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Tag: Public servants

  • Public servants urged to maintain integrity in govt

    Public servants urged to maintain integrity in govt

    A non-governmental organisation, Accountability Lab Nigeria has urged Nigerians holding public offices to continue to maintain the culture of integrity.

    The Country Director, Accountability Lab Nigeria, Odeh Friday said this during the 8th edition of the Integrity Icon Summit organised in partnership with John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation, Luminate and Yar’Adua Foundation in Abuja.

    The organisation honoured five public servants working in different parts of the country with its 2024 Integrity Icons award at the event.

    The awardees were; Inspector Kamoshi Tada under the Fagge Police Station Kano State,
    Olugbenga Johnson Kuye from the Lagos State Accident and Emergency Centre (LASAEC), Ezekiel Osemuahu from the Edo State Public Procurement Agency, Temitope Ojoge with Fiwasaye Girls Grammar School Ondo State, and Idowu Quadri with the Onigbongbo Local Council Development Agency (LCDA) Lagos State.

    The Country Director noted that the five awardees were selected from over 2,500 nominations submitted by Nigerians.

    He said Accountability Lab remained committed to name and fame, celebrating and amplifying the stories of public servants who embody the principles of honesty, accountability and responsible leadership in a nation bedevilled with pervasive corruption and persistent lack of accountability.

    Odeh said: “We are here today to celebrate amazing public servants who are doing the right thing, doing really exceptionally well, to ensure that they build trust within citizens and their government offices.Today the Integrity Icon names and fames them.

    “Basically we’ve been doing this for over eight years just to ensure that we build a network of integrity, of public servants doing the right thing, people who have the right behaviours, who have the right social norms to help us enhance the trust with public servants. We are celebrating them to see that we can continue to give hope to Nigerians, to ensure that people are still doing the right thing and people are still making governance work for citizens in government offices.

    “When it comes to a couple of government offices, it’s not about bribes. Sometimes you manipulate data to ensure that you are telling the right story. But again, it doesn’t help planning as a country but we have people who ensure that the right things are being done from hospitals to schools.

    “Even in procurement processes, we have people who ensure the cycle of procurement is being respected, that people have the information that a contract is happening in your community then they can also monitor and support to give you feedback. So it’s building that trust in the government.

    “So we ensure that the criteria are basically supported by citizens. So we don’t nominate these icons. The citizens nominate them and send them to us then we collate.

    “Over this year, we’ve had over 2,500 nominations; then we review the nominations to ensure that the stories that have been told and the work that has been done on these criteria fits the context and what we can tell stories about.”

    Executive Director, African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD), Dr. Otive Igbuzor, regretted that a report indicating that only 43% of Nigerians expressed trust in their government, highlights a significant gap in public confidence in governance processes.

    Speaking on the topic, “Building Trust in Governance Processes: The Power of Ethical Behaviours and Positive Norms,” Otive said: “In Nigeria, trust deficits have become a pervasive issue, fuelled by corruption, lack of transparency, poor service delivery, and a history of unfulfilled promises.

    “The trust deficit has profound implications, from political instability and economic downturns to weakened social cohesion. For instance, Trust deficit can lead to protest and uprising as seen in Sudan (2019), Sri Lanka (2022) and #ENDSARS protest in Nigeria in 2020.”

    Otive listed some practical steps that could build trust in Nigeria through ethics and norms to include: strengthening governance institutions to resist undue influence and enforce ethical standards, promoting inclusive governance processes to reflect the diverse needs of society, capacity building for ethical leadership, leveraging technology for accountability, recognising and rewarding integrity.

    He said: “Building trust in governance processes is both an urgent necessity and a collective responsibility. The persistent trust deficit, fuelled by corruption, lack of transparency, and weak institutional frameworks, demands deliberate and sustained actions from all stakeholders.

    “Ethical behaviours and positive norms form the cornerstone of trustworthy governance, fostering transparency, accountability, and inclusivity.

