966 when  the first coup took place, the  Nigerianization process continued at all levels but at different speed. Almost immediately after independence, the Western region announced the complete  Nigerianization of its top civil service cadres.

The   military took over in 1966 and ruled till 1979.  The   Gowon regime instituted the 1972/73 Udoji commission to recommend among other things, how to boost efficiency and productivity in the service. The commission recommended drastic improvement in the salary   structure of civil servants and granting car credit loans to all senior civil servants in order to boost their   morale.   The   Gowon   regime   was   toppled   by  the   Murtala   regime   which  perceived the civil service as very corrupt and inefficient and  therefore, there  was  the   need  to  sanitize  the  institution  by getting rid  of   bad  eggs.  The regime, within weeks of assumption of office, retrenched more than 10,000 civil servants of all cadres. Not much was done by succeeding regimes in terms of restoring the confidence and permanence of tenure in the service until 1988.

THE 1988 REFORMS

The 1988 civil service Reforms could be regarded as the most fundamental in the annals of administrative re- organization. The reform was instituted by the Babangida administration based on the recommendations of the Dotun Phillips committee on the civil service.

The reforms brought about the following:

i. The  minister/commissioner   as   chief   executive   and   the   accounting  office of the political head of the ministry became the executive head  rather  than  the  permanent  secretary  under  the  earlier   arrangement.  Before this new arrangement, the permanent secretary had effective control over all human and non-human resources of the ministry. The minister/commissioner was more or less a mere figure head whose leadership   often   caused   squabbles   between   him   and   permanent secretary. The reforms corrected this situation.

ii. The official nomenclature of permanent secretary changed to director- general.   The   appointment   became   political   as   one   could   be appointed by government to occupy the position and his  tenure  ends with that of regime that appointed it.

iii. Professionalization   of   the   civil   service.   The   service   became  professionalized as the departments and sections are re-arranged lased  on professional lines and personnel in each department and its other   sub-units are to have professional qualifications that accord with their   duties   in   the   department.   Moreso,   transfer   of   servants   across  ministries and departments becomes a thing of the past.

iv. New   promotion criteria   were set  up  for  advancement  of  officials.  Merit system and other criteria such as promotional examination and  additional qualification replaced the old system of length of  service  for promotion.

v. Accountability   control.   The   Audit   Alarm   was   set   up   to   expose  misappropriation of funds and corrupt.

3.1.3. POST 1988 REFORMS

The   Babangida   regime   was   succeeded   by   the   Shonekan-led   interim  government  in  1993  but  was  shortly  toppled  by the  Abacha  regime.  The  Abacha regime had its greatest impact on the civil service by its  reversal of   the  nomenclature  of   the  director-general  back to permanent  secretary and  thereby depoliticizing the office and making it  once again permanent. The  Abubarkar  regime that succeeded the Abacha regime in 1998, the office of  secretary to government and head of service hitherto combined by one person  was  separated into two by the regime as  one secretary to government  and  two, head of  service. The two offices  are occupied by two different people.

The   secretary   to   government   is   political,   while   the   head   of   service   is   appointed from among the most senior civil servants.

In May 1999, Abubakar   regime handed  over   to  a  democratically  elected  regime headed by Olusegun Obsanjo. The regimes most impact on the civil service in the areas of enhanced remunerations and purging of the service of   “ghost” workers. The regime increased the salary package of civil servants by 45%, a development that has enhanced the economic power of many civil servants. At inception also, various seminars and conferences, particularly on corruption and accountability were organized for senior civil servants.

Since the Return to Democracy in 1999,  Civil Service Reforms: Highlights of Federal Government Reform Programmes

One major preoccupation of the present administration has been Policy Reforms aimed at improving the machinery of government and service delivery generally.

 A compelling reason for the reforms was the parlous state of the economy of the nation, and the erosion of public confidence in government

and its institutions to deliver the much expected dividends of democracy. Beside the internal pressures, there were external factors as well, especially those of NEPAD and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and the urgency of attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The Reform agenda focused on:
-    Public Sector Reforms;

-    Privatization/Liberalization:

-    Governance, Transparency and Anti-Corruption;

-    Service Delivery.

The main goals are:

-    Wealth Creation;

-    Employment Generation;

-    Poverty Reduction; and

-    Value Re-orientation.

Salient features of the reforms include economic development strategies, public service reforms, pensions overhaul, national Health Insurance Scheme, Bank recapitalization, service delivery (servicom) and anti-corruption campaigns.

The underlying philosophy of the Reform is change. Indeed, change for the better for too long, has been evasive in Nigeria. Our living condition is characterized with poverty, poor service delivery, corruption, environmental degradation, etc, amidst increased oil revenue.

This paper is therefore timely as the reform measures aim to address a host of national malaise.

Listed below, are a summary of the reform measures being undertaken by the Federal Government. They have implications for both States and Local Governments. The challenges to readers include acceptance, adaptability and the resolve to turn things around for the good of all.

SUMMARY OF GOVERNMENT REFORMS

 Implementation of the Monetization Policy

The Monetization of fringe benefits of public servants and political office holders was launched by the President in June 2003, to take effect on 1st July, 2004. It was justified by the uncontrolled proliferation of perquisites of office in government over the years, costing the public treasury huge and growing sums of money. The most notable of such fringe benefits in the past were: -

Provision and maintenance of furnished residential housing (over 30,000 units in Abuja alone);

- Maintenance of fleets of motor cars for entitled officers;

- A retinue of domestic servants for certain senior officials;

- Limitless free medical services, including overseas check-ups for senior officials.

