The Nation Newspaper

Tag: PUBLIC

  • House of Reps: reducing wastages through public procurement law

    House of Reps: reducing wastages through public procurement law

    Assistant Editor EMMANUEL BADEJO examines efforts by the House of Representatives to strengthen the procurement process and reduce the wastages in public service

    If a bill to amend the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria Establishment Act (CIPSMN) Act 2007, currently before the House of Representatives passes all hurdles and eventually becomes law, it will among other things tighten loose ends in the nation’s procurement processes, reduce wastages in public expenditure and noticeably reduce the cost of governance.

    The import of this proposal resonates with one of the requests made by the youths during the recent nationwide protest.  The protests, which were orderly and peaceful in the south, witnessed some violence and destruction of public properties in the north.

    However, weeks before the protests, the Green Chamber of the National Assembly had seen the need to engage Nigerians over the bill. This move aligns with procurement practice across the globe. Hence, stakeholders said the hearing could not have come at a better time.

    Many stakeholders have contended that the days when low-calibre staff are dumped in the procurement and supply chain management field or department are gone.

    To them, it is no longer a field, but a profession that requires organizations or countries to nurture by equipping it, with the appropriate quality and calibre of staff, that is strong, firm, diligent, excellent, and above all conscientious.

    In their views, any nation or organization that still blindfolds itself and thinks it saves money by employing just anybody, with a complete head on its shoulder or low calibre personnel is in a state of denial of reality. Consequently, that particular organization or nation will keep on facing myriads of problems resulting in either blaming procurement and supply chain systems, policies, processes, procedures or personnel.

    Experts therefore maintain that procurement is made for certified procurement professionals who are versed in the intricacies of effective management of resources, which comprises management, money, method, measurement, minute, market, ministry, material, manpower and machine.

    According to them, procurement and supply chain, like any other profession, requires people with human skills, technical skills, and conceptual skills – this is a fact that an objective observer can base their judgment on who is who.

    Research has indicated that about 70 to 75 per cent of the firm’s expenditure or government budget at all levels, is being managed by professionals within the sector, and, a huge portion of funds, is utilized in the acquisition of goods, supplies, works and services through a network of procurement and supply chain departments.

    According to experts, countries that still adhere to traditional ways of purchasing are hurting themselves greatly, as such practice deprives the nation and its citizens of the benefit of best practices in procurement and supply chain.

    These formed the fulcrum of a public hearing in the hallowed Chamber in mid-July. During the one-day hearing,  the Chairman of the Committee on Public Procurement, Unyime Idem, in his address to members of the House, representatives of CIPSMN, representatives of various ministries, departments and agencies, procurement practitioners recalled that the  House in plenary earlier in the year, considered a bill seeking to amend the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria Act 21 of 2007 to be in tandem with what obtains in the Procurement Professional Practice Across the Globe and for Related Matters (HB. 346).

    Idem acknowledged that the CIPSMN amendment bill is important because of its role in economic development, particularly in purchasing and supply chain management.

    According to him, CIPSMN also plays a role in developing high-standard professional skills, ability and integrity among all those engaged in procurement practice.

    Emphasizing the need to amend the Act, Idem reiterated the commitment of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Procurement to uphold the legal and institutional framework for the enthronement of transparency, accountability, value for money and efficiency in the procurement of goods, supplies, works, and services within ministries, departments, agencies, and parastatals as stipulated in the Public Procurement Act, 2007.

    He further emphasized that strict adherence to the law and due process compliance with the PPA 2007 is mandatory for all MDAs, to avoid legal repercussions and ensure the efficient and ethical utilization of public resources.

    Among the numerous changes proposed in the CIPSMN Establishment Act 21 of 2007, is the request for a change in name from “Purchasing and Supply Management to “Procurement and Supply Chain Management’.

    In the summary of his presentation for the proposed amendment to the Act, Dr Abdul Mamman, Coordinator of CIPSMN, North Central Zone, Abuja, made reference to the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, UK that had effected a change of name and now being referred to as “Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, UK.

    According to him, in conformity with global standards, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has equally changed a course of study known as “purchasing and supply management” in the polytechnics and other higher institutions in Nigeria to procurement and supply chain management.

    He said, “The professional training offered by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria is aimed at crowning the capacity and capability of her graduates to, as a matter of fact, face the demand in not just procurement but rather, in supply chain management functions too, for a minimum duration of two years as a graduate from the relevant field of study and depending on one’s performance.  The proposed change in name is sought for the main purpose of engendering good procurement practices, in line with best practices elsewhere in the world.

    A “purchasing and supply professional” as captured in the interpretation section of the institute’s establishment Act, means any qualified member who is, into practice or employed by any organization, ministry, corporation and engaged in purchasing, supply, procurement, stores, logistics, materials or warehouse management.

    “Supply chain management” denotes the general coordination of activities that involve procurement, purchasing, stores, warehousing, logistics, materials and supply management.

    Mamman further emphasized the urgent need for various amendments to the CIPSMN Act 2007, saying the “New Hope Agenda” of the current administration under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) can be swiftly achieved through efficient and effective management of scarce resources in the realm of good management principles and reduction in procurement related corruption which he said, have crossed a figure amounting to N2.9 trillion as revealed by the Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), when he appeared before the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    Mamman therefore, appealed to Idem led-House of Representatives Committee on Public Procurement to approve the request for name change from Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria to ‘Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply Chain Management of Nigeria in line with global best practices.

    “Every civil servant in Nigeria engaged in procurement and supply chain functions must undergo professional training and certification offered by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria, to become a member, as required.