    “As we celebrate individuals who embody integrity at this summit, let their examples serve as a clarion call for all leaders and institutions to prioritise ethical conduct and adopt positive governance norms. Rebuilding trust in governance is not just about institutional reforms; it is about restoring hope and confidence in leadership and creating an environment where citizens feel represented and valued.”

    Also, the Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr Musa Adamu, lauded Accountability Lab Nigeria’s efforts over the years while reaffirming the commission’s partnership to strengthen their mandate.

    Adamu, represented by Mr John Ode, a staff of the commission, said that the rigorous process of identifying integrity icons aligned with ICPC mission to promote transparency and accountability.

    Also, Mrs Gloria Omene, representing the Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), commended the ceremony for inspiring hope and fostering integrity in governance.

    She stressed that public service remains central to Nigeria’s transformation agenda and urged awardees to continue leading by example.

    “Public service is core to the transformation agenda of the country. Therefore, it remains a strategic goal to drive integrity in service delivery to the citizenry,” she said.

    Assistant Inspector of Police, Inspector Ben Igwe, highlighted the force’s commitment to combating corruption under the leadership of the Inspector-General Kayode Egbetokun.

    He said that the force was working hard to ensure that integrity was restored.

  • Coalition demands accountability from public servants

    Coalition demands accountability from public servants

    A coalition of civil society organisations has called for the strengthening of institutional frameworks for accountability at both Federal and State levels.

    The civil societies also called for the enhancement of existing frameworks to promote accountability in public service delivery, ensuring that institutions are equipped to monitor and enforce compliance effectively.

    The summit tagged, “Enhancing Accountability; Limiting Vulnerabilities” sought to assess the Federal Government’s 8-point agenda and related priority areas for subnational governments.

    The summit was organised by the Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative, in partnership with BudgIT Foundation; Connected Development; Dataphyte; Accountability Lab Nigeria; Agora Policy; Public and Private Development Centre; Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project and Step Up Nigeria.

    Other members of the coalition included: Centre for Journalism, Innovation and Development; Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation; Nigerian Institute for Social and Economic Research (NISER); United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (Nigeria), and the INTOSAI Development Initiative.

    The event brought together key stakeholders, including policy makers, industry experts, and civil society leaders, to address critical challenges impeding sustainable development in Nigeria.

    Discussions focused on identifying gaps in policy implementation, proposing sustainable solutions, and fostering collaborations to drive impactful change across multiple sectors.

    Read Also: LASPEC urges public servants to open retirement savings accounts

    The coalition highlighted the critical need for accountability in Nigeria’s development process.

    It called for the implementation of routine audits, transparent reporting, and public scrutiny to ensure funds in the health and education sectors are efficiently used.

    Executive Director at Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative (PLSI), Olusegun Elemo emphasised the importance of effective implementation of policies to improve development outcomes.

    He said: “Since 2023, the federal and state governments have introduced several policies aimed at advancing the country. However, the effectiveness of these policy measures and their impact on the lives of Nigerians remain contentious.”

    He also noted that the 2024 Summit placed particular focus on evaluating governments’ achievements and challenges in reforming the economy, strengthening national security, boosting agriculture, unlocking energy and natural resources, enhancing infrastructure, investing in human capital, accelerating diversification, and improving governance for better service delivery.

    In a communiqué issued at the end of the summit on Friday in Abuja, the coalition urged both federal and subnational to align budgetary allocations with needs; adopt an approach to retain healthcare professionals; invest in healthcare infrastructure and co-create policies by incorporating inputs from a wide range of stakeholders, including CSOs and the private sector, and ensuring they meet the actual needs of the people.

  • Lawmaker advises public servants to impact lives with their office

    A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Olusegun Olulade has advised public office holders and those who find themselves in public office to be focused and affect lives before they leave their offices.

    Olulade, popularly known as ‘Eleniyan’ added that public office holders should be conscious of the fact that they would leave the office they are occupying one day.

    The lawmaker who will not be part of the 9th Assembly represents Epe 2 constituency at the Lagos State House of Assembly was speaking at a dinner he organised for members of the Lagos State House of Assembly Correspondents Association (LAHACA) at DRemembrant Hotel, Alausa Ikeja.

