FG Deploys Officials in MDAs on New Performance Monitoring System for Govt Staff

*Sensitises FMBN employees on latest assessment framework

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) yesterday received officials from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), as part of fresh plans to rejuvenate the public service and introduce a new framework for assessing performance.
Speaking at the event in Abuja, which also saw the inauguration of the Employee Performance Management Champions (EPMC), the Managing Director and Chief Executive of the bank, Shehu Osidi, stated that the programme involved the enunciation of clear performance metrics for all civil servants.

He stated that the bank recognised the critical importance of performance management and had commenced the journey even before the circular from the Head of Service of the Federation (HoSF), Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, with the existence of a performance management unit coordinating the endeavour.
Osidi argued that performance management wasn’t just about evaluating individuals, but about fostering a culture of continuous improvement and development.

According to him, it’s about recognising achievements, identifying areas for growth, and providing the necessary support and resources for employees to thrive.
He maintained that the session was not just about understanding the mechanics of the system, but about embracing the philosophy behind it.
“It’s about recognising that performance management is not a one-time event but an ongoing dialogue between management and employees. It’s about empowering our teams to take ownership of their destiny as well as that of our esteemed institution – the FMBN, “ he added.

Stressing that every worker plays a vital role in making the performance management system a success, the FMBN chief executive explained that feedback, engagement, and commitment were instrumental in driving positive outcomes for both individuals and the organisation as a whole.
He pointed out that management was keenly aware that human capital remains fundamental to the achievement of the bank’s strategic goals, noting that the holding of the event within the first 100 days of his tenure attests to this.

In his remarks, the Mr Rikko Owutte of the Performance Management Department office of the Head of Service,  said that many times the capacity of government to deliver services had been questioned, thus the need for a performance system to safeguard the quality, capacity, productivity, and integrity of the service.

Stressing that the public had at various times doubted government agencies’  resolve to deliver optimal service to the citizen, he explained that this prompted the government to make necessary changes, with the central delivery and coordinating unit.
“You find all manner of things in the government sector. And because of that, you have diminished productivity,” he argued, calling for more quality work, transparency, professionalism, anonymity, political neutrality, patriotism and accountability.

“So, you need to understand that it’s all about Nigerians. What we are doing as public servants is to render services to the generality of Nigerians. So, if what we are doing here in FMBN does not translate to the good of Nigeria, then we are not yet there,” he added.
In order to transform the service, Owutte stated that the HoSF developed a roadmap for the federal civil service strategy as well as an implementation plan.
He explained that the idea was to establish a framework for tracking performance and taking corrective actions, to make it easy to track consistently, at the individual level and the departmental level as well as the institutional level.
According to him, when the six pillars of the programme are achieved in the next five years, Nigeria is going to attain a world-class service that everybody will be proud of.

He explained that with the new performance management system, the government was introducing an incentive and consequence management system in the service.
“Most people get away with what they do, because they know they will not be held liable for what they are doing. So, the new performance management system, as soon as you sign your form, it’s binding on you, and then you know you are responsible for what you do on your small task,” he added.