The Nation Newspaper

Tag: government

  • Government can’t be charmed

    Government can’t be charmed

    Politicians grumble a lot. The Gen-Z ones among them are in a hurry, restless and desperate for power. They can hardly stay on the queue and wait patiently for their turn.

    That’s what led four of them to the same watcher of signs and times – the babalawo who claimed ability to see tomorrow. They had heard of his power of prediction and efficacy in the use of charms.

    Their complaint was that the appointment of Secretaries to Local Government and Supervisors had been delayed by the state government. The four men believed they would make the list, but their main regret was that the process of appointment had dragged on for four months after council elections.

    Local Government chairmen are already working and drawing salaries while they were left in the cold.

    The man with the mystical powers promised to help.

    Their request was that he does something that would make the appointments happen within seven days.

    He gave them a cowry to speak to silently, assuring that the oracle will harken to their petition.

    Of course, they parted with joy after paying the babalawo.

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    Seven days after, no appointment was announced. Nine days, then 14 days, then 21…

    In annoyance, they returned to the babalawo to inquire as to why his assurance failed.

    The seer was surprised too. Then, he started to inquire from them what they told the oracle through the cowry.

    According to them, they told the oracle to spur the state government to announce appointments within seven days.

    The babalawo exclaimed: ‘I see. That’s your fault. The oracle would have been looking for the government, but could not find it!”

    They rejected his explanation and doubted his powers.

    But, the babalawo took pains to explain the bitter truth about how these things work.

    He said: “Charm can catch Governor A, B or C, especially if you mention his name. He is a person who has blood running in his veins.  He can be determined. He is known. But no charm in the world can catch any government, local, state or federal.”

  • Let’s talk on the best form of government

    Let’s talk on the best form of government

    Sir: Nigeria’s first Republic (1960-1966), from the North, West, East and to the Mid-West regions, arguably, represent our golden era in terms of our progressive journey to both regional and national developments. It remains debatable on whether our progressive journey in the First Republic was either due to the “quality” of our then “leadership” from all the “regions” and or it was the “governance” structure operated in the country at that time and or both.

    In my view, no Nigerian from whatever parts of the country he or she comes from, especially the common man who the present situation does not favour, should be afraid of any constitutional changes or even a brand new constitution in form of either a regional system if it will serve our best interest and or the continuation of the present system with some amendments. Our major concern from all parts of the country should be about the search for patriotic leadership and a system that will serve the interest of the majority.

    The sad reality of our dear country now shows that the vast majority are worse off. The system only works for the tiny minority of our elite. We must have a national conversation and or a dialogue on a system that works for the vast majority. The beneficiaries of the present system will go to every length to ensure that it remains.

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    In my thought, a southern president is not the problem of the North neither a northern president the problem of the South. Out of our 64 years of independence, the North led the country for 48 years while the South led for 16 years. Out of the 16 leaders we have had so far, 12 are from the North while only four are from the South yet the North has the highest poverty, unemployment, and illiteracy rates in the country. No ethnic group or region and or religion is in an island of milk and honey and or bread and butter. We are all in its together!

    The agitation for restructuring and or constitutional amendment is more pronounced in the South. The southern elite often accuse the northern elite of being too comfortable with the present arrangement due to the North’s numerical strength in terms of voting in an ethnically, regionally and religiously sentimental country.

    There is a general consensus that our dear country needs a surgical operation for it to work for the majority us. We must accept the fact that the present system does not benefit majority. It is equally a fact that the patriotism of most our present leaders needed much to be desired. Our dear northern elite should and or must participate on a constructive national conversation and or dialogue with their compatriots in order to discuss the future of our dear country.

    Perhaps in response to the said insinuation by the southern elite against the northern elite; few weeks ago the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) stated in clear terms that the North is not afraid of any engagement with their compatriots in a national conversation or a dialogue on the future of Nigeria through either a constitutional amendment and or a restructuring contrary to the insinuation around.

    It is apt to state that, our huge both human and natural resources in the country are largely untapped. The little resources being tapped only benefits the tiny minority elite. We really need an effective system with a patriotic leadership that will ensure that our both human and natural resources are tapped for the benefit of the vast majority of our people. We really need a better deal in our dear country.

    •Nurudeen Dauda, Kaduna.

  • Government and traumatised retirees

    Government and traumatised retirees

    By Oluwole Ogundele

    Political leadership is basically about robust service to humanity. This is one reason why fat salaries, allowances and other array of opportunities are attached to the office of a leader.  But painfully, the Nigerian leadership culture is enshrined almost completely in self-centredness arising from a gross lack of deep spiritual knowledge including limited senses. These leaders fail to understand that material poverty, political instability, insecurity, and national economic inertia are birds of a feather. In other words, they are intertwined.

    Proactive measures are still alien to the Nigerian leaders who see political offices as an exercise in self-aggrandisement. Permit me to zero in on the issue of retirement. This is in the context of the agonies most pensioners are facing over the years. It is an existential reality that every private or public worker will retire one day. This is a natural law that cannot be altered by anyone no matter how powerful. In this connection, there are three categories of retirement at least in Nigeria.  They are as follows: voluntary/self-retirement, forced retirement, and statutory/mandatory retirement. The second form of retirement is tied to apron strings of punishment for a wide range of unethical behaviours while in service. Naturally, everybody should look forward to his retirement period with deep joy. But shockingly, this scenario is now changing rapidly in our country, due to material poverty among other challenges. This border on leadership failure both at the national and sub-national levels. That is to say, a leadership bereft of empathy and compassion.