    The lawmaker pointed out that despite the fact that former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was no longer in office he is still relevant because he had invested in people.

    “Title would not take you far, what will take you far is your contribution and service to the people.To be in government is not just about being called a lawmaker, governor or president, one day, you will leave office.

    Olulade, who had served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Information and later House Committee on Health, revealed that he would continue with his ‘Eleniyan Care Foundation,’ to take care of people.

  • Be innovative, Ambode tells public servants

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday urged the public service to be innovative  in revolving problems.

    He spoke at a training for civil servants on “Leading and managing through strategic planning and innovation,” held in Ikeja.

    Ambode said the readiness to innovate would stand the  public service out.

    The governor, represented by the Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Dr. Benson Oke, said new approaches were required as the government strove to balance priorities, including the effective allocation of resources and meeting public expectations.

    The government, he said, must find ways to make things easy in the areas of service delivery, process improvement, regulation and policy implementation.

    “The first strategy that the Lagos State public service may adopt for stimulating and sustaining innovativeness is the Inside-out idea Flows strategy. Outside-in idea flows have been well popularised and have become a common approach to access crowd-sourced or citizen-sourced ideas from outside the four walls of the organisation.

    “The less well-known counterpart to this is the notion of inside-out idea flows whereby unused or underutilised ideas are shared externally for others to explore and gain benefit. This is one area I believe has tremendous potential for departments and agencies of the Lagos State public service.

    “The second strategy has been popularly termed the Public-private idea hubs. It is well-known that industry partnerships can be a valuable way to gain access to additional capital and expertise to assist in advancing innovation in the public sector. Interestingly, in a similar approach to the first recommendation, the solutions and lessons learned from the DT-Hub will be placed in the public domain, so they can be utilised in other cities and beyond. In this manner, inside-out solution flows, as well as idea flows, can be a valuable way for innovations to be disseminated across the public sector such as the Lagos State public service,” Ambode said.

  • Lagos seeks support of public servants on health insurance scheme

    The Lagos State Government has sought the support of public servants in the successful implementation of the soon to be launched mandatory Lagos State Health Scheme (LSHS).These are  especially in the areas of propagation of information about the scheme, its benefit packages and roles of stakeholders.

    The Health Commissioner, Dr. Jide Idris, said the role of public servants just like other stakeholders is important  in the successful implementation of the scheme.

    Dr Idris stated this at the meeting organised by the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Public Service Office to sensitise public servants on the scheme.

    “The reason for this sensitisation meeting is to educate and sensitise you on the reasons for the roll out of the scheme, policy decisions, the modalities of the scheme, the plans, the benefit packages, service provision, premium breakdown and payment modalities as well as your roles and responsibilities of enrollees and stakeholders in the scheme”, Idris said.

    Dr Idris said LSHS is a compulsory health insurance programme established by the enabling law of the state to ensure all residents of Lagos State have access to affordable and quality healthcare, as the scheme is aimed at protecting people living in Lagos from financial distress resulting from huge medical bills.

    Idris while explaining that the premium payment for a family of six is 40,000 naira per year and premium for single enrolment is 8,500 naira per year, said a premium subsidy of 75 percent was approved by the Lagos State Executive council for public servants, “What this means is that the state government will pay 75 percent of the premium while public servants will only be required to pay 25 percent”, the Commissioner said.

    He noted that LSHS apart from increasing access to quality health care services without financial hardship is also providing enrollees with options of accessing these services at public or private health facilities.

    In the same vein, the Head of Service, Lagos State Public Service, Mrs. Folasade Adesoye who also spoke at the meeting, stated that it is important for public servants as key stakeholders and potential beneficiaries of the scheme to understand their roles and what they stand to gain from the scheme.

    She said: “It is for this purpose that representatives of public servants of different grade levels were drawn from all MDAs to participate at this meeting with the hope that information received will be shared at individual MDA level. The workforce will also go a long  way in promoting healthy life style and improved standard of living for the teeming Lagos populace including public servants and their families”.