The aims of the exercise was to free government from the administrative burden and financial cost of these services and financially empower officers to provide themselves these facilities from their enhanced financial remuneration. This was to bring the system in line with the practice in other parts of the world. The Monetization Policy was given effect through the passage of an Act: the Certain Political, Public and Judicial office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc) Act 2003, by the National Assembly. Drawing from the Act, the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission issued a Circular spelling out the provisions, as they affect federal Civil Servants, with effect from 1st October, 2003. Under the Policy, services now monetized include residential accommodation, furniture allowance, leave grant, meal subsidy, duty tour allowance, motor vehicle loan, fueling/maintenance of official vehicles and transport allowance. Arising from the Monetization of Fringe Benefits, a total of 7,487 Government official vehicles are being disposed of through outright sale to civil servants.

The implementation of the policy has led to:

i.                   more frugal use of government utilities;

ii.                 Curbing of the excesses of public officers in the use of government amenities;

iii.              Equity in the receipt of government welfare benefits by civil servants;

iv. Elimination of all hidden costs of running the system;

iv.              enhancement of the remunerations of civil servants and political office holders to enable them provide themselves the perquisites now monetized;

v.                 vi. Improved culture of prudence in managing resources; and vii. Opportunity for Civil Servants to own their homes.

The policy has been implemented in almost all Government Ministries, Parastatals and Agencies. In this regard, a total of 20,452 government vehicles had been disposed of across the 444 Parastatals / Agencies. Outright Purchase of Government Quarters by Sitting Tenants: One major aspect of Monetisation Policy which has excited Civil Servants is the opportunity it has provided for them to buy off from government, the houses they currently occupy. This is being done using rates that take account of only the replacement value of the housing units, discounting the cost to Civil servants, land and infrastructural facilities. Political Office Holders on the other hand are being made to bid for their own houses in the open competitive market taking into account the cost of land and infrastructural facilities. Civil Servants desirous of purchasing their houses are being assisted to approach mortgage institutions by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria which has issued to every Civil Servant a contributor’s passbook under the National Housing Fund based on their contributions over the years. Government intends to keep the Programme going through the Owner-Occupier Scheme which is currently being implemented as an incentive to retain the loyalty and commitment of serving Civil servants who may not have benefited from the current sale of government quarters and to provide a secured future for new entrants into the Service.

Implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme: The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was launched on Monday, June 6, 2005 by President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, signaling the commencement of the scheme in both the public and organized private sectors. The primary objective of the Scheme is to ensure that all Nigerians have access to good health care services through putting in place a health care system which reduces dependence on government for funding a healthcare delivery, and of provision of health facilities. The scheme also seeks to integrate private health facilities and expertise into the nation’s healthcare system. In line with the Monetisation Policy of the Current Administration, Civil Servants are to pay 5% of their basic salaries as their contributions to the scheme which guarantees them and their dependants’ quality healthcare in their preferred primary healthcare outlets. They are at liberty to choose from a comprehensive list of available providers participating in the Scheme. To ensure effective take-off of the scheme for public servants, government provided the sum of N2.6 billion and deductions from Public Servants did not begin until January, 2007. Universal coverage of the Scheme is expected to be achieved by 2015 in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals target of 2015. Source: Journal of Professional Administration; vol8, No.1. April 2007 (pages:14-23)

Sustained Crusade against Corruption: The crusade against corruption which is personally being led by the President has yielded good dividends. Civil Servants are now more than ever before required to be more accountable and transparent in conducting government business. So far, no public officer, however highly placed, who ran foul of the law across all cadres had been spared; and this is sending the right signals not just to the Service but to the entire nation regarding the seriousness of the government in waging a relentless war against corruption and all its associated vices. Anti-corruption units have been set up in all Government Ministries with direct links to the key Anti-Corruption Agencies, namely the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Since we are also tackling corruption as a management problem which needs to be effectively managed, Permanent Secretaries and others at the top echelon of the Service are increasingly being tasked on the need to institute management systems to combat the malaise.

Overhaul of the Procurement System: Through collaboration with the Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit (BMPIU) in the Presidency, the procurement system has been realigned to be more transparent with emphasis on quality management and value for money in all government transactions. Recently, in order to internalize in the Civil Service the gains recorded under the programme, a separate cadre of procurement officers was created within the Civil Service, comprising officers with the appropriate qualifications and dispositions.

Restructuring of Government Ministries, Agencies and Department (MDAs) The restructuring exercise of MDAs which commenced with the pilot Ministries has been extended service-wide. Leading the way is the Federal Ministry of Finance which has conducted its restructuring exercise, and has received approval of the Head of Service to put in place its new organizational structure. The restructuring exercise in other pilot Ministries is in progress and both the Management Services Office and the Bureau of Public Service Reforms continue to guide the efforts of other MDAs in their restructuring exercises.