    Saving for the rainy day in the face of chronically low wages and hyper-inflation is unrealistic.  The insensitive behaviour of our leaders generally, is a subtle invitation to bribery and corruption, especially at the tail end of the working life of a civil servant. A desperately poor person is a threat to robust humanity. Having trained their children and wards up to the tertiary level (in most cases), retirees are supposed to begin to enjoy the dividends of their hard labour. But painfully most of these children are unemployed or under employed.  Consequently, they remain a liability to the parents who have retired without getting their legitimate gratuities. Even the gratuities (when finally paid) are thoroughly ravaged by inflation. This is happening in a country where the salaries including allowances of top political office holders (particularly the federal legislators) are too humongous to be declared.  No respect for the led, including those retirees!  Nigeria is gradually becoming an early stone age geo-polity. 

    What happened to our humanity?  I’m not aware of any country apart from Nigeria, where retirees are so badly treated. This is a big minus for the Nigerian political leadership at the national and sub-national levels.  Holy spirit-filled leaders would work for justice-a pre-condition for peace and progress on a sustainable scale. Is it a crime to be a senior citizen in Nigeria? I feel disgusted with our governors who run up and down, under the guise of administrative commitment while the retirees (some of them as old as their fathers or even grandfathers) are languishing in penury. A good leader is a servant of the masses. He is not only for bogus projects that do not ameliorate the suffering of the ordinary citizens.

    Our leaders must pay some considerable attention to the issues of welfare and security in order not to become a nuisance to humanity and by the same token, Providence.

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    It is pertinent to note here, that this poor leadership attitude has a long history. However, things continue to go from bad to worse with the passage of time.  Thus, for example, my father retired in 1984/85 session from government service, but never got his entitlements until early 1989.  Are the gods angry with Nigeria?  Retirement in saner climes and cultures is neither a suicide mission nor a steep descent to misery. Such countries as Switzerland, Norway, and Australia treat their senior citizens with utmost respect.  Our political office holders need to emulate the above geo-polities among others. After all, they (political leaders) are not descendants of gorilla!

    We do not need a new policy reform in the Nigerian pensions industry. The rules and regulations to guide the stakeholders are already available. But the political will to implement them is generally lacking. Consequently, Nigeria stinks to high heavens. This is largely due to the fact that corrupt people are never brought to book. Not unexpectedly, pensions boards continue to mismanage retirement funds as if they have lost their souls to Lucifer. For instance, in 2014, the National Assembly alleged that six civil servants stole N24 billion from the Police Pensions Funds. However, huge sums of stolen retirees’ funds were said to have been recovered as a result of Biometric Data Capture exercise since 2010. Transparency is a hate concept in the Nigerian leadership culture.  Things are falling apart at an alarming rate. 

    Suffice it to say, that it is not enough to recover some of the stolen public monies. Those culprits, who have been inflicting pains on the retirees and the entire society, should be punished according to the laws of our land. Our judicial system has to be much more cautious in handling corruption cases. The lawyers should begin to emulate Gani Fawehinmi (of blessed memory) in this regard. Corrupt government officials and their ugly business associates are polluting the youth by recklessly questioning our age-old African values, embedded in fine-grained social engineering as if robust humanity matters.

    Although pre-retirement planning is a good concept, Nigerian workers (with a few exceptions) have been too impoverished to retire and be comfortable. Chronically low wages and hyper-inflation are a devil to wrestle with. Contrary to what obtained in the past, a lot of Cooperative Societies (even in the universities) are now allowing interested members to withdraw from their savings accounts after taking the regular loans. This is an attempt to assist members. However, it means the affected members are no longer saving for the rainy day.

    Even NUPEMCO (Nigerian University Pensions Management Company Ltd) established in 2013, exclusively for varsity employees are not spared. Retirees wait for two years or more to get their gratuities because almighty Abuja is sitting on their entitlements. In our modern world defined and ruled by computers and other sophisticated communication gadgets, processing retirees’ documents should not last longer than one month. This is doable if corrupt officials are speedily brought to book. This will serve as a deterrent to others.

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has to kindly intervene before the country goes into extinction. Those who were supposed to receive their gratuities earlier have been terribly short-changed because of the shrinking value of our local currency. Ideally, such retirees should be paid according to the value of the naira against the US dollar as of the time they retired. Once again, Nigeria is not going to experience sustainable peace and socio-economic development in the face of unfettered injustice and monumental corruption. This existential reality makes it compulsory for our dear President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take the bull by the horns as the clock ticks.

    •Prof Ogundele is of Dept. of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Ibadan.

  • Reengineering the bureaucracy as engine room of government

    Reengineering the bureaucracy as engine room of government

    By Tunji Olaopa

    He recently concluded maiden annual distinguished public lecture of the Association of Retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries of Oyo and Osun State (ARHESPSOOS) held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, provided another opportunity to brainstorm on the present challenges and future possibilities of the civil service system in Nigeria. The occasion is a significant one for the fundamental reason that it pools the administrative experiences of retired heads of service and permanent secretaries who in their own rights constitute a legitimate institutional memory that ought to be harness in all the conversations that reflect on and rethink the capability of the civil service in Nigeria. 