    The Head of Service stated that the sensitisation programme will be a continuous activity until the required awareness and information are entrenched within the public service communities.

    While expressing the gratitude of public servants to the governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode for the subsidised premium payment, his unwavering commitment to the well-being of  public servants and their families, Adesoye noted that public servants would continue to ensure the effective and efficient implementation of government policies and programmes, as expected, at all times.

    The General Manager of LASHMA, Dr. Peju Adenusi, while giving an overview of the scheme, explained that the LSHS Bill was signed into Law in May 2015. She  added that the law which established LASHMA, LSHS and the Lagos State Health Fund (LASHEF) will serve as a basket of funds from several sources for the provision of health care services for the enrolled population.

    Adenusi said the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) registration number shall be a prerequisite for accessing any benefit available under the schemes.

    She disclosed that the services to be provided under the scheme otherwise known as benefit package will include antenatal and postnatal care, normal delivery and Ceaserian operation, care of newborn, prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV, immunisation, growth monitoring and promotion, management of childhood illnesses, family planning and counseling and adolescent reproductive health care.

     

     

    Others, according her, are prevention of Tuberculosis (TB) and Leprosy, prevention and control of Malaria, prevention and control of STIs,/HIV/AIDs, prevention and control of non-communicable diseases such  as diabetes and hypertension, emergency health services, minor surgeries and anaesthesia, health education, ophthalmic care and dental care.

    The General Manger noted that the responsibilities of enrollee will need to understand the scheme fully, register themselves and their family members, ensure regular payment of premium, encourage others to join and make suggestions or complaints known through established mechanisms.

     

     

  • Ambode advises public servants to be IT compliant

    public servants in Lagos  must be fully compliant with information technology (IT) as the country journeys on in the 21st Century, Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has said.

    Represented by the Commissioner, Ministry of Establishments, Training, and Pensions, Dr. Akintola Benson, at the ongoing workshop for public servants, he  said the workers must begin and complete their work on computers and the internet to get the benefits of speed, scalability, and inter-operability of systems.

    At the workshop tagged, “Strategic management and transformational leadership in the 21st Century-Agile Management Model”, he stated that this has become necessary as the state government and its institutions position to be adaptable to the changes of the unique challenges of the century.

    He said the workshop was designed to further the commitment of the government to the fundamental transformation of the state public service.

    Ambode added that the government has demonstrated that it will not be deterred in its determination to ensure the realisation of this vision.

    He said from a citizen and governmental perspective, the key expectations from a 21st century public service are the ability to transplant private sector-tested management theories into the public service, realistic and practically-grounded policy formulation and execution. Others are the deepening of technical knowledge and utilisation of modern tools, the appreciation of the need to focus on details and, importantly, the prioritisation of productivity on individual levels in terms of time utilisation and work modalities.

    He said: “I am confident that this training will address the practical steps to realise these expectations and many more that will be identified in the course of this training. It is gratifying to note that in Lagos State, we have a government that has boldly embraced this challenge of modernising governance and innovatively approaching the task of public administration. We are poised to examine those areas, processes and institutions and practices that need to be overhauled or remodeled in order to achieve this end.

    “And as we journey on in the 21st Century and as the Lagos State government and her institutions position to be adaptable to the changes necessitated by the unique challenges of the century, the Ministry of Establishments, Training and Pensions recommended, and I have approved, that selected officers of the state public service be made to pioneer the service-wide adoption of a 21st century-compliant agile management model in the public service.

    “Amongst others, this model has been shown to empower people, build accountability, encourage diversity of ideas, allow for the early release of benefits, and promote continuous improvement.

    “It allows decisions to be tested and rejected early with feedback loops providing benefits that are not as evident in other scenarios. In addition, it helps deliver change when requirements are uncertain, helps build engagement with stakeholders on what is most beneficial, and ensures that changes are incremental improvements which can help navigate the shock of cultural change.”