Parastatals Reform: The organization of parastatals numbering 444, in terms of re-aligning their functions vis-à-vis their supervising Ministries, merging some and scrapping others, has already started. For example, investment/entrepreneurship finance organizations were merged to form the Bank of Industry and unnecessary institutions such as the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) and the Education Bank were scrapped. Recently also, six parastatals under the National Planning Commission were merged into three bodies. At the same time, the privatization of commercial- oriented parastatals, such as the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), the Nigerian Telecommunications (NITEL), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Steel Plants and other industrial projects, is proceeding according to plan. Government is aware that parastatals are the primary centres of mismanagement and waste in the public services system hence the need to reform them in a profound manner.

Capacity Building: Following the orientation workshops organized for the Directorate Cadre from 1999 through 2001 which were extended to the middle level Officers from 2002 onwards government has improved on service-wide training and capacity development through the organization of series of programmes targeted at officers across all levels and cadres. The capacity of the Service was further enhanced through additional knowledge and experiences gained from Study Tours to Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, etc, by delegations led by and comprising mainly Permanent Secretaries, the DirectorGeneral, Bureau of Public Service Reforms and other Heads of Agencies key to reform. This is in order to remodel our Service through guidance by global best practices in Public Administration obtained from interactions provided by such tours. Government is also focusing on Executive Leadership Training and Development which will be further enhanced with the take-off of the Civil Service College Abuja very soon. The Administrative Staff college of Nigeria (ASCON) and other training institutions have now been rehabilitated through improved funding to be able to deliver training programmes more competently. The Bureau of Public Service Reforms is also developing a Virtual Library through the Support of the Education Trust Fund (ETF) to serve as an intellectual storehouse for the reform programme.

ICT Development: The provision of an ICT enabled work environment in the delivery of improved services is a key issue in the reform agenda. Accordingly, work processes are increasingly being computerized through provision of computer systems to officers for their daily operations and for the enhancement of data storage and analysis, easy retrieval as well as dissemination of information. This had led to the generation of accurate and reliable information for decision making on policy issues as well as improvement of record management system. There are sustained efforts in the provision of internet and intranet linkages to harness knowledge form all sources in all Ministries and Agencies. The frame work for the realization of eGovernment is getting increased attention through the guidance of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) under the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology.

Review of the Public Service Rules, Regulations and Procedures: A review of the Civil Service Rules, and Financial Regulations was undertaken in 2000 to make them applicable to the entire Public Service. A more comprehensive review is currently being carried out by the Presidential Committee on the Review and Revision of Public Service Rules, Regulations and Procedures (PC-RPSRT) which was inaugurated by the President in February, 2005. The committee which is chaired by the Principal Secretary to the President and Permanent Secretary, State House, has as members two Ministers, one retired and six serving Permanent Secretaries, Auditor-General for the Federation, Accountant General of the Federation, Director-General, Administrative Staff college of Nigeria (ASCON) and the Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR). The Committee submitted an Interim Report in April 2005 in which it proposed Transitional Arrangements for fast tracking the Implementation of the Reform Programme, which has similarly been approved by the President. Rightsizing the Civil Service: Government is currently rightsizing the Civil Service in line with the approved criteria developed by both the PC-RPSRP and PSRIC and approved by the President. Among these criteria are the following; (a) Appointment without authorization; (b) Attainment of 60 years of age and 35 years in service; (c) Disciplinary cases involving gross misconduct; (d) Entry into cadres without mandatory skills to progress on the career ladder; (e) Failure to acquire mandatory skill to progress on the career ladder; (f) Monetized jobs or jobs contracted out e.g. about 5,500 Drivers have already been disengaged and paid off at a cost of N2.5 billion. (g) Redundancies arising from scrapping of organizations; and (h) Exceptionally bad officers adjudged unfit for continued service.

Pension Reforms: The Pensions Act of 2004 instituted a new pension scheme which is a departure from the “Pay As You Go” system to a contributory scheme. However, there is a transitional arrangement where the old pay-as-you-go system will run concurrently with the new one for 3 years. Pursuant to the Act, the National Pensions Commission was established as the Administrative Machinery for managing the process. The key feature of the Scheme is that Civil Servants contribute 7½ of their salary deducted from source while Government matches it with the same rate of 7½ counterpart contribution. The new Pension Scheme: i. provides the private sector a reliable institutional framework for staff pension or terminal benefits; ii. offers the economy a harmonized pension system, which will expand the country’s social security and allow easy mobility of labour among sectors and employers; and iii. provides the economy a veritable source of saving and capital formation.

Service Delivery The Service Delivery Programme is aimed at achieving excellence in the delivery of services to the public (citizenry) and other customers by government agencies. It is being run as a British Government Technical Assistance Programme under its Department for International Development (DFID) to the Federal Government. Its modus operandi is to reach out to MDAs to enlighten them on service delivery concepts and encourage them to undertake management innovations aimed at enhancing quality service to the public, which is backed up by obligations to be imposed by a “service charter” with the public. Some achievements have been recorded so far by way of sensitization of MDAs on the new concept and making them to develop vision and mission statements and articulated outline of objectives and functions. The appreciable effect on real service delivery to the public is expected to manifest rather gradually. Increased Collaboration with International Development Partners: In spite of government commitment to own the reform, it has not lost appreciation of the need to gain the support of International Development Partners. Consequently, government is collaborating with the World Bank and the Department for International Development (DFID) in the implementation of the World Bank assisted Economic Reform and Governance Project (ERGP). The project component includes: (a) Public Resource Management and Targeted Anti-Corruption Initiative; (b) Civil Service Administrative Reforms; (c) Strengthening Pension Management and Accountability; (d) Strengthening of Statistics and Statistical Capacity; and (e) Project management: Under the Civil Service Administrative Reform component of the ERGP, government will be seeking to achieve the following: - strengthening the Bureau of Public Service Reforms to lead and co-ordinate the system-wide reform; - designing and implementing an integrated personnel and payroll system to improve the management of human resources and reduce fraud; - consolidating the restructuring of MDAs; Source: Journal of Professional Administration; vol8, No.1. April 2007 (pages:14-23) - Carrying out diagnostic studies and dialogues on key service –wide reforms to build broader support for the process; - designing and implementing a Performance Improvement Facility to support innovative capacity building. Government is also engaging the Commonwealth Secretariat in other capacity building initiatives mainly targeted at the Directorate Cadre, and middle level officers who have the potential of emerging as future leaders in the Service.

