PROTOCOL
I am pleased to welcome you to the meeting between the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) and Multilaterals/Development Partners on implementation of the 2017 – 2020 Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, designed to reposition the Service for better performance and enhanced quality of service delivery to Nigerians. I wish to thank you all especially the Development Partners for making it a priority to attend today’s meeting. This is an indication of your firm commitment and support to the aspirations and the visions of the current Administration to entrench an efficient and productive Civil Service that will guarantee sustainable socio-economic development of the country.
2. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, you will recall that in order to reposition the Nigerian Federal Public Service as an effective machinery of government for improved service delivery, the current leadership of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) under my humble self and in line with the current Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Change agenda and Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) 2017 – 2020, charted a new course for the service intended to make the service Efficient, Productive, Incorruptible and Citizen-centred (EPIC). The new trajectory for the civil service after engagements with several relevant stakeholders culminated in the 2017 – 2020 Strategy of the OHCSF which was launched in February, 2017. The Strategy anchored on four goals was designed to reposition the bureaucracy to serve the effective machinery for the implementation of government policy and programmes.
3. It is relevant to recall that my Office at the instance of a Presidential intervention, received the support of African Initiative for Governance (AIG) and through the engagement of the services of McKinsey developed a clear communicable action plan for transforming the Nigeria Federal Civil Service by building on the 2017 – 2020 OHCSF Strategic Plan. This intervention gave rise to 2017 – 2020 Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP) with a number of characteristics which has increased the likelihood of success relative to previous reform attempts. These features include:
i. high impact prioritization of initiatives;
ii. specificity with actionable and detailed implementation plan;
iii. clear governance to drive reforms;
iv. partnerships for resources to support implementation; and
v. Change management as well as communication plan.
4. This document which was reviewed at various levels got approved by FEC on 12th July, 2017 with the following 8 priority areas identified and selected based on their potential for impact in the short term and their relevance to the ERGP implementation roles of the OHCSF:
i. Re-design and re-launch 3 core-training modules including Leadership Enhancement and Development Programme (LEAD-P) as a top talent programme and identify a ‘LEAD-P Presidential Cohort’ to cultivate as next generation of leaders in service;
ii. Launch a strategic sourcing of identified skills to bring in external talent at senior levels to drive high-level impact;
iii. Institutionalize performance management by finalizing the performance management system, piloting tools and introducing non-monetary recognition;
iv. Launch a salary review of the civil service as a first step to enhance the value proposition of civil servants;
v. Drive innovation in service by establishing Public Service innovation unit within the OHCSF and launching an Innovation Challenge towards reducing cost of governance and increasing revenue generation;
vi. Launch an EPIC culture transformation of the civil service;
vii. Accelerate roll-out of the full implementation of Integrated Personnel and Pay Roll Information System (IPPIS) Human Resource module; and
viii. Establish an enterprise content management solution to digitize content.
5. Following the approval of the Strategy by the Federal Executive Council, eight (8) Project Management Teams were constituted and inaugurated on 7th December, 2017. The members of the PMTs were drawn from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and relevant stakeholder MDAs and together with some Private Sector champions are expected to facilitate and drive day to day implementation of the eight (8) priority areas of the Strategy. The PMTs were constituted along the 8 priority initiatives and include the following:
i. Capacity Development & Training;
ii. Strategic Talent Sourcing and Recruitment;
iii. Performance Management;
iv. Staff Welfare;
v. Culture Change;
vi. Innovation,
vii. Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) and
viii. Enterprise Content Management (ECM).
6. It is apparent that the PMTs are confronted with onerous task in terms of delivering the Project’s set goals and objectives. I want to re-emphasize that the PMTs in line with the objectives of the Strategy are expected to deliver the following key outcomes by the year 2020:
i. N60-120bn savings from cleaning HR data on IPPIS,
ii. N2.5bn annual savings from digitizing content;
iii. 25,000 civil servants trained through revamped core modules,
iv. 200 future leaders cultivated through LEAD-P;
v. 5 Ministries with performance management system tools, routines, and dialogues to drive results based performance;
vi. at least 3 annual innovation challenges held to cultivate ideas, technologies, and for enhanced service delivery, efficiency and productivity in the public service.
7. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, from the time we constituted and inaugurated the PMTs, we have made progress and remained focused on ensuring successful delivery of the project. We commenced with a Retreat for members of the PMTs in Calabar, Cross River State from 31st January to 1st February, 2018. The Retreat was strategically designed to equip members of the PMTs with the requisite skills and knowledge to deliver the expected outcomes of the Strategy. This was immediately followed by a Deep Dive Session from 5th to 9th March, 2018 during which the PMTs received further technical support required to develop their various Implementation Plans.
8. Sustaining the tempo, one of our key private sector partner, African Initiative for Governance (AIG) facilitated a road show in Lagos from 9th to 11th April, 2018 which provided an opportunity for us to engage some key private sector players in the country to support the implementation of the Strategy. It will interest you to know that all the private sector players we engaged at the Road Show indicated their interest to support the implementation of the Strategy. This partnership, will no doubt help reposition the Federal Public Service for improved service delivery. It will also entrench favorable environment for the Private Sector to thrive and make better returns which will further boost government tax revenue. Furthermore, a technical session was convened from 30th April to 1st May, 2018 during which the Implementation Plans of the various PMTs were exhaustively discussed with further inputs made to enrich the plans as well as make implementation hitch free. It is important to inform you that work is near completion at the modern and well equipped Project Management Office for implementation of the Strategy. The office is situated at the 8th floor of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and is designed to provide a conducive environment for members of the PMTs to carry out their tasks effectively.
9. In line with the provisions of the Strategy, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation is committed to engaging the support of Multilaterals/Development Partners to ensure successful implementation of the Strategy. Today’s meeting will therefore provide an opportunity to interact with the PMTs as well as identify and agree on areas of interventions/support towards successful implementation of the 8 priority initiatives of the Strategy. It is important to inform you that as Development Partners, following your commitment to support the FCSSIP implantation with your resources, your representative will serve as a member of the Civil Service Implementation Committee which is one of the organs of the Governance Structure for the implementation of the Strategy. This meeting is therefore considered important as it will provide an opportunity for the PMTs and the Multilaterals/Development Partners to commence discussions on the various Implementation Plans as well as agree on possible areas of support/interventions. The current Federal Public Service Reform Initiative is timely, therefore, I wish to use this forum to urge you to support the Initiative towards ensuring a sustainable socio-economic development of Nigeria.
10. I wish to once more express my profound appreciation to the Multilaterals/Development Partners for making out time to attend this important meeting. I also wish to commend members of the PMTs for their commitment so far in ensuring successful implementation of the Strategy.
11. Thank you all and God bless