    For those familiar with my public commentaries on the civil service and its institutional reform, my preferred methodological approach is to deploy a mix of historical and analytical methodology to outline a trajectory of administrative development, philosophies, and management design thinking to interrogate the current state of the civil service in Nigeria, as basis for our reflection on the future of public administration in Nigeria. This method not only allows us to make critical deductions from the narrative about administrative history and praxis in Nigeria and how they have influenced and affected the series of reform strategies and programmes that have been put in place to redirect the civil service system. Further than this, these deductions allow us to explore extrapolations and scenarios for future reform possibilities, with the objective of excavating a number of recommendations that could possibly feed into the policy intelligence of the political and administrative leadership in Nigeria in their spirited efforts to transform the institutional capability requirements of the civil service necessary for achieving democratic service delivery, infrastructural development and ultimately, national socio-economic transformation.

    Public administration has come a long way in historical reckoning. From the ancient pharaonic society to the height of Roman sociopolitical requirement, public administration was a phenomenon whose necessity has increased in complexity today. The ancient Pharaohs needed to dam the River Nile and build the mathematically complex pyramids. The ancient Romans needed to efficiently win many complex wars and ingeniously build many engineering feats. From the scribal authority of the ancient pharaohs to the tenured and salaried profession that public administration demanded in the Roman Empire, public administration eventually evolved into a noble vocation that mirrored the Levitical spiritual order of the Hebrews. With Max Weber, the bureaucracy was modelled into a legal-rational command-and-control structure that reflects the Prussian military governance system.

    This is the origin of the “I-am-directed” Weberian administrative tradition that Nigeria, as well as most countries of the world, inherited. This tradition conceives of the bureaucracy as a neutral, hierarchically organised, efficient organisation, which demands precision, continuity, discipline, strictness and reliability. The framework of the legal-rational authority privileges written rules and procedures. Each position in the bureaucracy has its duties and rights, which are clearly defined; rules and procedures are laid down to determine how the given authority is to be exercised. Bureaucracy therefore promises a stable organisation, despite the fact that its incumbents come and go. How did the bureaucracy then earn its bad reputation? A better question is: What is it about the bureaucratic system that makes it so powerful as to threaten its very own essence as well as the service it is supposed to carry out on behalf of government? The short answer is that as the locus of governmental power, the bureaucracy is saddled with the coordination of complex administrative that raises the possibility that street-level and front-line bureaucrats follow rules for their own sake.

    This is the origin of the bureau-pathologies of the civil service system, a pathological predicament that is aggravated in a postcolonial context like Nigeria. Douglas McGregor characterized that tradition as Theory X, a transactional model that conceive of the administrator as a thermostat regulating an organization founded on a bleak picture of employees. Theory X is undergirded by the perception of human nature as indolent, lacking motivation, naturally egoistic and resistant to change. This is why it became necessary to impose a legal-rational framework. The General Order (GO) represents the codified operating standard for this administrative model.

    By 1968, the Fulton Report had already been submitted as Britain’s concession to the new managerial revolution of that time, and the urgency of reforming the British civil service that had become a great rock in the tideline. By 1974, the Udoji Commission Report had taken the challenge of reorienting Nigeria’s civil service system away from the Weberian tradition towards managerialism. The Report’s assessment of the system is its administrative inflexibility which makes it difficult to anticipate and respond to governance and administrative challenges and positive institutional transformation. This particularly concerned, for example, the generalist-professionals rivalry, and the need to inject the system with new blood working within a result-oriented performance management model. Since this Report, and the failure to ground its fundamental recommendation that would have strategically transformed the civil service system, Nigeria has been swinging between moving away from the Weberian tradition (as in the Dotun Phillip Report of 1984 that would have managerialism as the foundation of the civil service) and the Allison Ayida administrative revisionism that reconstituted the system along the Weberian order based on the conception-reality gap it detected in the Philip Report.

    And yet, since the 1999 commencement of Nigeria’s democratic experiment, the civil service system has witnessed a series of institutional reforms that keep pushing the system towards the goal of being a world class institution. These reforms include the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), SERVICOM, pension and pay reforms, the professionalisation of the FOS/NBS, FIRS/NEITI, the price intelligence and procurement reform, fiscal responsibility plus MTSS/MTEF, to name just a few. But these achievements are too small and far in-between to short-circuit the already distorted trajectory of organizational development through the five-stage life-cycle: birth-adolescence-maturity-institutionalisation-reformulation. We have majorly the military intervention in Nigeria’s political development to ‘thank’ for this.

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    An engineering metaphor helps make the point of reform very clearly: Whereas the Nigerian state urgently needs an administrative backend that is efficiently propelled by a jet engine, what the many years of administrative hiccups, institutional disruptions, reform misconceptions and fortuitous breakthroughs have equipped the bureaucracy with is the capacity inherent in the engine of a Beatle car. Essentially, the service workforce structure can be characterized by a situation where there are too many doing nothing, too many doing too little, and too few people doing too much. It is not surprising therefore that a key part of diagnosis of the system’s dysfunction is the execution trap derivable from the system’s inability to achieve capability readiness for democratic service delivery. And so, in a 2005 study, a World Bank review reported the finding that: 29% of development programmes ever got completed, 45% of on-going projects are rated satisfactory, and 26% of such projects usually get cancelled.