Critical Success Factors: The experience in managing the on-going Public Service Reform programme in Nigeria indicates that the following are critical to its success:

i.                   Support of the political leadership, as exemplified in President Olusegun Obasanjo’s uncommon leadership in driving the process during his tenure;

ii.                 Robust leadership by the Head of the Civil Service whose commitment to reform must never be in doubt, as he sets the tone;

iii.              Clear goals and strategy which are mutually shared by all relevant stakeholders;

iv. Institutionalization of reform through the establishment of an agency for coordination and implementation, as exemplified in the creation of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms in Nigeria;

iv.              Active involvement of MDAs in the reform process, especially on issues that particularly relate to them in order to take cognizance of individual peculiarities and avoid the generation of uniform solutions to diverse problems.

v.                 Timely and effective communication;

vi.              Openness to admit wrongs and take corrective steps;

vii.            An effective monitoring and evaluation process;

ix. Sustained partnership with all relevant stakeholders;

x. Commitment and greater commitment on the part of all stakeholders to make it work notwithstanding obvious difficulties; and

xi. Adequate funding of the process. Source: Journal of Professional Administration; vol8, No.1. April 2007 (pages:14-23)

CIVIL SERVICE REFORMS OR ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS IS AN EFFORT TO IMPROVE THE ADMINISTRATIVE ORGNISATION AND PRACTICES OR TO INCULCATE A DIFFERENT BEHAVIOUR IN ORDER TO INCREASE EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OR GOVERNMENT MACHINERY.

REASONS FOR LIMITED SUCCESS OF REFORM

1. LACK OF SENSE OF OWNERSHIP BY PUBLIC SERVICES

2. AD-HOC APPROACH TO REFORM EFFORTS

3. POLITICAL COMMITMENT

4. LEADERSHIP OF THE REFORMS

5. LACK OF A PERMANENT AGENCY/FOCAL POINT FOR MANAGEMENT OF THE REFORMS

6. ABSENCE OF WINDE CONSULTATIONS WITH OTHER STAKEHOLDERS

7. LACK OF INSTITUTIONSL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN REFORMS AGENCY AND PUBLIC SECTOR TRAINING INSTITUTIONS

8. POLITICAL INSTABILITY

CHARACTERISTICS OF CIVIL SERVICE REFORMS

1. IT IS A DELIBERATE AND CONSCIOUS EFFORT.

2. MAJOR REFORMS ARE POLITICAL IN NATURE AND USUALLY SUFFER INTERNAL RESISTANCE.

3. IT CHANGES BEHAVIOUR OF ADMINISTRATORS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WHOLE CITIZENRY.

4. IT USUALLY NEEDS TIME TO YIELD RESULTS.

PREVIOUS REFORMS IN NIGERIA

1. HUNT COMMISSION - 1934

2. HARRAGIN COMMITTEE - 1946

3. FOOT COMMISSION - 1948

4. PHILIPSON/ADEBO REPORT - 1949/50

5. GORSUCH COMMITTEE - 1954

6. NEWNESS COMMITTEE - 1959

7. MBANEFO COMMITTEE - 1959

8. MORGANSALARIES & WAGES COMMISSION - 1963

9. WEY PANEL - 1968

10. ELWOOD GRADING TEAM - 1969

11. ADEBO COMMISSION - 1973

12. UDOJI REPORT - 1974

13. PHILIP REORT - 1985

14. KOSHONI REPORT/PHILIP REPORT - 1988

15. AYIDA REPORT - 1995

16. OBASANJO PUBLIC SECTOR REFORMS - 2003

SOME KEY ISSUES OF THE REFORMS

1. EMPHASISE ETHICAL STANDARDS

2. EMPHASISE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY

3. EMPHASISE ANTI-CORRUPTION CRUSADE

4. EMPHASISE SUPPORT FOR GOVERNMENT REFORMS

5. RECONCILIATION OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE INTEREST

6. ADDRESS ISSUES RELATING TO CONFLICT OF INTEREST

7. ADDRESS FEARS, INCLUDING WHATS IS IN IT FOR ME (WIFM)

8. ADDRESS ISSUES RELATING TO PARTY POLITICS

9. ADDRESS ISSUES RELATING TO POST RETIREMENT EMPLOYMENT

The British Civil Service

Her Majesty's Home Civil Service, also known as Her Majesty's Civil Service or the Home Civil Service, is the permanent bureaucracy or secretariat of Crown employees that supports Her Majesty's Government, which is composed of a cabinet of ministers chosen by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as two of the three devolved administrations: the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government, but not the Northern Ireland Executive.

