By Mohamed Mohammed
President Muhammadu Buhari, has commended the Head of Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, for her unfolding reforms which is repositioning the Civil Service for optimum and efficient service delivery
The President who was represented by the Minister, Federal Capital Territory, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, at the celebration of the Civil Service week in Abuja added stated that a new Nigeria Civil Service is unfolding as a result of series of measures put in place by the present leadership with support from the thirty-six states’ Civil Service plus that of the Federal Capital Territory.
According to him, some well-meaning Nigerians are also committing their personal resources to be part of this proactive vision.
Meanwhile, the HoS, during the occasion stated that Federal Government has rolled out various reform initiatives, which have been instrumental in shaping the landscape of governance aimed at enhancing civil servants’ capacity and productivity.
The day was marked with series of activities starting with a Public Service Lecture delivered by the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi with the theme: “Performance Management System: Impact on Productivity,” the launch of a Culture Change video, Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021-2025 (FCSSIP25) documents, cumulating with a Public Service Merit Awards.
Yemi-Esan, said it is worth noting that the Office, in collaboration with private sector partners, has devised a systematic approach for the emplacement of Performance Management System (PMS) in the Civil Service.
According to her, this is premised on the President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive at the 2021 mid-term ministerial performance review retreat, where the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation was mandated to institutionalise an Employee Performance’s Management System (EPMS) in the Service.
For a successful implementation of the EPMS, Yemi-Esan highlighted actions taken to include; incorporation of PMS in the FCCSIP 25, which was unveiled at the event, participation of over 1,900 staff in the phases I and II of the service-wide PMS training, including training on Appraisal and Rewards System for Directorate level officers, the development and circulation of PMS Policy and Guidelines and conduction of Job Objective Setting Workshops/Handholding Exercises, facilitated by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) and the PMS department in the Office involving five (5) pilot MDAs.
It also revealed that the EPMS, one of the six priority pillars of the FCSSIP25, a five-year plan, is the successor to FCSSIP 2017-2020, which was a four -year plan with eight thematic areas.
She further added that PMS has been incorporated and adopted in the revised Public Service Rules, as an appraisal model for both civil and public servants. She said the Office has carried out service-wide development and documentation, in digital form, of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and ISO Certification 9001/2015 has been introduced as a uniform standard of measuring and evaluating performance.
President Buhari, however noted with excitement that the theme for this year’s celebration, dwells on ways and manners of assessing what a Civil Servant does on a daily basis and how it will affect the generality of the Service and by extension, Nigerians.
This, he added is aimed at enabling MDAs take giant leaps towards mainstreaming Generally Accepted Performance Principles (GAPP), in the delivery of government’s programmes, particularly the lifting of 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within 10 years.
He said his administration is working, relentlessly, towards improving the value proposition of the Civil Service and has set up a Presidential Committee on Salary Harmonization. He said the outcome of the Committee’s assignment will provide the framework for an upward review of salaries, commensurate with output, having recently increased their Duty Tour Allowances.