    How then can we move from institutional debilitation to bureaucratic reform? Institutional reforms underscore the possibility of creatively evolving a developmental democratic state in Nigeria. Such a state, in global discourse, is backstopped by a functional, effective, efficient and optimal civil service system. And so, the reform of the public service is the first condition towards such objective. This means that the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs)—the engine rooms of the public service system and therefore of governance—must be adequately capacitated to become effective and efficient as the formidable institutional framework that would be ready at all times to meet the challenge of nation building, good governance and national development. This requires a change management framework that is anchored around three critical frameworks of significantly reprofiling:

    a.            the quality of bureaucratic efficiency;

    b.            the quality of service delivery and performance accountability within a democracy; and

    c.             the professionalism of the public servants These critical frameworks focus the objective of institutional reform: the public bureaucracies must be transformed to become: Fast moving, intelligent, professional, information-rich, flexible, adaptable and entrepreneurial; Less employee-focused and rule-driven, deliver quality service; Performance-focused, accountable and productive—defined y objectives and measurable results, outputs and outcomes; Capable of creating the policy climate that will unlock the energy of the private sector and other sectors and to install a new productivity paradigm in the national economy; Operated by multidisciplinary team of new generation public managers and project teams signed on to performance agreements or contracts within carefully crafted ministerial scorecards to which everyone is held accountable; Bound within a framework of social compact stewardship that sees citizens as clients deserving of effective and efficient services

    To achieve such a new public service demands several systemic and structural imperatives in change management that go straight to the heart of the old Weberian administrative tradition, and its business model and procedures. The first is that a developmental state demands neo-Weberian administrative framework. The idea of the neo-Weberian is useful for two reasons. One, the managerial revolution in most Western countries was not an attempt to entirely jettison the Weberian model. Rather, the reform efforts were an incremental attempt to recalibrate its efficiency and effectiveness. Two, the Weberian bureaucratic framework has not outlived its utility, especially when considering the African context. The implication of this is that the new public management has to be brought into conversation with the Weberian tradition to be able to achieve the effectiveness and efficiency of the new public service envisioned in Nigeria.

    The second imperative is the urgency of rethinking the intellectual foundations of public administration as the vehicle for the administrative reconstruction of the Nigerian state and the quest for good governance. This will involve several developments. There is first the need to reflect on a non-adversarial and cooperative relationship between politicians and administrators. Secondly, the system demands a firm and meritocratic gatekeeping measure that is founded on the principles of public-spiritedness and professionalism. And thirdly, the necessity of keying into global and regional best practices in terms of competency and human resource framework for doing government business and articulating efficiency in the workplace.

    The next imperative is correlative. The new foundation on which the public service must be based needs a new generation and cohort of public managers who are capacitated with the requisite values and competences to manage the demands of the new public service that the developmental state in Nigeria needs to make an appearance in the fourth industrial revolution. This will necessarily serve as the first condition for the possibility of instituting a new performance management system and HRM framework that could transform the workplace efficiency and productivity, especially in the face of the new normal that COVID-19 has imposed on the world, and the flexibility demanded by the Gen Z. This is the move that transforms the service IQ in the form of a strategic leadership intelligence through the creation of a multidisciplinary talents-reinforced senior executive service (SES) guided by a new ethical professionalism.

    Next, the new public service must deal with the demand of facilitating public-private partnership dynamics, and moving them to a higher level that allows good corporate governance principles to drive the frameworks for democratic governance. This enables, as part of the HR function transformation, the possibility of incorporating commercial skills as part of the HRM capacitation of the public managers. Lastly, none of these reform imperatives would make any sense if the public service does not facilitate a paradigmatic shift away from an adversarial to developmental industrial relations that makes it possible for the workplace to generate the level of performance and productivity commensurate with the reform inputs.

    Transforming the civil service system is not an issue to be politicized. And the simple but fundamental reason is that it is the fulcrum for achieving sustainable development that constitutes the most significant objective of the developmental state. That, in overall analysis, is where the Nigerian state should be headed.

    • Olaopa is a Professor of Public Administration & Chairman Federal Civil Service Commission, Abuja

    (Being a Distinguished Public Lecture Delivered by Prof. Tunji Olaopa, professor of public administration and Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission, at the Maiden Annual Association of Retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries of Oyo and Osun State – ARHESPSOOS – held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, on Wednesday, 21st of August, 2024)

  • Expert urges African Govts to unlock HR potential

    Expert urges African Govts to unlock HR potential

    Omotayo Adebisi, an experienced HR Outsourcing expert , is calling on African governments to recognize the critical role of the HR industry in driving economic growth and development.

    With over 14 years of experience, Adebisi in a media statement emphasizes the need for Government and relevant agencies to come up with policies to regulate and support the industry.

    “African governments must acknowledge the HR industry’s potential to create jobs, enhance productivity, and boost economic competitiveness,” He stresses.

    “By enacting supportive policies and regulations, governments can foster a thriving HR sector that benefits the continent as a whole.”

    The expert highlights the importance of establishing a regulatory framework to ensure best practices and protect clients’ interests.

    This framework he said will provide a solid foundation for the industry’s growth and development.

    Additionally, Adebisi suggests that governments should provide incentives for HR outsourcing companies to invest in technology and training, enabling them to deliver high-quality services.

    Encouraging public-private partnerships is also crucial, as it will facilitate the development of HR infrastructure and capacity.