As in other states that employ the Westminster political system, Her Majesty's Home Civil Service forms an inseparable part of the British government. The executive decisions of government ministers are implemented by HM Civil Service. Civil servants are employees of the Crown and not of the British parliament. Civil servants also have some traditional and statutory responsibilities which to some extent protect them from being used for the political advantage of the party in power. Senior civil servants may be called to account to Parliament.

In general use, the term civil servant in the United Kingdom does not include all public sector employees; although there is no fixed legal definition, the term is usually defined as a "servant of the Crown working in a civil capacity who is not the holder of a political (or judicial) office; the holder of certain other offices in respect of whose tenure of office special provision has been made; [or] a servant of the Crown in a personal capacity paid from the Civil List". As such, the civil service does not include government ministers (who are politically appointed), members of the British Armed Forces, the police, officers of local government authorities or quangos of the Houses of Parliament, employees of the National Health Service (NHS), or staff of the Royal Household. As at the end of March 2016 there were 418,343 civil servants in the Home Civil Service, this is down 3.6% on the previous year.

There are two other administratively separate civil services in the United Kingdom. One is for Northern Ireland (the Northern Ireland Civil Service); the other is the foreign service (Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service). The heads of these services are members of the Permanent Secretaries Management Group.

Establishment

The Offices of State grew in England, and later the United Kingdom. Initially, as in other countries, they were little more than secretariats for their leaders, who held positions at court. They were chosen by the king on the advise of a patron, and typically replaces when their patron lost influence. In the 18th century, in response to the growth of the British Empire and economic changes, institutions such as the Office of Works and the Navy Board grew large. Each had its own system and staff were appointed by purchase or patronage. By the 19th century, it became increasingly clear that these arrangements were not working.

In 1806, the East India Company, a private company that ruled only in India, established a college, the East India Company College, near London. The purpose of this college was to train administrators; it was established on recommendation of officials in China who had seen the imperial examination system. The civil service, based on examination similar to the Chinese system, was advocated by a number of Englishmen over the next several decades.

William Ewart Gladstone, then a junior minister, in 1850 sought a more efficient system based on expertise rather than favouritism. The East India Company provided a model for Stafford Northcote, the private Secretary to Gladstone, who with Charles Trevelyan (Permanent Secretary of the Treasury)( drafted the key report in 1854. A permanent, unified and politically neutral civil service, in which appointments were made on merit, was introduced on the recommendations of the Northcote–Trevelyan Report of 1854, which also recommended a clear division between staff responsible for routine ("mechanical") work, and those engaged in policy formulation and implementation in an "administrative" class. The report was not implemented, but it came at a time when the bureaucratic chaos in the Crimean War demonstrated that the military was as backward as the civil service. A Civil Service Commission was set up in 1855 to oversee open recruitment and end patronage. Prime Minister Gladstone took the decisive step in 1870 with his Order in Council to implement the Northcote-Trevelyan proposals. This system was broadly endorsed by Commissions chaired by Playfair (1874), Ridley (1886), MacDonnell (1914), Tomlin (1931) and Priestley (1955).

The Northcote–Trevelyan model remained essentially stable for a hundred years. This was a tribute to its success in removing corruption, delivering public services (even under the stress of two world wars), and responding effectively to political change. Patrick Diamond argues:

The Northcote-Trevelyan model was characterised by a hierarchical mode of Weberian bureaucracy; neutral, permanent and anonymous officials motivated by the public interest; and a willingness to administer policies ultimately determined by ministers. This bequeathed a set of theories, institutions and practices to subsequent generations of administrators in the central state.^[10]

Lord Fulton's committee report[edit]

Following the Second World War, however, demands for change again grew. There was a concern (illustrated in C. P. Snow's Strangers and Brothers series of novels) that technical and scientific expertise was mushrooming, to a point at which the "good all-rounder" culture of the administrative civil servant with a classics or other arts degree could no longer properly engage with it: as late as 1963, for example, the Treasury had just 19 trained economists. The times were, moreover, ones of keen respect for technocracy, with the mass mobilisation of war having worked effectively, and the French National Plan apparently delivering economic success. And there was also a feeling which would not go away, following the war and the radical social reforms of the 1945 Labour government, that the so-called "mandarins" of the higher civil service were too remote from the people. Indeed, between 1948 and 1963 only 3% of the recruits to the administrative class came from the working classes, and in 1966 more than half of the administrators at undersecretary level and above had been privately educated.

Lord Fulton's committee reported in 1968. He found that administrators were not professional enough, and in particular lacked management skills; that the position of technical and scientific experts needed to be rationalised and enhanced; and that the service was indeed too remote. His 158 recommendations included the introduction of a unified grading system for all categories of staff, a Civil Service College and a central policy planning unit. He also said that control of the service should be taken from the Treasury, and given to a new Department, and that the "fast stream" recruitment process for accessing the upper echelons should be made more flexible, to encourage candidates from less privileged backgrounds. The new Department was set up by Prime Minister Harold Wilson's Labour Government in 1968 and named the Civil Service Department, known as CSD

Margaret Thatcher's government

Margaret Thatcher came to office in 1979 believing in free markets as a better social system in many areas than the state: government should be small but active. Many of her ministers were suspicious of the civil service, in light of public choice research that suggested public servants tend to increase their own power and budgets.