    Read Also: Edun addresses flooding impact on agriculture

    “The institute should be accorded the same recognition as done to other established professional institutes in Nigeria, especially, in the fields of accounting, engineering, teaching and law profession (ICAN or ANAN, COREN, TRCN and Law School) respectively, and all these are aimed at maintaining a standard of practice and in consonance with the global best practices,” Mamman appealed to the Committee.

    He added that the World Bank had been at the forefront of government efforts towards reform in procurement and contract management in Nigeria.

    All these, he added, were embedded in the Country Procurement Assessment Report (CPAR 2000) and presented to the Federal Government in the year 2000 with a demand to professionalize the procurement function in Nigeria and allow these professionals to practice their profession to enhance the capacity and recognition of members of the institute in the practice of procurement and supply chain management in Nigeria.

    Also, Mamman objected to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) presentation made on its behalf by the Director of Civil Infrastructure, Mallam Nasir Bello.

    According to Mamman, if such an amendment is granted, it will create conflict in the discharge of the BBP’s duties. This is because, the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), cannot act as an operator and regulator of the public procurement process and neither is the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) established as an institute, nor has it the power to certify procurement professionals.

    He queried: “Why would the BPP organise Continuous Procurement Capacity Development Training Programme (CPCDTP) for parastatals, institutions, commissions and agencies of the Federal Government when such does not amount to a professional certification?”

    Mamman argued that the Bureau of Public Procurement was empowered under Part II Section 5 (k) to: “organize training and development programmes for procurement professionals” and Part II Section 5(s) to “coordinate relevant training to build institutional capacity”

    “The intention of the framers of the Public Procurement Act 14 of 2007 on the above-quoted sections, is being misconstrued by the BPP, to mean a different thing. What the Bureau of Public Procurement intend to do, is to continually stand on its head and liken its actions to a situation where: the Office of Accountant General of the Federation and the Office of Auditor General of the Federation begin to train some individuals selected across MDAs for two-weeks in accounting and at the end issue ‘Certificate of Attendance’ that certifies them as ‘professional’ and post them to their respective MDAs to function as professional accountants.

    “This is unacceptable and must be corrected now because the current administration is determined to put square pegs in square holes by continuing to professionalize the civil service for better and enhanced service provision.

    Though the institute expressed readiness to partner with the BPP to chart a way forward for procurement in Nigeria, it regretted that the bureau has, over the years, acted both as an operator and a regulator, saying procurement function should be handled by those not certified by the institute as provided for in the CIPSMN Establishment Act 21 of 2007.

    Other amendments sought by the CIPSMN are Section I(c) and Section 1(1)(f) that seek to include training of “procurement auditors” into the scope of courses already granted in the principal Act with a view, to completing the cycle of statutory mandate of the institute as regards the procurement and supply chain management profession.

    Section 2(a) sought a definitive statement on the position of the President of the institute with regards to council membership as the “Chairman of Council”

    Section 2(d) seeks to correct the number of NACCIMA representatives in the Council to one instead of two representatives. This error was committed in the Principal Act.

    A new part was introduced to the section, which seeks to establish an academy where, those desirous of becoming members shall converge and sit for prescribed examinations set by the council, as against the current arrangement across state chapters of the institute. The academy will be subject to the supervision and control of the council.

    Section 13(2) seeks an amendment to the Principal Act to expand the scope of power of the institute to accredit institutions of higher learning on courses leading to the award of higher degrees, degrees, Higher National Diplomas, Diploma in Procurement and Supply Chain Management as currently obtained in our higher institutions as this will help, to maintain the standard, whereby certified professional members of the institute shall become faculty members in any institution offering courses in this field of endeavour.

    Mamman concluded: “It is regrettable that procurement functions are not assigned to qualified professionals.

    However, there is a growing mindset that procurement should be an all-comers affair and this must be corrected. We, therefore, plead with the Committee on Procurement to identify any vocation requiring a specialized skill to be established as a professional body and therefore, seeking the assistance of the Committee to allow CIPSMN to breathe and approve the name change from “Purchasing and Supply Management “To “Procurement and Supply Chain Management’ in line with what obtains in global practice.”

    The Bureau asked the House not to pass the bill, saying the amendment being sought would largely bring the institute in conflict with the mandate of the Bureau. Bello, the director of civil infrastructure said allowing the amendment being sought by the bill will bring the institute into conflict with the mandate of the Bureau.

    “It should not be allowed to delve into functions of the Bureau about procurement and public procurement in particular. In carrying out its mandate as stipulated in Section 5 (k) of the PPA, the Bureau has several higher institutions of learning handling courses on Procurement. The institute may change its name but the scope of its mandate should remain, as it is contained in its extant law”.

    He said further “Notwithstanding the foregoing, should the House be inclined towards allowing the proposed amendment (without the Bureau necessarily conceding).

    He said the provision of the intended training by the Institute, especially in the area of Public Procurement, must be coordinated by the Bureau, as the regulatory Agency for Public Procurement in Nigeria.

     He said the PPA, 2007 allow the National Council on Public Procurement and the Bureau of Public Procurement as the Regulatory Authorities responsible for the monitoring and oversight of Public Procurement, harmonizing the existing Government policies and practices by regulating, setting standards and developing the Legal framework and professional capacity for Public Procurement in Nigeria; and other related matters.

  • ‘How youths can be public service managers’

    ‘How youths can be public service managers’

    A plan  to harness talented youths from different parts of the country as managers of the public service  in line  with the President Bola Tinubu’s agenda  to build a government of national competence was  stressed on Tuesday by  the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) Prof Tunji Olaopa .

    The former  permanent secretary , and professor of public administration,  spoke when the Minister of Youths and Development   Dr Jamila Bio Ibrahim  visited him in his office. He noted the place of inter-generational conversation, mentoring and education to build a new generation of leaders and public managers.