    Moreover, governments should support initiatives that address the skills gap and unemployment rates, ensuring that the workforce is equipped to meet the demands of the industry.

    The expert further suggest that governments can learn from successful HR outsourcing models in other regions and adapt them to suit Africa’s unique needs.

    By doing so, they can create a vibrant sector that drives economic progress, enhances productivity, and improves the lives of citizens across the continent.

    Adebisi’s call to action urges African governments to prioritize support for the HR industry.

    By taking proactive steps, they can unlock the industry’s potential, drive growth, and development, and create a brighter future for Africa’s workforce.

  • E-Government and public sector responsiveness

    E-Government and public sector responsiveness

    By Ekpa, Stanley Ekpa

    Sir: The idea of public service delivery becomes defected, when citizens cannot have easy access to information and systems that enable them to communicate their needs, opinions, and suggestions to governments and their agents. Given the efficiency challenges faced by the Nigerian Postal Service, the primary agency that should have provided a cost-effective correspondence service for state-owned institutions, digital responses via email correspondence becomes a sustainable and cost-effective alternative, yet, most MDAs hardly maintain digital correspondence desks. 

    In a rapidly evolving digital era, where citizens transact through swift and automated technologies, citizens want governments to deliver more responsive, affordable and innovative public service to the people. When you consider this emerging reality, you will no doubt know that the future which started yesterday, needs a different model of public service delivery and responsiveness to social demands – an efficient public service delivery that runs 24 hours to meet the needs of human life at a speed of light.

    Those responsible to providing public goods and services must respond to citizens’ needs in good time and such response should be consistent with citizens requests and demands.

    In order to achieve the purpose of which the state and governments exist, the next generation government must be reliable, responsive, fast and closer to the people, in providing their needs through a flow of ease of citizens-public officials’ interactions. To create such future public service efficiency, emerging civil servants and public officials must appreciate the role of government in a different way from what we know our government to be today.

    The next generation of public sector leaders must understand that government must be available, innovative and digital, to satisfy public demands. Since almost every human transaction are now successfully switched to smart systems, the services of governments and their agents must swiftly switch to digital too, in order to be available to everyone, everywhere. Public services must be connected, integrated and made convenient for citizens to follow through without long hours of physical presence, necessitating long hours of trips and waiting on ques.

    The next generation civil servants and public officials are required to provide premium service to the general public. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum set the goal, that “we want to our government to welcome customers more professionally than hotels; we want our government to manage processes better than banks”. This requires that public institutions have to hire citizens who are public and people-oriented, excellence driven and ready to provide them with the convenience and economic dignity that will enable them to do their work professionally.

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    If almost all sectors of private enterprises are open for 24 hours, the next generation governments and their agents must deliver efficient and effective public services for 24 hours. Our government cannot afford to go on 5pm closure, knowing that the function of the government is to secure the life and social wellbeing of every citizen, irrespective what time of the day or night the “wellbeing” is needed. Human needs require round the cloth solutions; and so does the role of government.

    Perhaps, the more important route to achieving public sector responsiveness is public sector openness and transparency. We can start with questions on how accessible are agencies and states audit reports? How open and up to date are audit legal framework, and effectiveness of state assemblies and local government legislative arms to review reports of governance at the subnational and local government levels?

    Again, and every now, our collective attention seems to be fixed on the activities of the federal government alone, thereby leaving the subnational and local governments unaccountable. The next generation civil servants and public officials have a duty to know that the beginning of openness in governance is a culture that recognizes that there is no shame or foolishness in openness and transparency, even when it is inconvenient.  It does not matter if it is at the lowest level, we need responsiveness and accountability from every level of leadership.

    If smaller organizations can send regular newsletters to people on their mail list, government agencies have no excuse not to use digital channels to reach citizens on government policies, strategies, programmes, activities and resources utilization. This requires a Nigerian bureaucratic system that is truly responsive, sensitive, sympathetic and able to relate to the needs of citizens within a reasonable time. This will be the easiest way to building public trust, confidence and public participation in government processes.

    •Ekpa, Stanley Ekpa,

     via ekpastanleyekpa@gmail.com

  • Fish them out

    Fish them out

    •Government must apprehend all culprits of Kogi varsity abductions

     At the last count, 21 kidnapped students of the Confluence State University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH) in Lokoja, Kogi State, had been rescued after the multiple abduction that recently occurred at the institution. Gun-wielding terrorists had on May 9 stormed the Osara campus of the institution and abducted students who were said to be in the lecture halls at late hour, studying in preparation for their first semester examination.

    Kogi State Police Command late last week said seven more students were rescued to make a total of 21 students pried loose from the kidnappers’ hold. These were in addition to 14 students rescued penultimate weekend. Command spokesperson Williams Ovye-Aya, a Superintendent of Police, said the Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun had deployed an helicopter and aerial surveillance operatives to bolster rescue operations led by the state commissioner of police Bethrand Onuoha. He had earlier said the students were rescued following gun duels with the kidnappers.

    Ovye-Ara spoke against the backdrop of reports by Kogi State Government that four more students were being sought going by its records. Commissioner for Information and Communications Kingsley Fanwo, in a statement, said all rescued students had been reunited with their families. He stated that local vigilance operatives and regular security personnel engaged the kidnappers in a shootout to effect the rescue of the abductees, adding that the kidnappers “succumbed to superior firepower and escaped with gunshot wounds, leaving the kidnapped students who ran in different directions to avoid being caught up in the fire exchange.” According to him, a local hunter and a Department of State Services (DSS) operative sustained injuries in the shootout and were receiving medical attention.