She immediately set about reducing the size of the civil service, cutting numbers from 732,000 to 594,000 over her first seven years in office. Derek Rayner, the former chief executive of Marks & Spencer, was appointed as an efficiency expert with the Prime Minister's personal backing; he identified numerous problems with the Civil Service, arguing that only three billion of the eight billion pounds a year spent at that time by the Civil Service consisted of essential services, and that the "mandarins" (senior civil servants) needed to focus on efficiency and management rather than on policy advice. In late 1981 the Prime Minister announced the abolition of the Civil Service Department, transferring power over the Civil Service to the Prime Minister's Office and Cabinet Office. The Priestley Commission principle of pay comparability with the private sector was abandoned in February 1982.

The Next Steps Initiative took some years to get off the ground, and progress was patchy. Significant change was achieved, although agencies never really achieved the level of autonomy envisaged at the start. By 5 April 1993, 89 agencies had been established, and contained over 260,000 civil servants, some 49% of the total

It was believed with the Thatcher reforms that efficiency was improving. But there was still a perception of carelessness and lack of responsiveness in the quality of public services. The government of John Major sought to tackle this with a Citizen's Charter programme. This sought to empower the service user, by setting out rights to standards in each service area, and arrangements for compensation when these were not met. An Office of Public Service and Science was set up in 1992, to see that the Charter policy was implemented across government.

Minister for the Civil Service

The position of 'Minister for the Civil Service' is not part of the Civil Service as it is a political position which has always been held by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Head of the Home Civil Service

The highest ranking civil servant in the country is the Cabinet Secretary. A subsidiary title that was also held by the incumbent was Head of the Home Civil Service or more recently sometimes styled Head of the Civil Service, who until recently was also the incumbent Cabinet Secretary and Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office. However, following the Coalition Government of David Cameron the three posts were split from the single holder. 

Three main characteristics of the British Civil Service

Permanence

Permanence refers to the career nature of the service. Civil servants may serve continually, perhaps moving departments or jobs but rarely leaving the service and returning. Ministers, in contrast, move frequently.

Neutrality

The civil service is impartial and ready to serve governments of any political colour. Policy decisions are for ministers, as advised, and responsibility to parliament rests only with ministers. Constitutionally civil servants are servants of the Crown. The powers of the Crown are exercised by government and its ministers. Therefore the civil service has no constitutional responsibility apart from the government of the day.

Competition

Entry into the civil service is fair and via competition carried out by or supervised by the Civil Service Commissioners, on merit and suitability. Promotion and transfer to jobs within the service is again based on merit and assessment through the reporting system. Appointments are not based on nepotism or political influence.

Role of the Civil Service in British Life

The Civil Service plays an important role in British life by making sure that the Government policy is carried out. Although it serves the Government of the day, it is politically independent by which it ensures the functioning of the system, stability and security.

Implementation of the Government Executive Decisions

The majority of civil servants have a direct influence on life in Britain. They implement the so-called operational delivery which involves administration of the pensions, controlling the borders, running courts, etc. through their departments, agencies and public sector bodies. The operational delivery, however, will go through extensive changes in the near future as a part of the Government’s Civil Service reform. The need for changes in the way the Civil Service delivers its services is a result of the need to reduce public spending as well as the need to increase productivity of the public service sector which is in the interest of both the public and civil servants. While the public can expect less expensive but better service, public servants who work hard to deliver the best service possible will be rewarded.

Support and Advice to the Ministers

In addition to implementing the Government policy, civil servants also offer support and advice on policy making to the Ministers. However, it has been established that very few civil servants are actually active in policy making. At the same time, the level of quality of advice on policy solutions and implementation is not consistent. Civil servants often give advice on the basis of too few evidence and a narrow point of view.

Implementation of the Government’s Projects

The Civil Service is also responsible for implementation of the Government’s projects ranging from small to complex ones. But besides making sure that they are carried out as devised, the Civil Service also needs to ensure that they are carried out on time and within the set budget. The statistics, however, show that two thirds of all projects are not delivered within the set time or budget, or both. As a result, two thirds of projects result in a waste of the taxpayer’s money, the Government failing to fulfil its promises and the public not receiving or receiving the service or infrastructure with a delay. The announced Civil Sector reform therefore also foresees changes in the way the Government’s projects are implemented.

Administrative Responsibilities of the Civil Service

The responsibilities of the Civil Service are divided into Her Majesty’s Home Civil Service which is responsible for the above mentioned tasks, the Northern Ireland Civil Service and Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service. The Northern Ireland Civil Service is responsible for implementing the executive decisions of the Northern Ireland Executive, while Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service deals with the foreign affairs and represents the entire United Kingdom.

Between Nigeria and British civil services

By Tunji Olaopa

Putting this contribution in context requires a cursory reference to the historical connections and shared administrative predicament of British and Nigerian civil services to establish two incontrovertible facts. 

One, that the Nigerian civil service owes its beginning to the colonial ‘wisdom’ of Britain, and two, that it also benefitted from the British attempt in the ‘60s at confronting its inability to perform its administrative functions when it became so big and consequently too bureaucratic. When the UK’s Fulton Report of 1968 was therefore inaugurated, it was meant to deal with several administrative issues and dysfunction that went beyond the British civil service itself. 