    “In order to deliver on its promises, the agile management model calls for public service institutions such as the Lagos State Public Service to be ready and open to integrating contemporary leadership principles and management theories into its modus operandi.

    “In a review of the most recent developments in the field of business leadership, the number of business leadership styles and trends has been noted.”

    He stressed that officers of the public service must deepen their technical skills and knowledge if they must be an integral and functional part of the 21st century-compliant agile management model.

    He posited that many projects required the buy-in of members of the public many of whom are savvy enough to demand to see charts, diagrams, models, graphs and other tools before accepting the proposals or acknowledging the competence of those charged with the execution of the project.

    “It is now the age of information technology and public servants have to begin and complete their work exclusively on computers and the Internet in order to claim the benefits of speed, scalability, and inter-operability of systems that the agile management model calls for. Agile management in the State Public Service also calls for officers to develop a penchant for laser-like focus on the minute details of projects and policies in their formation and execution. Policy makers can no longer afford to take their eyes off the ball of details.

     

     

     

    Amongst others, there is now unprecedented and unrelenting attention by the public on the activities of policy makers.

    “Added to this is the fact that these members of the public are savvy enough to evaluate policy proposals and to appreciate the ramifications of unattended details. Additionally, almost all policy proposals now have a thousand moving parts where every part has the potential, not only to affect the other parts, but also to have ramifications for other tangential policies and projects. Focus on details and attention to details is therefore of crucial importance for officers of the Lagos State Public Service in the context of agile management on the 21st century”, he said.

     

  • How public servants collected salaries from four ministries, by ICPC Chairman

    How public servants collected salaries from four ministries, by ICPC Chairman

    •Nta advises auditors, accountants on anti-graft battle

    Some public servants allegedly collected salaries from four Federal ministries by outsmarting the Federal Government’s Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS).

    The Chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), Mr. Ekpo Nta broke the news yesterday at a three-day anti-corruption and fraud prevention training organised by the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN).

    ACAN is a research and training arm of the ICPC in Keffi, Nasarawa State.

    The ICPC Chairman said as a result, the commission had partnered with Office of the Auditor General, Office of the Accountant General and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to monitor and execute corruption risks assessment on the various electronic-governance platforms.

    According to him, prior to the e-governance platforms, government organisations required signatures of 12 persons at different levels before monies were disbursed, but due to the e-governance platform, it had been trimmed, thus the final signatory could outsmart other few officials in the system.

    However, he called for a review of the payment system for better effectiveness.

    His words: “It has been done on pension platform; it has been done on IPPIS platforms, where you find one person collecting salaries in four different ministries. People would have gone home to sleep that IPPIS is the answer to our problem. No, it is not. We must keep fine-tuning. I keep saying, where the accountants and auditors end their functions is where ICPC starts.

    “A typical anti-corruption approach will be let’s wait for people to take money or abuse that system, begins to make arrests and it all goes on the front-pages of newspapers but what we do in ICPC that might not be on front-pages of newspapers is by running corruption risk assessments of all e-government platforms,”

    Provost of the academy, Prof. Sola Akinrinade, said the fight against  corruption must spread across all level of governments, if the Federal Government must succeed in its anti-corruption campaign.

    He noted that relevant stakeholders, including state and local governments, should complement efforts of the present administration.

    Akinrinade, who was represented by his deputy, Mr. Mathew Ameh, said the anti-corruption and fraud prevention training was organised for state commissioners for finance and auditors to build their capacity  on issues relating to finance and to entrench accountability and probity in their operations.

    He added that it was important to extend government efforts to the states and expand the advocacy against corrupt practices.

  • Epidemic looms in Ondo Communities over strike

    Unless the three weeks strike by public servants in Ondo state is suspended, an epidemic is imminent in Ikare-Akoko and other major towns in the state.

    Our Correspondent observed that heaps of refuse have littered the major roads with offensive odours oozing out ceaselessly.

    Observers opined that the development might constitute health hazards to its inhabitants.

