Stakeholders in the public sector space have faulted the reward system for officers in Nigeria public service.
Speaking during a panel discussion with the theme: ‘Unlocking the Binding Constraints to Execution,’ at the ongoing Nigerian Economic Summit #NES28, the stakeholders highlighted disparity in welfare package as a discouraging factor affecting effective service delivery in government.
Kayode Fayemi, a former governor of Ekiti State stressed on the need for a framework that supports fair sharing and participation of citizens in governance structure.
According to him, “We need to address reward system across the board,” Fayemi said while complaining about the disparity of welfare package of even a seating state governor and a middle-position holder in a parastatal like central bank among others.
Fayemi said Nigeria needs to address what he called false dichotomy between market and government. It’s not an either or. He noted that bureaucracy is one of the constraints that works against even an officer who came into office prepared.
Also, Folasade Yemi-Esan, head of Service of the federation said the disparity in salary structure between civil servants and public servants is a major contributor to implementation of government programmes.
Represented by the Magdalene Ajani, permanent secretary in the ministry of Transportation, the HOS cited the national reward system as a problem that must be addressed. She said the situation where some government workers receive higher salaries and allowances than others is a discouraging factor.
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Also, Ifueko Omoigui Okauru, former chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) said the three major constraints to implementing government policies and programmes include African culture which she said is a compendium of deceit.
“We really need to interrogate African culture we celebrate so much; our diversity is a binding constraint; we have really poor habits,” she said. Ifueko said Nigeria needs to standardise the education system and have a minimum requirement in the sector. “We need a shared vision, a reformed civil service, build properly developed plan and communicate effectively,” she said.
Tunji Olaopa, executive chairman, Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy, said the problem is partly based on silos operations of experts and implementers of government programmes; and poor culture of implementation planning.
Olaopa stressed on the need for synergy among departments in ministries and agencies of government stating that each has been operating in silos.