At this time in Nigeria, the seed of decline was only discernible to a very few for many to see that the young Nigerian civil service needed to address similar bureau-pathologies so very early after independence. Suffice it to state that when Nigeria made its own reform attempt with the Udoji Commission, its dominant term of reference was similar to Fulton’s: To find the necessary administrative means by which the civil service can be made more effective and efficient by drawing on the insights and recommendations derivable from the managerial revolution in administrative practice. The series of setbacks suffered by both the Fulton and Udoji Reports in determining and implementing their recommendations for moving their civil services forward are now history. 

The important question for us in this piece then is: Since the Udoji Commission Report of 1974 how has the Nigerian civil service fared, and what remains to be done to achieve the collective goal of a world class institution that would adequately deliver the dividends of democracy to Nigerians? 

Since 1974, the resilient Nigerian civil service dragged itself forward by sheer survival will, with spirited efforts made inspite of many confounding sociological multi-pronged assaults. This experience is associated with factors such as: oil boom and the Dutch Disease, military’s ‘with immediate effect and automatic alacrity’ project management culture of impunity, the institutionalisation of Federal Character and the subversion of meritocracy and, the gradual but steady slide in the fortune of our educational system. There were two significant reforms that followed the Udoji Reform: the 1988 Phillips Report and the 1995 Ayida Review Panel.

The Phillips Commission is significant because it had the task of reorganising the operations of the civil service in terms of professionalism that will eventually align it with the managerial revolution recommended by Udoji. 

The reform failed essentially because (a) in adopting a concept of professionalism which attempted to make a professional out of everybody within the civil service, it threw up a spate of conception-reality irresolvable issues; (b) these issues perhaps might have been interrogated and resolved if the reform was not implemented as a blueprint with a Decree to boot, but through flexible approaches that enables continuous learning and trial and error experimentation which, given the growing but reinforcing domain of knowledge called change management, is now best practice; and (c) its own unique managerial thrust which was directed towards integrating the civil service into the then newfound presidential system of government.

One of the unintended consequences of this is the renaming of the administrative post of permanent secretaries as director-generals within a framework that essentially politicised the service. The Ayida reform subsequent attempt at damage control unfortunately inspired serious reversals which, in not just disbanding the Decree 43 of 1988 but its managerial assumptions and expectations, unwittingly threw away the baby with the bath water.

The essence of a true reform invariably lies in the capacity to move beyond the impediments of history and grasp at the possibilities of the future. This will imply that though reforms in Nigeria have failed, at a general level, to restructure the civil service into an efficient and effective organisation, the dream of having such a world class institution that would alleviate the suffering of Nigerians is still possible. And the possibility begins from deducing the good intentions in the earlier reforms and grounding them into the Nigerian administrative realities through several philosophical and institutional insights that ensure that we get our assumptions and direction right this time. For Edmund Burke, ‘Nothing in progression can rest on its original plan.’What does it take to move the Nigerian civil service system forward beyond first principle and, the dysfunctional bureau-pathologies? 

At the first level, there are some incontrovertible truths about reforming the civil service that we cannot escape: First, no civil service anywhere in the world can ever hope to escape the managerial imperatives of efficiency, economy and effectiveness. Second, a significant part of required reform entails ‘getting the basics right’ through a mix of reforms to reform the past reforms, restoring elements of basic management system in MDAs and basic housekeeping issues. Third, the imperatives of reform to navigate the trajectories of the new knowledge and technological age as well as a departure from the rots of the past might require the building of a critical mass of new professional managers with the knowledge and skills to facilitate the fruition of a new work culture propelled by a new productivity paradigm. 

Fourth, these managers require a solid HRM base around which the civil service can facilitate a continuous recruitment of human capital on which the capability readiness of any civil service is assessed. 

Fifth, the MDAs constitute the structural template around which the reform of the Service can be measured and projected. Sixth, the civil service reform can be further strengthened through a symbiotic public-private partnership that ensures that the civil service itself is firmly grounded in the governance initiatives that unites government with non-state actors. 

Seventh, there is a need for a new regime of seminar spirit that combines a readiness to open up government business operations to performance reviews and praxis that enable sharing and learning and, inter-sectoral professional inter-change. Eight, given current a- developmental capital-recurrent budget ratio, civil service need deep-seated reengineering that would help it to work out significant evidence-based efficiency savings and productivity compact with which it would negotiate a performance-indexed competitive remuneration package ahead of job evaluation that would enable government regain the status of an employer of choice in the national economy.  

And lastly, no civil service reform efforts can ever hope to survive the transition from conception to reality and implementation without the necessary and critical support from a committed administrative and political leadership. It is on these administrative foundations that any reform efforts can ever hope to succeed. 

However, there is a further need to translate these foundational imperatives into the local administrative realities in Nigeria if we hope to get beyond the logjams of our administrative history. Reform involves rethinking the framework and modus operandi of government business in a manner that ensures that the civil service becomes a truly democratic institution that delivers goods and services to Nigerians. The Obasanjo administration recognised this in the attention it gave to a process of reorientation towards an attitudinal and cultural change for civil servants. This should be deepened in subsequent iteration to translate into several and continuous retreats, solution clinics, seminars and workshops where the true democratic functions of the civil service will be enunciated, a house-keeping initiative in the MDAs will be flagged-off as a means by which the officers will become acquainted with the need for a rebranded professional institution, and a change management programme will be put in place to equip civil servants with the requisite competency skills, ideas, techniques and tools to function in a knowledge environment. At the programmatic level, Nigeria has been blessed with a reform document—the 2009 National Strategy for Public Service Reform (NSPSR)—which is an irreducible diagnostic and strategic framework within which the future of the Nigerian civil service can be re-envisioned. 