    According to Olaopa, the evolving plan to reform the public  service finds expression  in two ways.One is that the rate of social progress that Nigeria would ever achieve depends on the degree to which political power and vision are matched with intelligence – policy, strategy and managerial acumen.

    “Consequently, professionalism in the civil service must start with the greater weight given to authority of knowledge and expertise over and above the known conventional considerations.And this will depend on how far we go to restore competency-based HRM practices. And this is consistent with His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu aspiration to institute a government of national competence. In so doing, we are determined to align all our national values such as the Federal character policy, and other core elements of our diversity namely, nationality, gender, age, disability, etc. with the merit system in creative ways” , he said.

    “The overarching goal is to build a new generation of leaders and public managers within framework of a value-based civil service that is people-focused, professional, technology-enabled, entrepreneurial and accountable to deliver quality service to the Nigerian people as a social compact”, he added.

     To Olaopa , another  pillar in the  change management strategy of the  FCSC under his auspices is intergenerational conversation, mentorship and intentional grooming of future public servants from the homes to school,  college , and NYSC camps and mainstreaming of cohorts of role models into the the envisioned future public service workforce.

    He said: “In this regard, we see the FCSC and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development as strategic partners. And what are we looking out as methodology for this social engineering transformational process?

    “ First, we plan to work with the National Orientation Agency, the Federal Ministry of Education, National University Commission and some agencies under your ministry namely, NYSC, Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre among others, to develop an inter-agency public service orientation mentoring program as part of building upcoming youth as new generation public managers.

    “ it is evident that what has been missing, among a few other factors in the Nigerian leadership equation, is effective mentoring, especially in preparation for public service and its roles. Effective mentorship affects and influences the processes and outcomes in leadership, including talent management, public service values and orientation, bureaucratic corruption, succession planning and performance management. Mentoring produces leaders that ensure continuity and maintain the culture and values of the institution because such leaders have not only been taught but also groomed and nurtured. They climb on the shoulders of giants and therefore are far more effective and visionary in administration. Mentorship role is ‘earned’ by reputation and integrity of purpose not just by age and status in society.”

    He added: “The Nigerian youth are caught in-between the crisis of leadership development and the failure of mentorship. A system without mentors; the engine that the younger generation looks up to for inspiration and boost, will struggle with growth, efficiency and development. There seems to be a general crisis of the poverty of spirits among the older generation in the country. It is a formidable challenge. There is a dearth of men and women of integrity in the country, making it difficult to have mentors who will be looked upon as role models and agents that will motivate, energise and mobilise the younger generation as the needed change and ethical revolution in the country.

    “The mentoring programme that we envision will not be necessarily hierarchical or time-consuming.”

     Senior leaders and officers have invaluable knowledge that demands to be shared, but so do the youth. Every generation has something to learn and something to teach, which is where ‘reverse mentoring’ comes in. In reverse mentoring, younger people mentor older ones. This trend has a double-sided benefit: The older generation stay on the pulse of trends important to young people, while the younger ones feel more connected and invested, because they are contributing to the improvement of the society at the different levels.

    “ As part of the process for reinstituting the merit system as the core of public service professionalism, we want to include in the recruitment entry assessment guideline a component where the top 3 to 5 performers that are transparently selected in each of the 109 Senatorial districts in Nigeria are injected into the Federal service annually.

    Read Also: JUST IN: Tinubu congratulates Eagles for picking AFCON final ticket

    The  minister said the vision of the Chairman aligns with that  of  her ministry where there is intentional programme to catch the young ones early where their leadership qualities are identified. She said the programme does not  have a bias for social background,  noting that leaders are born but environment can be created to groom and nurture others into an effective leadership.

    He said he country has not placed a premium on young people and that any country that desires development must invest in young people. She  linked the youth restiveness  in the country to  neglect in this aspect which it could have been averted if adequate attention was paid in this regard.

    According to her also, there is a need for youth corps members on national service to be matched with their careers so as not veer off of their ambitions to avoid mismatch.

    She disclosed that the Enterprise Development Programme in NYSC would be strengthened , saying only 10 percent of 400,000 youth corps members get actual jobs while the rest wande about.

    She emphasized that skills sets of the youths need to be upgraded, She stated that some aspects of NYSC programme need to work in collaboration with the private sector which includes the  NYSC Farms.

    She promised to work with the chairman of the  FCSC to actualize his agenda in order to give the youths the head-start they need in life.

  • Experts okay cost-saving measures as public debts hit N95tr

    Experts okay cost-saving measures as public debts hit N95tr

    Nigeria’s public debts have risen to more than N95 trillion as the government began implementing measures to cut back public expenditures.

    The Nation Economic Intelligence Report yesterday indicated that the debts, which stood at N87.91 trillion by the third quarter of last year, rose to about N95.04 trillion by last December 31.

    In its last official report, the Debt Management Office (DMO), which oversees the government’s debt issuances and management, reported that the debts rose marginally by 0.61 per cent from N87.379 trillion in second quarter of last year to N87.91 trillion in the third quarter.

    The Nation report showed that the about 8.1 per cent increase in national debts was largely due to negative effect of currency depreciation, which witnessed a gap of about 17 per cent, compared with three per cent increase due to new domestic issuances.

    At the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s weighted average rate of N899.393 per dollar at the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM), the external debts rose from N31.98 trillion in September to N37.406 trillion last month.

    The forex rate was N768.76 per dollar by the end of the third quarter. This represented an increase of N5.426 trillion (or 17 per cent) due to currency depreciation. The country’s foreign debts had remained relatively unchanged at $41.59 billion.

