Prominent Nigerians, including former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, in Abuja sought leeway for a reformed public service in the country, stressing that there are needs for urgent and sustainable better public service for the desired development of the country.

The leaders, who gathered at the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation’s national workshop, highlighted the roles individuals across the country, especially political office holders, legislators, civil servants and technocrats can genuinely play to place the country in the frontline of development.

The stakeholders, who examined the reasons why series of public reforms in the country were elusive, noted the need to recognise and reward talents in the country.

Obasanjo emphasised the need for recognition of technocrats in the civil service, stressing their crucial role in driving reforms and effective governance. He highlighted the importance of collaboration between political heads and technocrats, citing examples from his own experience.

“Reform requires political heads and technocrats working together, respecting and understanding each other. That’s when you can have real reform. The greatest pain of reform is discontinuity. Continuity of personnel is crucial. Reform is a lifelong process, a journey, not a destination,” he said.

The Aig-Imoumhuede Foundation is a philanthropic organisation dedicated to improving Africa’s public service and access to primary health care.

Also speaking, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, said while reform could be daunting and challenging, addressing the lack of inclusive implementation strategy, poor funding, and resistance to change could provide leeway.

“Systems and support structures, partnerships, high-level monitoring, capacity building, compensation systems, and change management strategy are crucial for success,” she said.

Chairman of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, noted that the public service belong to every Nigerian and requires the support of every citizen for desired reform.

He noted that efficient and motivated public service remained critical to achieving good governance, production and distribution of public goods, formulation and implementation of economic policy, and management of public expenditure.

The former Minister of Education, Mrs Obiageli Ezekwesili, said reforms often fail due to a lack of understanding of the political environment and insufficient use of data. According to her, political context is crucial, adding that poor politics distort public service incentives, driving talented individuals away.

The panel session featured top technocrats including the Chairman of Josephine Consulting Limited, Dr. ‘Dere Awosika; Country Director of Development Alternatives Inc (DAI), Dr Joe Abah; immediate past Country Senior Partner for PwC Nigeria, Uyi Akpata; Permanent Secretary, Special Duties Office, Dr. Magdalene Ajani; and former Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Laoye Jaiyeola.

Awosika lamented Nigeria’s lack of patriotism and commitment to the country’s development. She emphasised the need to sanitise public offices by removing saboteurs within the system.

Abah believes too much emphasis is placed on the ministry rather than on the agencies. He noted that ministries make policies and agencies are supposed to implement these policies. Jaiyeola urged the government to leverage technology as a key tool for enhancing efficiency within the system. He also appealed to not overload the public service, suggesting that the government should create an enabling environment to enable job creators to thrive rather than solely depending on the public sector.