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    When the terrorists struck on the night of May 9, they reportedly accessed the institution through the surrounding bush, went into three lecture halls where students were studying for their upcoming examinations and began shooting in the air to scare them, following which an uncertain number of students were herded off into captivity. In a statement on the heels of that incident, the Kogi State government pledged safe return of the abducted students, adding that it had “activated the security architecture to track the kidnappers and ensure the abducted students are rescued and the abductors apprehended.” The uncertainty of the toll of abductees was underlined by the government’s claim that nine students were affected.

    Upon his visit to the institution soon after the incident, Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo alleged sabotage. He said the institution was equipped with close circuit television (CCTV) cameras in all the classrooms and a campus perimeter fence, but those cameras were turned off at the time the terrorists struck. “We are prepared to protect the students, and that is why we allowed them to stay on the campus. We installed CCTV cameras in all the classrooms and the entire perimeter of the university campus. Yet, on the day of the attack, our investigation so far revealed that all the cameras were switched off. This can only be attributed to sabotage by internal collaborators,” the governor said as he was taken round the campus by CUSTECH Vice-Chancellor, Professor Abdulrahman Asipita. “Our security agencies are on their heels and investigation is ongoing. All our students shall return safely and the perpetrators shall be brought to book,” he added.

    Well, the Kogi State government and the police have their job clearly cut out and they can’t afford not to deliver. Students yet remaining in captivity must all be rescued alive, and as much as possible without hurt. But the kidnappers and their collaborators must as well be unfailingly tackled down and brought to justice. Whoever it was that turned the CCTV cameras off in CUSTECH is / are integral to the university’s security system and shouldn’t be too difficult to track down. It isn’t as if the whole university needs to be turned inside out to ferret out such persons. It is also instructive that the internal collaborators were in active contact with the terrorists outside, such that they knew when the terrorists were coming and prepared the way for their evil exploit. If such internal collaborators are identified, it could be just a short stop from unmasking much of the terrorist network operating in Kogi State and adjoining areas.

     Also, the government, in conjunction with the police must not fail to apprehend the terrorists themselves and bring them to justice as vowed.

    A major way of terminating the menace of insecurity is deterrence as entailed in apprehending culprits. That is a duty government owes law-abiding citizens.

  • Role of government in a decent society

    Role of government in a decent society

    SIR: The primary function of every government is the protection of lives and property; ensuring that the rule of law which makes everyone equal before the law is promoted. Equitable distribution of resources is also paramount for a good governance. All over the world, citizens murmur and grumble because of the face of governance in their country. Sometimes, it happens with a change of government or new political appointments. All over Africa, there are challenges because of bad political leadership.

    In a decent society, government plays a critical role in upholding the common good and fostering an environment where citizens can thrive. Rulers act as stewards, they are responsible for establishing a framework of laws, ensuring public safety and security, and promoting justice and equality.

    From our doctrines and religious beliefs, we earnestly hold tight to the creed that every authority emanates from God and that all power belongs to God. That’s why church leaders and various organizations submit to whoever is in power. To be bright and cheerful at all times, praising and thanking God always is predicated on political leadership. The recent removal of electricity subsidy in Nigeria has given rise to attacks on workers of electricity distribution companies in their bid to disconnect debtors. Nonetheless, we are bound to be subject to every authority despite their recklessness, oppression and insensitivity.

    I implore well-meaning citizens to regard seriously the role of government, parents and church leaders in any society, family or church. Yes, we must face the reality and not live in a world of illusion and delusion. We must embrace the biblical principle of authority and submission. The buck stops with the person in charge. We must submit to reasonable instructions that are asked of us, provided they are not illegal or immoral. We should always speak with respect.

    Incidentally, Nigerians are like slaves who have fallen in love with their chains and wouldn’t want to be set free just as injustice, evil and crime reign supreme in the country. The mental bondage had set the trapped masses to fall in love with chains of limitation, deprivation and bondage. The decades of military rule and adjoining civilian regime portray vividly that human nature has never changed, and that corruption and embezzlement can never improve or get polished. If not that our minds have been brutalised by the effects of corruption, we would understand the authority of government in changing lives and making the society livable and prosperous.

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    Sadly, the rascality of some rulers, even church leaders, have made rebellion rife in the society. The army, police and other security agencies of government have become targets of repressed anger. Lives of government officials and functionaries are frequently hazarded due to misperception. God-appointed leadership require submission from us. Submission is not something disgraceful and oppressive. The present government at the center in Nigeria has not lasted up to a year.

    For most political leaders, public opinion is fit only for the garbage bin and it shouldn’t be so if the leaders are godly and purpose driven.  Through effective communication and outreach efforts, they can cultivate a sense of belonging and unity among citizens, regardless of their differences, thereby strengthening the social fabric of the nation. Effective rulers are not just decisive leaders but also astute listeners. They strive to understand the needs and concerns of their citizens and craft policies that reflect the will of the people. They should be transparent and accountable in their decision-making, fostering a sense of trust and legitimacy.