    Mostly affected areas are between Local Authority (LA) Primary School and the State Hospital,Ikare-Akoko,frontage of Olukare Palace and Okere market as well as other strategic areas.

    An Hospital Worker,Ayo Olola said the strike had led to the deaths of many people particularly the pensioners.

    He said since hospitals were on strike, sick people could not afford high charges of private hospitals.

    A retired teacher and elder statesman in Ikare-Akoko, Chief Saliu Okoja described the three weeks strike as a time bomb that aggravated the sufferings of pensioners and aged people.

    He urged Governor Olusegun Mimiko to find urgent solution to the strike in the interest of pauperised workers and pensioners.

    Also in Akure,the state capital,mountains of refuse are littering the popular Oyemekun road and other areas.

    Refuse Vans from Waste Management Board (WMB) were not on the streets to dispose the refuse.‎

     

  • Public servants get wake-up call

    The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed has threatened to sack any Secretary or Director that is found wanting in the performance of his or her duties to the expectations of government and the people.

    The minister stated this during an emergency meeting with the FCT Minister of State, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, FCT Permanent Secretary, Engr. John O. Chukwu, some Mandate Secretaries, Coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, (AMMC) and some Directors whose duties have direct bearing with Municipal/Social Services and the day-to-day running of the FCT administration.

    Mohammed issued one-week ultimatum during which he expects drastic changes in the areas of environment, particularly garbage collection, social menace like street hawking, begging and commercial sex workers as well as enforcement of total ban on commercial motorcycles (okada) in designated areas.

    According to the statement issued by the Assistant Director/Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule, the minister warned that any political appointee or public servant who is not prepared to show commitment to duty should do the needful by resigning.

    He lamented a situation where Ad-Hoc committees are set up to handle jobs that are statutory in nature, even as he attributed this to lackadaisical, nonchalant attitude and even sabotage on the part of some members of staff.

    The minister warned that no public servant is indispensable as his administration would soon embark on re-assessment and re-adjustment which is not intended to cause pain but to make the system work more effectively.

    Mohammed further warned that the FCT Administration would not accept a situation where some secretaries and directors attempt to create loyalty and dynasty in the system rather than carrying all staff along.

    The FCT Minister of State, Olajumoke Akinjide at the meeting supported the minister and reiterated that a solution must be found to all these ugly problems.

    Speaking at the meeting, the FCT Permanent Secretary, Engr. John Chukwu also warned that the riot act signals that it’s no longer business as usual.

    Chukwu advised all public servants in the FCT Administration to wake up to their responsibilities, management of Abuja city must be done effectively in tune with the transformation agenda of the Federal Government.

    Meanwhile, the minister has directed the Permanent Secretary to continue with the meeting to further look into all grey areas and come up with workable solutions.

    Mohammed also directed that where necessary, changes should be made to ensure efficiency and service delivery.

    Others who participated in the meeting included Coordinator, AMMC, Secretaries of Social Development Secretariat as well as Directors of Establishment and Training; Abuja Environmental Protection Board and Directorate of Road Traffic Services.

     

  • Public servants@yahoo.com

    The headline is a model. It is not an email address; so, please, do not send an email to this address, as it does not exist. It just summarises a tradition that has gone on for years unabated, and it is unlikely to stop soon. Some of the civil servants that could change the system are themselves part of the system.

    They are not concerned about paying for email addresses or what it connotes to have a local domain. Rather they have a foreign email addresses. What engages their minds is how to own private jets [some governors already have private jets]. That is the in-thing now.

    However, none of the public/civil servants owns Gulf Stream. They do not have yacht. That is because a yacht is the most expensive automobile in the world. A yacht takes a long time to build and cost $1 million or more.

    It depends. It depends on the size. It depends on who is paying. It depends on the intent and purpose of owning a yacht. Ordinarily, a yacht measures 80 feet. Nevertheless, a mega yacht can measure up to 500 feet and cost $100 million and takes three years to build. Such a yacht is exclusive. So, who among the rich in Nigeria owns one? None.