    Domestic debts rose from N55.93 trillion in third quarter to about N57.63 trillion by the end of the year under review, due to continued debt issuances in the fourth quarter. The government raised more than N1.70 trillion loans in the fourth quarter.

    A breakdown by debt issuances showed that the government raised about N989.24 billion last October and subsequently cut down to N437.88 billion and N275.30 billion in November and December, last year.

    By instruments, government raised about N1.04 trillion through regular bonds in fourth quarter 2023, N6.04 billion through the monthly Federal Government of Nigeria Savings Bonds (FGNSBs), N666.5 million through Nigerian Treasury Bills and about N652.83 billion through Sukuk bonds.

    Economy and finance experts said they expected the government’s efforts at reducing borrowings, increasing revenues and optimising public expenditures to moderate national debts. There is also expectation that CBN’s plan to stabilise the naira at the forex market will mitigate the negative volatility in foreign debts.

    President Bola Tinubu in the 2024 Budget plans to reduce domestic borrowings by about 40 per cent while budget deficit to Gross Domestic Products (GDP) is expected to reduce significantly from 6.1 per cent in 2023 to 3.9 per cent this year.

    The government’s N28.78 trillion Budget was anchored on increased efficiencies in revenue generations and management, as well as deft financial management strategies, including monetisation of assets, higher returns from government’s shareholdings and public private partnerships.

    The government also recently reduced public expenditures on foreign and domestic travels by cutting official entourages by 60 per cent. 

    The government projects a 338 per cent increase in dividends accruable from its major shareholdings in key companies as part of efforts to extract greater values from its assets and reduce dependency on borrowings.

    The government is implementing a dual-strategy of reducing debt burden while simultaneously sweating its assets to fund the envisaged gap, due to reduction in borrowings. Consecutive increase in borrowings had been one of the mainstays of the previous budgets.

    Managing Director, Arthur Steven Asset Management, Mr. Olatunde Amolegbe, said the government’s efforts at enhancing public expenditure efficiency is commendable as it aligns fiscal stance with the overall macroeconomic outlook.

    He said: “Probity is always good for an economy with a debt problem because it sends the right signals to your creditors that resources are being used judiciously.

    “This could contribute to bringing down the gearing ratio, strengthen risk rating and positively impact the cost of future borrowing. This is the economic impact.”

    According to him, with the ongoing belt-tightening reforms by the government, efforts must be made to show leadership by example by removing leakages and wastages.

    “Effective public debt management will require the authorities to define clear cut debt ratios that they believe the economy can sustain and have the discipline to remain with those ratios rather than continue to borrow or print money in the hope that all will be well eventually. Hope is not a strategy,” Amolegbe said.

    Managing Director, HighCap Securities, Mr. David Adonri, said the government must remain focused on its debt reduction strategy and increase in non-debt revenues.

    According to him, surplus budgeting by the governments is required now to align fiscal policy with current contractionary monetary policy to rein in inflation.

    He pointed out that with intensive cost rationalisation, fiscal policy could be contracted, noting that deficit budgeting by the government amid a deadly debt trap exacerbates compulsion for more borrowing, thus fueling inflation.

    “The government is still over-trading, living beyond its means. Most of the responsibilities it shoulders can be delegated to the private sector with better results. Debt as a financial leverage can be beneficial to an extent beyond which it increases the risk of financial failure of an organisation.

    “The dilemma is that debt forgiveness is not feasible as creditors are now wiser and the government is not prepared to reschedule its debt due to reputational damage it can cause,” Adonri said.

    He added that there are options available to government to choose from which would make deficit budgeting and further borrowing unnecessary, urging the government to re-strategise fiscal policies that will drive production and trade.

    Read Also: Tinubu: Presidency blasts Atiku, describes ex-VP as new opposition-in-chief

    Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, outlined a comprehensive strategy that would underpin the implementation of the budget, with the overall aims of reducing deficit, enhancing revenue and locking in significant values into expenditures.

    To achieve the objectives, the government will be implementing a variety of strategies including a thorough review of recurrent expenditure and prioritising essential spending and eliminating wasteful or unproductive expenditures.

    These may include streamlining administrative processes, reducing travel costs, and consolidating certain functions.

    Also, there will be efficient allocation of capital expenditure which is crucial for driving economic growth. The government would prioritise capital projects that have a high impact on productivity, job creation, and infrastructure development.

    These include investment in energy, transportation and other critical sectors.

    In the area of revenue generation, the government will expand the tax base by identifying and incorporating new sources of revenue, such as the informal sector and digital transactions. These may involve simplifying tax laws, improving tax administration, and implementing targeted compliance measures.

    The government would also improve tax collection efficiency to maximise revenue generation while investing in technology, strengthening tax administration systems, and enhancing taxpayer education to improve compliance and reduce tax evasion.

    Also, government would explore alternative revenue sources beyond traditional taxation, such as asset monetization and privatisation, public-private partnerships, and targeted fees for specific services.

    The government would also incentivize investment and economic growth by implementing tax breaks or other incentives for priority sectors.

    These strategies are expected to attract domestic and foreign investments, thus fostering job creation and economic expansion.

  • Budgets of 63 Government Owned Enterprises made public

    Budgets of 63 Government Owned Enterprises made public

    • Civil societies, citizens rights advocates hail action

    The Federal Government for the first time has published the 2024 budgets of its 63 government-owned enterprises (GOEs) in a major move to open them up to scrutiny.

    It was the first time the government would publicly make available the income and expenditure profiles of its GOEs.

    Civil societies, anti-corruption groups and citizens’ rights advocates yesterday hailed the decision to publish the budget estimates as an “unprecedented” first-of-its-kind step to increased transparency and accountability.  

