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Nigeria needs resilient policies to reform civil service, says Yemi-Esan

By Gloria Nwafor 
27 September 2022   |   4:36 am
Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan has said that Nigeria required resilient economic policies for strategic implementation of reforms to achieve a well-functioning civil and public service.

Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. Photo: WOMENOFACRICA

Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan has said that Nigeria required resilient economic policies for strategic implementation of reforms to achieve a well-functioning civil and public service.

 
Noting that the country is faced with a sharp decline in oil prices, she said the policies must be suitable enough to harness the country’s strong macroeconomic growth.  
 
In a paper presented at the 46th yearly conference of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN), titled ‘Public Administration: Entrenching Sound Governance Principles for Macroeconomic Growth,’ Yemi-Esan, affirmed that the recent progressive decline in oil prices had imposed devastating impact on the economy and public finances.

According to her, the economy would grow better through sustainable developmental policies being deployed by the government, supported by a motivated and efficient public service.

 
Represented by Assistant Director, Staff Training and Welfare, Yusuf Babatunde, she laid out strategic actions in the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021-2025 (FCSSIP25), stating that the reforms are attempts to reconstruct administrative structure, revamps operational machinery and techniques, geared towards improving service effectiveness and efficiency. 
 
She said the FCSSIP25, which is aligned to the National Development Plan 2021-2025, is aimed at evolving a crop of skilled, motivated, disciplined, innovative and performance/merit-oriented civil servants.
 
The FCSSIP25, she mentioned is aligned to the mandate of the office of President Muhammadu Buhari and has six pillars, which are: capability building and talent management; performance management system; Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) – human resource; innovation; digitalisation of content services and staff welfare–enhancing the value proposition for civil servants.

The move, according to her, is expected to change the negative perception of the Nigerian civil service and lead to effective driving socio-economic development. 

 
Similarly, Prof. Sylvester Akhaine of the Department of political science, Lagos State University (LASU), who spoke on ‘Beyond Governance: The Role of Dedicated Followership in Participatory Democracy, said the followers are most time wrongly blamed for the ills of the country.
 
Stating that they are not to be blamed, he said their docility and lethargy to reclaim their destiny in dramatic ways was a function of their repression by the ruling elite. 
 
“But the unity of the subjective and objective factors will lead to the restoration of popular power and fulfilment of the social needs of society under a democracy that is truly participatory.
 
“You cannot go beyond governance to address followership without reference to the former. Indeed, the content of the literature on followership encompasses the debate about governance and leadership,” he said.
 
According to him, governance embraces what is now called the new management that involves the deployment of the panoply of tools that goes beyond direct provisions of service to contracting, franchising and deploying new forms of regulation aimed at achieving greater efficiency in the production of public services. 

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