    Meanwhile some public/civil servants have so much money with unrestricted access to the mighty and wealthy. They are power brokers. They are governors. They are senators. They are commissioners. They are permanent secretaries. They are senior personal advisers. They are warts and all. However, there is something missing in their lifestyles. They have money quite right. They may have seen the world. Yet, they lack one thing: they do not have class. No, not as you think.

    In this age, where technological advancement separates nations and boundary is measured in bandwidth and not landmass, it is corrupting not to have personalised email address. Look at it from this perspective. A serving minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria handed over his complimentary card to a friend at an ‘owambe’ party. The card is cold-laminated and it weighs 5k. The minister wrote his customized mobile phone number in long hand at the back of the card. Nevertheless, his email address, printed in black ink, read minister@yahoo.com.

    If you are unaware, you are pardon for sitting in your exalted position and condemning criminal-minded Nigerians who perpetrated 419 crimes. It is the public servants like ministers, commissioners and senators with Yahoo! email address fueled such crimes. A digression would suffice here.

    The other day, Minister of Communication Technology, Omobola Johnson, openly said that her ministry had created 54,000 email addresses for public officers in federal government establishments and MDAs in order to encourage them to use dot NG domain for their official engagements. According to her, of this number, only 2,160 (about four per cent) of the officers used the email address. Others preferred dot com domain such as Gmail, Yahoo!, dot org, dot co, dot UK to the detriment of dot NG domain.

    The public servants do not know the negative impact of this practice neither does our ‘owambe’ minister understand what he is doing. He may be a professor he is an illiterate. He may have travelled the world, he is not aware of global trends. He may wear expensive wristwatch and drink choice wine, he needs education in espionage and counter-espionage.

    He may hold exalted position and commands retinue of lackey he is a dwarf. He does not know anything about security of confidential mails, especially by government, businesses and individuals. He thinks it is hip to have yahoo email address because his lackey said so!

    He does not know and his attendants do not know better. If they do, they would not act that way. However, the minister’s card got into the wrong hands, and he was doomed. He soon began to get unsolicited emails, as the criminals baited him, phishing him until he was caught like a fish in a hook. Do you still blame the criminals who sent email to European moneybags and posed as Minister of Finance through yahoo email address?

    What is the implication? Come. According to research, in the last five years, Nigeria has lost about N3 billion to the continuous patronage of foreign domain names by Nigerians. This figure will double in five years if the trend continues.

    However, over N752.66 million is spent to service over 600,000 foreign domain names registered by Nigerians at a cost of $7.99 to renew the domain names annually. Some of the foreign domain names registered are dot com, dot org, dot net, and dot co dot UK. Meanwhile, Nigeria’s own unique identifier on the Internet is dot NG.

    Recently, Chief Operating Officer of Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), Ope Odunsa, lamented the capital flight occasioned by the use of such foreign domain names for websites operated from Nigeria.

    He said the preference for foreign domain names by corporate bodies and individual Internet users is worrisome, implying that Nigerians had continued to sign up to foreign domain names instead of “our own domain name, which we should be proud of.”

    Odunsa told stakeholders that Nigerian companies, institutions and individuals should leverage on the dot NG domain identity, as it is the country’s unique identifier on the Internet. The dot NG platform, he noted, enabled the citizens to create websites for the promotion of Nigerian content. In 2012, only 26,000 registered domain names were with NiRA. Thus, NiRA believes that with more Nigerian domain names, money sent abroad for domain name registration would be deployed in other areas of the business.

    It is not surprising that so many government officials prefer the use of foreign domain names like Google, Yahoo, and Hotmail to host their electronic mail. They do not know the negative effect of their actions. If they do, they would have assisted NiRA in its campaign to upgrade its equipment and register over 250,000 domain names in the dot NG registry as government MDAs, businesses, educational institutions and individuals. This is the way to go.

    That is the only way to create local contents upload. It is the only way. American Secretary of State will never register a foreign domain name. Chinese ambassador will never use a foreign domain name. So, what is behind public servants’ penchant for public servants@yahoo.com?