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ADDRESS BY
HIS EXCELLENCY, PRESIDENT OLUSEGUN OBASANJO, GCFR,
ON THE OCCASION OF THE DINNER AND AWARD CEREMONY FOR THE YEAR 2005 CIVIL SERVICE DAY CELEBRATION
ABUJA, FRIDAY 15TH JULY, 2005

PROTOCOL

It is my pleasure to be here once again for the 2005 Civil Service Day Celebration which is also known as the African Day of Administration.

You will recall that in my addresses to you on similar occasions in 2003 and 2004, I did not mince words in expressing my disappointment and indeed frustration and by extension, that of Nigerians with the poor performance and outdated method and system of the Civil Service which we inherited in 1999. On each occasion in which I had opportunity to address a forum on the Public Service, I had expressed the same sentiment.

Today’s Civil Service needs to rediscover the time-honoured in-built system of training, retraining and adaptive skills in consonance with modern work practices and processes. It must imbibe the culture of innovation both in imagination and routine works as well as in developing appropriate tools for anticipating change and challenges. Today’s Civil Service must not only be a change agent, but must also be able to institutionalize change in modern governance and societal development. It must see itself as a tool for the promotion of growth, peace, stability, development and democracy. It must encompass and exhibit values that inspire others, institutions and individuals alike to more creativity, innovation, patriotism, and productivity. The Civil Service must move with contemporary times, especially in terms of technology, information, service delivery and ideas or it would become irrelevant. Its watch words must be efficiency, effectiveness, competence, accountability, and untainted commitment and service to the people. The truth is that a corrupt, inefficient, self-centred, discredited and ineffective Civil Service is a clog in the wheel of progress. An outdated and chronically conservative or negative Civil Service is an obstacle to development and can hardly serve the needs of the people.

In order to be both relevant and effective, the Civil Service must also rediscover its cherished tradition of Service, Loyalty and Excellence, and complement them with integrity, credibility, leadership, innovation, and transparency in the management of scarce resources. It is for this reason, and the need to have resilient, competent, and virile Civil Service, capable of meeting modern challenges of National Development, that I found it necessary to institute a very comprehensive reform aimed at the total transformation of the Civil and Public Services in Nigeria.

This year’s Civil Service Day Celebration is therefore significant in so far as it provides opportunity to reflect on the journey and the progress made so far toward transforming the Civil Service into a modern, innovative and effective instrument of governance and national development. It is in this context that I particularly appreciate the appropriateness and relevance of the theme of this year’s celebration as chosen by CAFRAD, which is “support for Innovation, Modernization and Change in the Civil Service”. This is indeed suggestive of the fact that the system of public administration and management in the African Continent needs reformation and has taken reforms and innovation as essential ingredients for effective Service Delivery.

The monetization policy of this Administration is now being implemented and the gains will soon be harvested even as we re-enforce efforts to restructure the Service and position it for effective and efficient performance. All avenues of resource leakages, waste and corruption are being identified and blocked with a view to ensuring accountability and transparency. This will also ensure that unnecessary delays and redundancies are eliminated while the Service is manned by trained, dynamic, innovative, patriotic and service-orientated officers.

The SERVICOM CHARTER which has now been put in place affirms our commitment to the service of the Nigerian nation. We are, by these SERVICOM PRINCIPLES, convinced that Nigeria will realize its full potential if citizens receive prompt and efficient services. Having consideration for the needs and rights of all Nigerians to enjoy social and economic advancement, we must therefore dedicate ourselves to delivering quality services, fairly, honestly, courteously, effectively and transparently.

The mechanism of DUE PROCESS introduced by this Administration is designed to institutionalize accountability and transparency through painstaking screening of Government contracts and procurements. I am indeed very pleased to state that this is yielding results. Due Process now ensures that proper procedures are followed and that required conditions are met. There is now a system where contracts of doubtful value or spurious claims are no longer entertained.

The creation of a new Procurement Officer Cadre in the Civil Service and the establishment of the Procurement and Servicom Units in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) is an attempt by Government to decentralize the operations of the Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Union (BMPIU) and ensure that these values are institutionalized all through the Service. In most cases the relevant rules for financial control and accountability have been abandoned, short-circuited or deliberately abused, such that these rules appear to be non-existent. It is therefore necessary to have a change of attitude and ways of conducting public affairs that will bolster integrity and efficiency.

The Pension Reform which is one of the key elements in the Public Service Reforms was given effect with the passage of the 2004 Pension Act by the National Assembly. The new Contributory Pension Scheme is to ensure that persons who have worked in the public and private sectors receive their retirement benefits as and when due. It will ensure that delays and anxiety are eliminated. So will abuses and corruption normally associated with pension payments become eliminated. Our expectation is that transparent and efficient Pension Fund Management with active stakeholder and private sector participation will soon engineer a revolution in the availability of funds for longer-term utilisation.

As part of the positive changes that have taken place since my address on the Civil Service Day Celebration last year, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was launched on June 6, 2005. This innovation in health care service delivery was muted as far back as 1963, but could not be implemented for a variety of reasons. Enrolled public officers can now have unhindered access to effective and comprehensive medical care.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, in this era of civil service rediscovery, we cannot relent in our efforts to increase the momentum and deepen the institutional reforms in the Civil Service through whole hearted implementation of the ongoing restructuring and right-sizing. We have reviewed and revised the rules and procedures, and with the transitional arrangements gearing up, we should move decisively to overhaul the Civil Service for the sole purpose of re-skilling, refocusing, and rejuvenating it.

We are committed to ensuring decent treatment of civil servants who have served their nation diligently, who may now have to, in the public interest, move on to other responsibilities outside the Service in order to create room for those high skills and talents required to strengthen policy making and service delivery. In spite of the resource constraints, we are unrelenting in our efforts to source for and mobilize required financial resources to ensure that those that must leave at this time are paid their entitlements. We will also ensure their retraining and re-tuning for the private sector particularly in the area of small and medium enterprise promotion.

The traditional role of the Civil Service was the maintenance of law and order as well as ensuring the effective implementation of government policies in the interest of all in society. Today’s civil service must keep to this tradition by ensuring the maintenance of law and order. This means that under no condition must civil servants be found to be directly or indirectly involved in precipitating any form of discord, instability or disorder in the system. The Civil Service must work hard to create a conducive environment to grow the economy, encourage private initiative, and facilitate creativity and innovation. This is a task that must never be lost on our civil servants.

Let me use this opportunity to commend those civil servants who have continued to work hard at improving themselves, delivering quality service, cooperating with their colleagues, implementing policies with diligence and honesty, and showing the outstanding qualities that our public servants are usually known for. Let them remain steadfast, patriotic, and efficient. The successful repositioning of the service for quality change for the future will be anchored largely on their efforts and dedication.

For those who have received one award or the other tonight, the honour being done to you this evening is not only to you but to all that you stand for.
It is an acknowledgement of your hard work, credibility, integrity, steadfastness, honesty, diligence and above all efficiency and performance. This is evidence that the Civil Service system has regard for excellence and people should aspire to achieve it. I congratulate you and hope that you will keep up the virtues and values and not rest on your oars. Let your recognition inspire others to higher heights and let the Civil Service and Nigeria be better for it.

Once again, I thank you and may God Almighty continue to bless Nigeria.

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This page was last updated on 10/27/07.