    President Bola Tinubu on Monday signed the N28.78 trillion 2024 Appropriation Act with a warning to ministers and GOEs that anyone impeding effective budget implementation will be removed.

    Tinubu assured that the 2024 budget will signal a major change for the country in terms of implementation, monitoring and evaluation, with the MDAs and GOEs expected to provide regular periodic budget assessments and performance reports.  The N28.78 trillion 2024 budget, which implementation started immediately after the presidential assent, included N1.74 trillion statutory transfer; N8.77 trillion recurrent expenditure; N9.99 trillion capital expenditure; and N8.27 trillion debt service.

    Major budget assumptions included an exchange rate of N800 per dollar, 1.78mbpd daily oil production, a $77.96 oil benchmark price and a GDP growth rate of 3.88 per cent.

    Spokesperson for BudgIT, Nancy Odimegwu, commended the government for the unprecedented step toward transparency as this was the first time the government would be acceding to public clamour for insights into the budgets of the major agencies and enterprises.

    BudgIT, a prominent civic-tech organisation that often coordinates activities of civil and citizens’ economic rights advocates, noted that disclosing the proposed 2024 GOEs’ budget was crucial in spotlighting these revenue-generating entities.

    The GOEs included headlining agencies at the ports, airports, financial services regulations, export processing and management, Customs, immigration, standards and drug regulations, communications, railways, oil and gas, education and corporate regulation.

    These included Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), National Insurance Commission (Naicom), National Pension Commission (Pencom), Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

    Others included the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Nigerian Railway Corporation, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority and Joint Admission and Matriculation Board among others.

    A review of the published estimates obtained by The Nation provided a glimpse into the viability and operational capability of several GOEs.

    Sources in the know yesterday said the government was disposed to providing further details about the GOEs’ activities as part of open governance and accountability promised by Tinubu.

    Read Also: Osun APC blasts Aregbesola, says ex-gov dishonoured agreement by Tinubu, Akande

    They said the publication of the budget estimates, and additional information on key expenditure headlines and monthly budget reports, will put the GOEs under intense pressure to block leakages and optimise operational efficiency.

    They noted that the budget publications and performance reports may headline further reforms in GOEs during the year.

    While several GOEs proposed to generate more revenue than expenditure, others depended largely on the government to supplement the wide deficit between income and expenditure. For instance, Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading, with a proposed revenue of N13.37 billion, is expected to spend N454.81 billion. National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (Notap), which projected revenue of N725.57 million estimated expenditure at N1.27 billion.

    Odimegwu urged the Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning and the Budget Office of the Federation to continue in their effort to ensure transparency in the use and allocation of government resources.

    “We anticipate that the Ministry will make public comprehensive details of the 2024 Approved Budget to keep citizens informed and empowered to engage with the government across all levels,” BudgIT stated.

  • Transforming public service for greater efficiency

    Transforming public service for greater efficiency

    Amid challenges, stakeholders underscore the need for a renewed vigour in the public service to enhance service delivery efficiency. Despite prior attempts yielding minimal result, Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation has embraced this challenge with a mission to transform the public service. Through a partnership with University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government, the foundation aspires to inject over 3,000 Nigerians, equipped with contemporary skills and fresh perspectives, into the public service by 2030. Assistant Editor, MUYIWA LUCAS, reports

    Transformational change is a critical ingredient needed in the rebuilding of the country. To achieve this, experts and stakeholders are convinced that a vital starting point will involve giving the public service sector a re-orientation, including equipping the workers with the state of the art tools and change of attitude to work.

    In Nigeria, the public sector, which is comprised of the three tiers of government, remains the biggest employers of labour accounting for about 1.2 million employees across the three tiers of government agencies. However, notwithstanding this huge figure, making the sector efficient has remained a major source of concern. This is not due to lack of efforts by government and other related bodies though.

    Previous initiatives aimed at transforming the public sector include the Dotun Philips Panel of 1985 which attempted to reform the Civil Service. The 1988 Civil Service Reorganisation Decree promulgated by former military President General Ibrahim Babangida (retired) had a major impact on the structure and efficiency of the Civil Service. Still, in August 2009 the then Head of the Civil Service, Stephen Oronsaye, proposed reforms aimed at repositioning the Nigerian civil service to be among the best organised and managed in the world. While the public sector has been undergoing gradual and systematic reforms and restructuring, however, it is argued that upon the return of the country to democratic rule on May 29, 1999, the civil service is still considered stagnant and inefficient, making the efforts made in the past yield little or no dividend.

    In a research work titled:“Nigerian Public Service Performance in a Dysfunctional Ecology: Issues, Challenges and the way Forward” conducted by Cyril Osawe of the Department of Public Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences, Lagos State University, Ojo-Nigeria, and published in the Review of Public Administration and Management Vol. 3, No. 7, July 2015, by arabianjbmr.com, the author noted that while the issue of enhancing the Nigerian public service performance has been a subject of debate, the framework through which this can be achieved to a large extent depends on the ability of the government to formulate policies capable of promoting effective public service performance. Osawe noted that despite all reforms geared towards improving the performance of the sector, service delivery has remained poor.

    “The performance of the public service towards national development is no doubt the most tasking challenge that the government of Nigeria is facing today. The Public Service reflects the state of the nation and no nation has been able to advance beyond its Public Service. Studies have shown that no nation can attain sustainable development for the enhancement of the living standard of the people without a properly organised public service to implement government policies,” Osawe noted.

    He, therefore, submitted that for the public service to perform effectively, it has to operate under some core values such as integrity, meritocracy, discipline, professionalism, patriotism, impartiality and secrecy of government information, except where the information divulged conforms to the Freedom of Information Act.

