Jega Laments Dearth of Quality, Competent Leadership in Public Service

•Strong public sector key to economic growth, says Aig-Imoukhuede

James Emejo in Abuja

Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, yesterday, bemoaned the dearth of quality leadership in the country’s public service. Jega said the quality of leadership at the heart of government was a critical determinant of success or failure of national development aspirations.

Jega made the assertions while speaking on, “Public Sector Leadership in Times of Crises”, at the closing ceremony of AIG – Imoukhuede Public Leaders Programme in Abuja.

The former INEC chairman said, “In most developing countries, and certainly in Nigeria, the quality of public sector leadership lags behind what obtains in other sectors, especially the private sectors, although there is now also increasing concern about the declining values of integrity, as well as professionalism and efficiency in the delivery of services in the Nigerian private sectors.”

He said in spite of many attempted reform measures in the country since the mid-1980s, the public sector had experienced”decomposition”, reflected in the nature and character of the state structures, institutions, and processes, as well as the orientation, character, and disposition of those leading it.

Jega said, “Substantively, this means that the Nigerian public sector has, for long, been in dire need of ‘re-composition’, for it to efficiently and effectively deliver public goods and services, in order to re-establish the capacity of the Nigerian state to play one of its key roles, which is the deployment of state resources for the satisfaction of citizens’ needs and aspirations, through the delivery of public goods and services that promote, protect and defend human security.”

The former INEC chairman said the quality of leadership- provided by the range of leaders who managed, directed, and controlled public sector institutions, structures, and processes was fundamental to progress and development in any sector of a modern nation state, be it public or private, or even the civil society sphere.

He noted that how to recruit, train, and mentor capable executive cadre employees to become good leaders, with remarkable experience and formidable leadership skill sets had been a perennial challenge that needed to be constantly addressed.

Regrettably, he said governments in countries, such as Nigeria, had paid inadequate attention to the challenge.

He, however, expressed hope that the activities of organisations like the AIG-Imoukhuede Foundation, might serve to sensitise governments at various levels to be alive to their responsibilities.

Jega said African countries needed to pay considerable attention to increasing the capacity, competence, and effectiveness of leadership in the public sector, so as to reposition it for greater roles and impact beneficial for economic growth and socioeconomic development.

According to him, nurturing and sustaining high quality public sector leadership remains both a panacea for stable societal development, as well as a proactive strategic preparation for the successful resolution of crises that may arise.

He said, “Indeed, providing public sector leaders with skill sets to anticipate, strategically plan, and effectively mitigate crises in our kinds of environments, is a task that must be done. Our governments should spare no energy, effort, and investment in this regard.

In his own remarks, the founder of the foundation, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, said there was a strong correlation between the performance of a country’s public sector and its economic development.

Aig-Imoukhuede said the foundation was convinced that creating an effective, value-driven, and result-focused African public sector would lead to significant and measurable improvement in the continent’s economic, social, and political performance and, of course, a better life for its citizens.

He said, “A performing public sector improves the lives of the citizens we serve; for me, at the minimum, I will say, if you say you are a performing public servant, it means that you would make a bad situation better. You would make a good situation better and even you would make the best situation better and that’s all that we expect of you as citizens of the nation that benefit from your service.”