The NSPSR is important because it has reviewed systems and implemented recommendations of past reforms with impact assessments of some on-going reform undertaken.  The document also contains strategic assumptions which could guide our actions with regard to putting in place a performance-oriented, entrepreneurial, technology-enabled and accountable service operated within a social compact business model that ultimately benefits Nigerians. The NSPSR, for instance, will allow for an immediate diagnostic audit of the capacity readiness of the MDAs as the unit of reform in the civil service. This capability review reinforced with workforce study review will establish their current capability and gaps which then form the basis of their restructuring plan for capability readiness in the immediate, short and medium-term.  

In the short-term, for example, their capacity gaps will be made up for with huge technical support to enable unhindered implementation of government development agenda while system’s renewal is on-going. MDAs baseline capability reviews will however create benchmarks around which the basic management systems of the MDAs can be standardised.

There is also a theoretical angle to reform. Public administration in Nigeria is a curious enterprise in a sense because its practitioners often deride the role of theories in the framework of their profession. Yet, any reform not grounded in theory becomes essentially a lame effort. Practice enables a rethinking of the assumptions of public administrations, and these theoretical assumptions, in turn, motivate the extension of the boundaries of administrative practice. 

The relationship between theory and practice therefore demands the existence of a community of practice, represented by a revamped National Association for Public Administration and Management (NAPAM) midwife by a consortium of professional bodies as NIM, CIPM et al, which drives the continuous theoretical and practical rethinking of public administration in Nigeria.

The task before NAPAM as a community of service is enormous and urgent. Nigeria, like many other African countries, operates a civil service system, without a solid value and institutional dynamics that explains the need for reform and rehabilitation in the first place. Reform is meant to either return an organisation to an original profile or recalibrate its operation in a manner that makes it fit for future organisational expectations.

The civil service is a colonial imposition that lacks the values that heralded its evolution in the West. The challenge therefore is to rethink the assumptions and base fundamentals that underpin public administration theory and practice in Nigeria with a view to articulating a philosophical and institutional foundation for a new Public Service that accords with both the democratic and technological demands of a knowledge society.This theoretical scrutiny of the foundations of the practice of public administration in Nigeria will evolve simultaneously alongside a deep understanding and rearticulation of the role of leadership in administrative reform. 

Burt Nanus once remarked that a strategy is as good as the vision that guides it. However, behind any vision is a person or group of persons who formulated that vision and accompanied it with the conviction to push its implementation to its logical and administrative conclusion. The other side of the leadership story, according to Bob Garratt, is that rottenness enters the fish right from its head! Consequently, the civil services needs to re-concept the strategic role of its leadership corps with a view to increase the intelligent quotient (IQ) of service and enhance its strategic intelligence, competence and performance accountability.  

A new Senior Executive Service (SES) with a clear sense of purpose that operates a performance-oriented service is recommended. It will plan the business of government much more strategically and expose itself to peer or outside reviews within the framework of performance management.  The new service will operate with metrics that objectively and clearly distinguish and rewards good and poor performers; manages diversity within a competency-based system that is more open to talents from other professional domains and to ideas. This will enable a measure of cross-fertilization that should be galvanized by an active network of community of practice and service.

Thus, understanding of the role of leadership in administrative reforms will equally involve a specific outlining of the context of relationship and responsibility between the administrative and political leadership. While the politician is expected to be a policy maker, it is expected that the permanent secretary, for instance, be an apolitical professional with sufficient experience to mobilize institutional memory, knowledge and capability of the Ministry and its Agencies as critical input into the policy decision making processes. Both however need to function in tandem; they require a model of cooperation that ensures that conflict and antagonism is reduced to the minimum for the sake of administrative progress.Creating a new generation of managers requires, on its own, a unique HR dynamics calibrated around a succession plan rooted in web-based human resource forecast and projection, skill specifications and recruitment analysis, the professionalization of the core functions as well as the reconceptualization of the policy functions, the planning, research and statistics departments within a new competency framework. This level of transformation, for me, is the core of the reform required to inject life into the reform agenda of the Nigerian civil service. The simple reason is that it is the administrative leadership which facilitates an ingenious adaptation of the foundation, values and operational and institutional elements of the civil service to produce a rounded and coherent blueprint for organisational development and progress. ‘If there is a spark of genius in the leadership function at all,’ writes Warren Bennis, ‘it must lie in this transcending ability...to assemble...a clearly articulated vision of the future that is at once simple, easily understood, clearly desirable, and energizing.’ The Nigerian civil service is an evolving institution. It has withstood many institutional distresses and dysfunction. The Udoji Report of 1974 was a critical point that could have spelt a dynamics turnaround, but we missed that moment. The challenge, however, is to look ahead and ensure that we inject the crucial insights in Udoji and other past reforms with forthright commitment and a viable agenda around which the civil service system could achieve a rebirth.

Dr. Olaopa is Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Communication Technology.