    Indeed, the concern for public officials is now on the rise, with different bodies and organisations contributing their quota to enhancing service delivery as well as professionalism in the sector. At a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) funded three-day leadership retreat for Nigerian governors recently, Lealem Berhand Dinku of UNDP noted that the programme was designed to provide a transformative platform for public officials to collectively reflect, learn and exchange insights on effective leadership and complex challenges. “By focusing on experiential learning, exploration and reflection, the distinguished participants will be equipped with the necessary skills and competencies to lead in highly complex and uncertain environments,” he observed. Such is the concern for the public service in Nigeria.

    Bridging the gap

    Experts agree that while reforming the public service sector is pivotal to entrenching a viable economy and strengthening of the country, yet, undertaking such venture remains a capital intensive exercise which the country may not be able to afford in a long while giving the paucity of funds available to government amidst the numerous contending sectors begging for funding amidst other demands.

    But a private sector driven initiative has since seized the initiative to channel a new course in public service. Determined to contribute meaningfully into having a strong and virile public service, the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation (AIG), established in 2017 by a former Access Bank Managing Director and his spouse, Aigboje and Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede, aimed at bringing the needed change to public service in the country and across Africa.

    The Foundation is confident that by strengthening public sector reform with funding and technical assistance and by implementing capacity-building programmes for public servants, through collaboration with government ministries, departments and agencies, academic institutions, civil society organisations, and private sector entities, a far reaching impact would be attained.

    In collaboration with the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government, the AIG Foundation offers Nigerian public servants an immersive executive education experience aimed at strengthening the skills they need to build cultures of excellence, effectiveness and integrity throughout the institutions they lead. With this, beneficiaries of the programme are positioned to enhance their countries’ development through improved governance and public policy creation. Since its inception in 2017, 29 scholarships worth over £50,000 each have been awarded to future public sector leaders who have demonstrated a passion for the public sector.

    Other initiatives by the Foundation include the AIG Senior Leaders Programme for Federal Permanent Secretaries and the annual AIG Public Leaders Programme, which aims to provide high-potential public servants with the knowledge required to bring about transformational change across their organisations. Through its various programmes, the Foundation has helped in training about 400 public servants since 2017 and targeting to reach 3,000 of the country’s top public servants by 2030.

    AIG Scholars spend the year at one of the world’s top universities, gaining knowledge and skills from the outstanding academic faculty and expert practitioners and interacting with other future public sector leaders from around the world. After completing their degree, Scholars return to their countries and use their learnings to bolster policymaking, support reforms and contribute to their nation’s development.

    Read Also: Fed Govt targets 20,000mw power generation in three years

    At the closing ceremony of the AIG Public Leaders Programme which took place at the Conference Hall of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja, last year, His Royal Highness, Muhammadu Sanusi II, enjoined the 49 grandaunts of the programme to use the learnings they received to drive change in their organisations. He stated that those who have the privilege of receiving world-class training like that offered by the University of Oxford had a burden of responsibility to serve the nation and its people with integrity and not to use their office for personal enrichment.

    Change Agents

    Beneficiaries in the AIG Foundation may have become agents of change in the Nigerian public service. For instance, a year 2020 AIG scholar, Folasade Osho, who is an Assistant Chief Regulatory Officer at the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), explained that her Master’s in Public Policy degree (MPP) ensured she acquired the skills and capacity to use multi-disciplinary and global perspectives to tackle the country’s public policy challenges.

    “Interacting with world-class academics, policy experts, a diverse cohort, and robust multi-disciplinary course content broadened my perspective and allowed me to embrace global, historical and multidisciplinary perspectives when considering available options to address Nigeria’s policy problems,” Osho explained, attributing her success in Oxford to the solid academic support provided by the Blavatnik School of Government (BSG) and the coaching and mentorship sessions that were integral to the AIG Scholarship programme. She is particularly grateful for the summer project she undertook with the Oxford in Berlin Global Public Health Strategy Group in Oxford, saying it provided her with a career enhancing opportunity and the experience of contributing to a national project.

    Osho, who presently serves as a member of the Technical Working Committee implementing pharmaceutical traceability in Nigeria, said the project focused on using digital tools to mitigate the supply of substandard or falsified COVID-19 vaccines in lower-middle-isometries. She attributed the knowledge and experience she gained during the project to her being included to serve on the Technical Working Group (TWG) for implementing pharmaceutical traceability in Nigeria. She is grateful that becoming an AIG scholar has changed her life, opening many doors of opportunities. She has also been involved in preparing guidelines and organising workshops and training for stakeholders within the pharmaceutical supply chain, the Federal Ministry of Health, other agencies, and funding partners. These activities are in preparation for a full-scale implementation of traceability for all medical products in Nigeria by 2024.

    The Special Adviser to the Chairperson, Board of Trustees, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), Hakeem Onasanya, was a 2019 AIG beneficiary in a Master’s in Public Policy degree (MPP) programme. Relieving his time at Oxford, which he described as “life changing,” he said: “My experience at the Blavatnik School of Government was a once-in-a-lifetime, life changing opportunity. I gained practical knowledge from academics and renowned public policy leaders on the nuances of public service. When you work in public service, you must serve the people; you are not doing them a favour. So, I approach my work with that mindset. I also carry out constant impact evaluations to assess how the beneficiaries of any project I am engaged in are faring and if it is solving the identified problem. Finally, I ensure that I obtain sufficient data so that the assessment of the results of our interventions is backed by evidence,” Onasanya said.

    Garlands for the AIG Foundation has not ceased to stop. A former Special Assistant to former President Muhammadu Buhari on Finance but attached to the office of the immediate past Vice President, Professor Osinbanjo, Louisa Chinedu-Okeke, was a 2018 AIG scholar in the Master’s in Public Policy degree (MPP) class at the University of Oxford.