    In conclusion, the role of government in a decent society is multifaceted and complex, encompassing aspects of justice, welfare, democracy, and diplomacy. By fulfilling their duties with integrity, compassion, and foresight, rulers can foster a society where freedom, equality, and opportunity abound. Ultimately, the actions and decisions of rulers shape the destiny of nations and the lives of millions, making their role indispensable in building a better and more just world.

    • Obiotika Wilfred Toochukwu Awka.
  • Reforming government revenue collection process

    Reforming government revenue collection process

    • By Bicci Alli

    Faced with fluctuating revenue from statutory allocations, governments across the three tier are developing and implementing strategies to increase their Internally Generated Revenues, (IGR) in order to meet recurrent and capital expenditure, rely less on borrowings at prohibit cost.  Most of the reform efforts are rightly targeted at the institutions responsible for collecting revenue. The principal reason for failure of most reform initiatives is usually over concentration on the quantum of revenue that could be raked in within the shortest period possible, instead of holistic evaluation of the revenue authority’s (RA) external environment and administrative structure.

    The performance, complexity, resource requirements and strategy of the RA depends, to a considerable extent, on the economic environment in which it operates.  In other words, most of the reform efforts take care of the cart (institutional framework) and ignore the horse pulling the cart (the external environment). Domestic revenue that could be mobilised depends on the economy i.e.  IGR is derivate.  Therefore, in order to understand the reasons for poor performance of the RA, we might first look ‘outside the box’, beyond the organizational boundaries of the RA, and analyse the impact of important environmental influences on its performance. 

    The amount of domestic revenue that could be mobilised in an economy varies according to changes in GDP, interest rates, exchange rates, consumer confidence and business cycles. A high degree of openness of the economy raises knotty issues of international taxation, such as transfer pricing, tax arbitrage and origin or completion of taxable transactions in foreign jurisdictions.  High levels of inflation increase the propensity of taxpayers to delay payment of taxes. Lack of formality in economic transactions, unreliability of business records and low levels of literacy make enforcement of tax laws difficult.  Assuming all other factors are constant, an economy with a GDP of $500 million will generate higher revenue than same economy with GDP of $400 million.  Also, in situation of drop in GDP, the amount of revenue that could be mobilised will also drop. Furthermore, the degree of informality in an economy will determine the amount of domestic revenue that can be mobilized efficiently and effectively within the economy. 

    A case in point is VAT. One may ask: to what extent will FIRS be able to raise appropriate revenue from VAT on electronics products giving the high level of informality within the electronics market in Nigeria?  How does FIRS trace the transactions of operators in Alaba International Market and Computer Village in Lagos for imposition of appropriate taxes? Considering the degree of informality, can the chairmen of Lagos State and Oyo State Internal Revenue Service collect appropriate Personal Income Tax from market women in Apongbon and New Gbagi Markets respectively? 

    Despite having higher GDP than South Africa, our tax to GDP ratio is lower than that of South Africa; one of the principal reasons is the size of informal sector in our economy. One way to enthrone sustainable IGR is to formalise the informal sector, which certainly is outside the purview of revenue authorities.  

    Fiscal policy defines the agenda for the RA. The level of budgeted government spending, debt financing and fiscal deficit determine the amount of taxes the RA is expected to raise. Expansionary fiscal policies, high levels of national debt and debt servicing requirements, or fiscal crises create strong pressures on the RA to collect more taxes. They also create opportunities for mobilizing political support for efforts to modernize the RA. 

    A properly articulated revenue forecast, which mirrors the key external factors, provides needed platform for reform and evaluation of the institution responsible for revenue collection.  In Nigeria, revenue forecasting is perhaps the weakest link in the chain between tax structure and revenue collected. In some states, the forecasting exercise is done by a few individuals in the Ministry of Finance or Budget and Economic planning, who simply increase last year’s forecast or actual tax collections by next year’s assumed growth rate. In other instances, next year’s budget expenditures are estimated through call circulars to all the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies. Expected borrowing and deficit financing are subtracted from total estimated budgetary expenditures, and the remaining amount is assigned to the revenue agency as next year’s revenue targets. 

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    A revenue target without any basis or link to the state of the economy destroys the integrity of the tax system. Revenue forecasts based on sound verifiable factors and data is a useful benchmark for monitoring collection, stimulating effort, and measuring the performance of RAs.

    The RA is usually dependent on a number of public agencies, such as the Police, Customs, Immigrations, the Attorney General and other MDAs for executing its functions. The quality and timeliness of assistance provided by these agencies has a major impact on the RA’s performance. Further, access to information about taxable transactions available with other government agencies is crucial for monitoring taxpayer behaviour and investigating tax evasion.

    Most of the MDAs render services that have bearable influence on IGR. Unfortunately, rather than cooperate with RA to raise the state’s IGR profile, they see the RA as irritant and meddlesome resulting in monumental loss of revenue to the state. Relevant data that could assist in profiling taxpayers exist in different silos, not connected. 

    Tax laws make tax policy enforceable. Wrong translation of policy into law might result in complicated tax laws which become difficult to implement and create fertile ground for inventing interpretation that favours tax avoidance. This might also lead to unending legal issue at huge cost to the Revenue Agency.  Most of our revenue laws are simply archaic and out dated.

