By Charles Okonji
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Committee on Management Practices, has stated that building strong institutions will guarantee ease of doing business, rapid and sustainable economic growth in Nigeria.
The Committee Chairman, Bar. Sunny Uwanuakwa, the Chairman, who stated this the inauguration of a five-man Independent Committee of distinguished Nigerians by SON in Abuja over the weekend, tasked Chief Executive Officers of Federal Government Agencies in the country to build strong institutions.
According to him, the committee was set up by the SON to review its management practices with a view to strengthening the organisation for improved service delivery.
Uwanuakwa, a retired Permanent Secretary in the Office of Head of Service commended the Director-General of SON, Mallam Farouk Salim on setting up the committee.
He said, “This is a novel approach by Mallam Farouk, toward realising his vision for SON. We will hit the ground running and members of this committee will devote their time and passion to the assignment with a view to delivering on the terms of reference within the time frame given.”
A member of the committee, Mr. Kabir Wudil, a retired Director and former Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff to the President, described the setting up of the committee as an introspection capable of transforming SON toward greater contributions to nation-building.
Another member, Dr. Rukayyatu Abdulkareem Gurin pledged the committee’s commitment to adding value for the benefit of SON, its stakeholders, and the Nigerian economy.
SON director general Salim described the occasion as historic and going against the norms in an attempt to build strong processes for the organisation that would outlive its Chief Executives’ tenures.
He mandated the committee to help examine the structure of SON, its processes and practices with a view to providing a template to address operational, service delivery, and staff welfare challenges to entrench equity and fairness as well as provide greater opportunities for staff to better contribute to the attainment of organisational goals.
Salim enumerated the committee’s terms of reference to include, control and coordination, communication and effectiveness, manpower dispositions and manning levels, recruitment, postings, and transfers as well as public perception of the organisation and its services among others.
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The director-general stated that the committee members were carefully selected given their rich pedigrees and experiences in the public sector and the management’s belief in their competence and ability to contribute to the growth of SON.
According to him, copies of departmental presentations containing activities, achievements, challenges, and meaningful suggestions already obtained from interactions with Directors, Heads of Departments and Units as well as relevant portions of the handover notes provided by the last management would be made available to the committee.
He enjoined the committee to invite additional inputs, presentations, clarifications or opinions from members of the SON Management and the Staff Unions as it might deem necessary.
The DG stated that arrangements had been made for the committee to visit the organisation’s major operational offices in Lagos, Enugu, Port Harcourt, and Kano to feel the pulse of the staff and have a broad view of the organisation.
The director-general stated that the committee had four weeks from the date of the inauguration to submit its interim report and would be expected to submit its final report before the end of the year.
Other members of the Committee were, Pharmacist Mashood Oluku Lawal, retired Director, Federal Ministry of Health, and a former member of the SON Governing Council and the SON Director, Human Resources Management, Mr. Abdulkadir Usman, who is to serve as facilitator.
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