    Propelled by her desire to make a leap from a career in consulting to the public sector, Chinedu-Okeke sought and gained knowledge and developed skills from one of the world’s leading universities that positioned her be successful as she transitioned into the public sphere. “The MPP allows you to engage with a broad spectrum of policy areas without feeling restricted. The applied elements of the course enable you to go beyond the theory and develop a diverse set of skills integral to working in public service,” she said.

    The AIG Foundation product revealed that the knowledge gained while on the scholarship, proved very handy in her role as a member of a committee that monitored and evaluated the implementation of Nigeria’s economic sustainability plan created in response to the economic impact of COVID-19, including her membership of the Fiscal Policy Reform Committee that came up with the Finance Bill for 2021. For her, the AIG Scholarships are a rare opportunity. Her words: “Not only did the scholarship made it possible for me to attend the University of Oxford, but it also provided a great support network. The team at the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation were always on hand to provide advice and support. I encourage any Nigerian Civil Servant looking to create change in the public sector to apply for the programme.”

    Changing narratives

    The AIG-Imoukheude Foundation, on its website, says it seeks to solve real-world problems by training its focus on advocacy, capacity building, civil service reforms, and improving healthcare. Through evidence-based advocacy, it seeks to provide focused citizens with information and knowledge about public sector performance so that they are empowered to call for improved public service delivery and hold the government accountable. It also advocates for increased private-public sector collaboration and knowledge transfer to improve the effectiveness of the public sector.

    It has capacity building programme directed at enhancing the proficiency of civil servants and other public sector officials to be more effective in their roles. This is done by funding scholarships, developing executive training programmes based on the needs of the public sector workforce, and collaborating with government entities to support their capacity-building initiatives. The AIG Foundation also supports the reform initiatives of public sector entities by providing financing, strategic support, and technical assistance, focusing on projects that will ultimately contribute to a more effective service.

    The foundation also seeks to improve access to quality, affordable healthcare and is working with the government to strengthen primary healthcare systems for better health outcomes for all citizens.

    “We also collaborate with carefully chosen partners to provide them with strategic support and funding to address some of the most significant challenges in Africa’s primary healthcare sector,” it said on its website.

  • ‘Private, public partnership vital for sea time training’

    Private and governmentowned organisations have been urged to invest in indigenous cadets’ sea time training.

    Some experts gave the advice at conference titled: “A Day with Nigerian Maritime Students”.

    At the conference, organised by Platforms Communications in Lagos, the expertss lamented that lack of sea time portend negative future for cadets in Nigerian-owned maritime academies. They are convinced that training of cadets aboard tugboats and smaller crafts would not bring out the best.

    Conference Chairman and Shipowners Association of Nigeria (SOAN President, Dr. McGeorge Onyung, urged the government and the private sector to invest in the  industry to boost youths’ capacity.

    The SOAN chief urged the students to take their studies very serious and forget about the challenges they might encounter.

    “You have capacities as adults to do exploit. So, I say to you, people don’t go to Olympics to try; You go there to get a gold medal. Don’t say, I went to school, I have tried, I want you to go and get a gold medal,” Onyung said.

    Similarly, Nigerian Association of Master Mariners (NAMMS) former president, Ade Olopoeniyan, a Captain, called on government agencies, maritime colleges as well as maritime stakeholders to fashion out better ways of providing sea time experience for cadets to have proper practical training onboard ships.

    Olopoeniyan admonished the students that the fact remained that most of them would not have the opportunity to practical training on a ship even though the conference was themed “beyond sea time”.

    “I know that a lot of cadets here, when you finish, you will not be able to get that mandatory 12- month on a ship or if the ship is not trading, you are not getting enough practical training. If the ship will just be at anchorage for about six or nine months, you won’t get any training, you are just on a ship, you are not getting enough experience,” he said.

    He, therefore, charged the government agencies, ship owners, stakeholders, maritime colleges, among others, to fashion out better ways of getting sea time for cadets so that they can have proper practical training onboard ships and not just on a ship staying at anchorage for twelve months then you.

    He agreed with Onyung that several vessels on the Nigerian waters were being manned by foreigners. He was confident that if more Nigerians qualify as seafarers, there wouldn’t be need for foreigners on indigenous ships.

    Olopoeniyan used the opportunity offered by the occasion to encourage the students that it is important for them to get certified as this would ensure that they didn’t  only operate on coastal vessels, but also could be on foreign going vessels, which will afford them. The requisite experience and exposure.

    “Then, beyond sea time, maybe after you have gotten your classified by universal certificate or classified by Nigeria certificate, you can decide to come to your second career at shore which was what I did. After I became a captain on a ship, I came down to work ashore, which was my second career and I worked in the Ministry of Transport; I worked in NIMASA and I have retired now. And I am actually into my third career now by just doing consultancy services.

    “I have had three careers as a seafarer, which if you are serious, you can emulate what I have done by actually having first, second and third career as seafarers”, he stated.

    Similarly, the Finance and Administration, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Executive Director Bashir Jamoh, stressed the need for the ferry business to be utilised effectively.

    He called on the government to invest on shipping building which would serve as an alternative for cadets and seafarers to be gainfully employed.

  • Seplat urges public, private sector investments

    Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, has urged the public and private sectors to invest more in research and development aimed at promoting safety.

    The oil company noted that such investments should cut across the various sectors of the economy as is the case for the oil/gas and aviation sectors, among others.

    Its Operations Director, Effiong Okon, stated this at the Nigeria Professional Development Conference and Exhibition in Lagos. It was organised by the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), Nigerian Chapter. The theme of the event was ‘Sustainable safety for national development.’