    Tax laws define the powers that revenue authority can exercise to enforce the laws. Weaknesses in the power to collect information about taxpayer transactions, take coercive action to gather evidence of tax evasion or collect tax arrears, and impose penalties for noncompliance have a telling effect on the overall effectiveness of Revenue Agencies. For instance, no state can initiate and execute criminal process against individuals that failed to pay Personal Income Tax unless the Attorney General of the Federation grant/ transfer such power to the state.

    Currently, certain technologies are all having a huge impact on tax administrations. Taken individually or together, these trends have the power to increase taxpayer satisfaction, empower tax agency employees, optimize operations and modernize services. These trends include Big Data, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, The Internet of Things (IoT), Mobility and Cloud Computing

    There is an increasing recognition that digitalization and the exploitation of digital data have the potential to revolutionize the operation of economies well beyond the minor disruption seen so far. Digitalization is affecting not just how good and services are produced and consumed but also the very goods and services that are required. With the development of virtual and cryptocurrency technologies, new business models are blurring the distinctions between traditional forms, and challenging the fundamentals of taxation while they are at it. The digital economy is leading to a brave new future in which it is increasingly difficult to assess the point in the supply chain at which value creation actually happens. 

    Given that, over the years’ revenue administration in Nigeria has witnessed commendable reforms, however, tax to GDP ratio is low compared with similar economy. This is due majorly to incoherent approach to revenue generation by different agencies of government, restrictive legal framework for revenue generation, lack of robust and reliable taxpayer database, high level of tax evasion by a good number of taxpayers, low compliance by the informal sector, lack of effective revenue collection mechanism and enforcement.

    It is incumbent therefore that, while the reform efforts focus on Revenue Generating Agencies and processes through deployment of appropriate technology, harmonization of revenue, collaboration amongst various government agencies,  data integration, right legal framework; the external environment must be given serious consideration and effects  built into the reform programme, failing which the reform will not archive desired results.

    •Alli, former chairman, Oyo State Internal Revenue Service wrote in from Lagos.

  • Government charged to increase funding forTB-related activities

    Government charged to increase funding for
    TB-related activities

    The Nigerian government has been charged to increase funding for tuberculosis-related activities to tackle the disease effectively.

    This charge is against the backdrop of the inadequate diagnosis and treatment of TB in the country despite that Nigeria has a high burden of TB.

    A legal and human rights group in Nigeria, Lawyers Alert at a joint press conference with Debriche Health Development Centre, called for the adaptation of the Civil Society TB Key Asks, ahead of the United Nations High-Level Meeting (UNHLM) on TB by Nigeria, and also demanding for specifics in the Declarations.

    The organisations are Grantees of the Stop TB Partnership Challenge Facility Grant. They noted that funding limitations for TB control were one of the challenges Nigeria faces in the fight against disease.

    The President of Lawyers Alert, Barrister Rommy Mom appealed to the Federal Government to prioritize TB across the healthcare system in the country.

    The organisations urged the government to ensure that all national TB responses are equitable, inclusive, gender-sensitive, rights-based, and people-centered.

    Mom said the TB Stakeholders Key Asks for The 2023 United Nations High-Level Meeting (UN HLM) on TB include reaching all people affected by tuberculosis (TB) with prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care by implementing evidence-based and quality interventions and tools per the latest international guidelines.

    “Also, to accelerate the research, development, roll-out, and access to new TB vaccines, diagnostics, drugs, and other essential new tools, including digital health technologies geared to the needs of the most neglected, key, and vulnerable populations,” he said.

    Rommy said “Government should invest the funds necessary to end TB. It needs to prioritize TB across systems for health: Universal Health Coverage (UHC), Primary Health Care (PHC), Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPPR) and AMR.”

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    “Ensure decisive and accountable global, regional and national leadership, including regular UN reporting and review. There is a low level of public awareness about TB, which leads to an increase in stigma and discrimination against people affected by TB.”

    The organisations said Nigeria’s commitments at the UN HLM in 2023 and the adoption of the TB Key Asks can enable Nigeria to intensify its efforts to control TB and MDR-TB, saying that adopting the TB key Asks would have significant benefits for Nigeria’s current TB control program.

    They noted that speeding up access to TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care would reduce the incidence of TB in Nigeria and prevent the spread of the disease.

    According to the statement “Ending TB stigma and discrimination and promoting equitable, rights-based, and person-centred TB care would improve the well-being of people living with TB and encourage them to seek care, consequently reducing disease transmission. Also, ensuring sufficient and sustainable financing for TB response would help improve Nigeria’s healthcare infrastructure and strengthen its health systems.

    “There must be increased awareness about the importance of early detection and prevention of TB to reduce its spread among vulnerable populations. With increased funding and improved access to healthcare services, Nigeria can make progress towards achieving its goal of eliminating TB by 2030.

    “In order to ensure that all national TB responses are equitable, inclusive, gender-sensitive, rights-based and people-centred, it is important to focus on enacting TB Legislation that caters for Community rights and gender-based response to TB, TB care, diagnosis and vaccination.

    “These elements are essential for preventing and treating tuberculosis (TB). By providing access to quality care and diagnosis and ensuring that those affected by TB have access to the right vaccines in a timely manner, we can reduce the burden of TB on individuals and communities.”

    “It is also important that these responses are gender sensitive and right-based so that women have equal access to services regardless of their gender identity or expression and give access to the same level of care regardless of their socioeconomic status or other factors.”

    “Finally, they should be people-centred so that those affected by this disease have their voices heard in decision-making processes related to TB care”, the organisations stated.