    According to Okon, safety is at the forefront of Seplat’s activities, which have enabled it to conduct its activities across the country with minimal footprint. “We approach safety, using the people, environment, asset and reputation model incorporated in our ‘safety first’ policy. We only execute projects that promote continuous reduction of environmental impact in our operations,” he said.

    He added: “We track offshoots from our operations and strive to reduce adverse effects from our facilities. Our internal use of gas flared reduced by over 95 per cent between 2011 and 2017.

    “Seplat has incorporated key programmes across all its facilities to achieve flares out by 2020 in line with keeping the environment safe. We comply with all regulatory requirements and benchmark our performance with international standards.”

    Okon said the company has seen continuous decline in safety incidents over the years and would continue to deploy safety training and coaching to hone safety consciousness and skills of its local contractors.

    Progressively managing challenges around establishment of support infrastructure for safety management, he noted, remained a priority to the company, adding that: “Since the taking over of our current assets, third-party interference on Seplat’s infrastructure had been significantly minimised.”

  • ‘Private, public partnership key to bridging housing gap

    Long-term public-private partnerships can ease Nigeria’s housing crisis, the Founder/Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Nedcomoaks Limited, a real estate company, Dr. Kennedy Okonkwo, has said.

    Okonkwo said the partnerships between private and public sector was key to improving housing gap in Nigeria.

    He underscored the power of collaboration in the housing sector and urged the government to play its role of driving the public-private partnership model in order to create affordable housing in Nigeria’s growing cities.

    “Financing infrastructure deficit across Nigeria and other African countries will involve collective innovation both across the public and the private sectors,” Okonkwo, whose firm is engaged in the acquisition, development and management of properties in Nigeria, said.

    He further stated that apart from partnership and collaboration, creating affordable housing in Nigeria requires truly understanding how people in those communities live.

    According to him, a careful understanding of that fact will help in determining how fast the country can meet the demands of its fast-growing cities.

    Okonkwo said the power of Nigeria’s real estate sector to contribute to the socio-economic well-being of the country by providing low-income housing solutions to Nigerians cannot be over-emphasised.

    He said Nedcomoaks has emerged a top player in Nigeria’s residential real estate sector, with yearly revenue of over N15 billion in just under a decade, while also providing employment to thousands.

  • Public office-holders and wardrobes 

    Sir: President Barack Obama, the immediate past president of the U.S., may not have much going for him but he was thoroughly prudent in terms of personal expenditures regarding items of luxury involving matters of wardrobe especially. President Obama was once reported as saying he had only a couple of blue and grey suits to choose from. These drab-coloured outfits meant that he could switch between a few of them ever so often without appearing to be officially under-dressed and thus cost was ultimately saved in the long run. This situation is not the case with Nigeria’s public office-holders; the heavy layers of very expensive multi-coloured masquerade-like garb they clothe themselves in every single day would fluster many a government-account auditor as to how much go into “wardrobe allowances” if they choose to scrutinise the true costs of these apparels. Amongst Nigeria’s “bigman” class it is just infra-dig to repeat once-worn outfit and thus tens of millions of naira go into layering up a public functionary over a 12-month period; that figure is conservative estimate for the less-flamboyant dresser who shuns those sky-scrapping and conical headdresses. It is annoying to realise how we waste so much to keep appearance in Nigeria in the midst of abject poverty and raw sewage.

     

    • Sunday Adole Jonah,

    FUT, Minna, Niger State.

  • MTN Nigeria’s public offering coming

    MTN Group Ltd. is focused on laying the groundwork for an initial public offering (IPO) of its Nigerian business and should complete the process in the next six months, its Chief Executive Officer, Rob Shuter, said.

    “We have a lot of advisers running around getting everything ready. It’s a complicated process and there’s a lot of regulation that needs to be arranged. We are moving forward well with the project and anticipate concluding that in the next six months or so,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg TV yesterday.

    MTN agreed to the Lagos IPO as part of the settlement of a $1 billion fine imposed by Nigerian regulators on MTN in 2015. Africa’s biggest wireless operator by sales incurred the penalty after missing a deadline to disconnect unregistered subscribers amid a security crackdown in the west African country. Since then, the CEO said he’s been “pleased” with MTN’s operation in Nigeria, the biggest of the Johannesburg-based company’s 22 markets across Africa and the Middle East.

    Shuter, 50, joined MTN in March after holding executive roles at Vodafone Group Plc in Europe. He is the permanent replacement for Sifiso Dabengwa, who resigned after the Nigerian fine was imposed. Chairman Phuthuma Nhleko had run the company in the interim period.

    MTN had named the Vodafone Executive as CEO in wake of Nigeria fine.  MTN’s two other main countries are Iran and South Africa. In the former, Shuter said the company isn’t “holding back” on expansion plans even as U.S. President Donald Trump objects to the terms of a nuclear deal that led to the lifting of economic sanctions last year. MTN has about 49.5 million customers in Iran, just under Nigeria’s 50.3 million, and has repatriated almost $1 billion from the country in the last 12 months.

    “We are putting a lot of investment into the ground in Irancell. There is a huge demand for mobile data there, its one of our fastest growing data markets. It is business as usual,” Shuter said.

    MTN has no immediate plans to expand into new countries, and is instead focused on improving operations in existing markets, which include conflict areas such as Afghanistan and South Sudan, according to the CEO.

    The company needs to “build what we need to and get our networks into shape. In months to come I think there will be an opportunity to participate in the consolidation of the market,”  Shuter said.

    MTN shares rose 0.2 per cent to 122.96 rand as of 10:53 a.m. in Johannesburg, valuing the company at 231 billion rand ($16.3 billion).