In ‘Katsina Declaration’, Civil Service Commissions Move to Reposition for Better Service

In recognition of their role in good governance, civil service commissions have resolved to reposition for an improved service delivery to the public.

This is part of the resolutions of civil service commissions in the country contained in their communique called the “Katsina Declaration ” during their conference in Katsina between 25 and 28 November , 2024.

The meeting which was the 43rd Conference of the National Council of the Civil Service Commissions held under the auspices of the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Prof. Tunji Olaopa, and had the theme “The Role of the Civil Service Commissions in Driving the Renewed Hope Agenda of Government.”

In the communique which drew from the paper presentations, questions and answers at the conference, the council recognized the key role of the civil service as a vital instrument of government in policy-making and implementation as well as a crucial mechanism for partnership in governance and interfacing with the public.

The communique made this recognition against the backdrop that governments at various levels have lost their status as the employers of choice for many years now; that the civil service commissions are implicated in the quality of the workforce that determines its capability to deliver the objectives of governments, and thus are complicit in any failure to do so especially through its constitutional role to undertake recruitment/employment, promotion as career progression and disciplinary control; and that the digitalization of civil service commissions’ operations is significant to improving service efficiency, and that a common template has not yet evolved to implement a significant roadmap for the future of the civil service in Nigeria .

It also noted that “many states’ civil service commissions have not evolved a framework of shared guidelines and operating procedures for backstopping the implementation of their constitutional mandates; and that the Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (APER) appraisal template has proved to be a dysfunctional and outdated instrument of true performance in the civil service in Nigeria, and requires a modernized and performance-determinin alternative; and that the civil service commissions are saddled with the gatekeeping mandate and regulatory responsibilities for recruitment and competency-based practices in the conduct of promotion exercises in order to stem the tide of politicization of the processes within the framework of professionalizing the civil service in Nigeria; and that the quality of education and of Nigerian graduates from some of the tertiary institutions constitute the pool of human capital that determines the quality of the civil service workforce; and that a new change management framework and ethical reorientation is required to inaugurate a critical mass of the civil service managers, administrators and leaders that are moral agents who are committed to building integrity in their MDAs by doing the right things and doing them right within their spheres of influence.”

The conference re-asserted the constitutionally conferred responsibilities of the Civil Service Commissions (CSCs) in human resource management of the civil service, particularly in matters of recruitment, promotion and discipline.

It acknowledged the myriad of current challenges of the Nigerian state in various spheres, and the plans of the governments at various tiers to solve them and move the country forward, and the expected roles of the Service in realizing them.

It observed the present condition of the civil services and the CSCs, in terms of strengths, weaknesses and challenges and stressed the need for their re-positioning to renew their capacity and zeal to play their roles in a positive fashion.

It resolved to transform commissions into proactive and creative game-changers committed to a renewed governance partnership with their governments, through the re-institution of competency-based, meritocratic practices in personnel management processes, while aligning the merit principle with the already established diversity management policy, such as the Federal Character principle .

It also resolved to: “Encourage the various CSCs to constructively engage with stakeholders in government and the public to recognize and uphold the autonomy of the commissions in their human resource management functions, as guaranteed in the Constitution;

“Charge the various Commissions to re-think and deepen their gate-keeping responsibilities toward the civil service, such as the imperatives to ensure due process, competition, fairness, quality and transparency in staff recruitment, promotion, discipline and allied processes;

” Encourage each commission to modernize its organization, staffing and systems, through changes in structures, operational paradigms and processes, including measures like digitalization, that will transform it into centres of excellence in efficiency, quality service delivery and ethical character;

” Commend to the CSCs the imperative of professionalizing their secretariats with staffing by professionals qualified in HR and other relevant competencies;

” Encourage each commission to forge synergy with its respective Office of Head of Civil Service in order to achieve critical buy-in that actualizes the new resolve for change, and to maintain harmonious and cooperative working relationships;

“Urge CSCs to work assiduously to position themselves as models to other HR management bodies in the public service as well as MDAs in the civil service; and

“Create mutually-beneficial initiatives among the body of Commissions, including manpower development programmes and peer review mechanism.”

According to the communique, the keynote address on the theme of the conference delivered by Prof. Olaopa, as well as the three lead paper presentations by Prof. Adeola Adenikinju, Mr. Olusoji Apampa and Amb. Prof. Abdullahi Y. Shehu, highlighted many critical points including the following: “The urgent imperative to recuperate the original concept of the Civil Service Commission that was significant in rescuing the civil service system from its patronage- and corruption-ridden dynamics to one based on merit and professionalism, and a vocational sense of a calling; the need to gate-keep the public service entry-level recruitment frameworks as a means of preserving the nobility of the public service as a service that supervises the commonwealth; the commitment to creating, in the shortest possible time, a new generation of public managers with re-doubled dedication to Nigeria’s transformation journey through a reformed and repurposed new public service; transformation of the commissions as game changers committed to a renewed governance partnership with the government through the re-institution of competency-based, meritocratic practices —together with an improved and competitive incentives package — in the bid to re-professionalize the civil service in Nigeria;
development of a service compact with the Nigerian public and the public administration communities of practice and service, which will instigate a number of flagship initiatives, change programmes, peer review platforms and learning events, etc., that will keep the various Commissions engaged all-year-round; the iteration of the value of performance bond/contract/auditing as one of the incentives to align the interests of the government with those of the civil servant; the fundamental significance of instituting ethics and transparency in the civil service as part of connecting between an ethical bureaucratic leadership and the objective of democratic service delivery.”

During the last session of the conference, a selection of seven commissions, representing the six geo-political zones as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Service Commission, made presentations and offered insights into the operations of their organizations, which were discussed. The council specially acknowledged the recently established FCT Service Commission, which was welcomed as a member.

The council expressed its profound appreciation to the Government of Katsina State for its generosity in hosting the conference, with special thanks to the Civil Service Commission of the State for its partnership in organizing and managing the event as well as the Local Government Service Commission, which provided the venue for the meeting. The council also appreciated Prof. Olaopa, for his leadership and drive to ensure that the conference held in this year after several years of failing. The council also thanked the resource persons who delivered the papers namely Prof. Adeola Adenikinju, Mr. Olusoji Apampa and Amb. Prof. Abdullahi Y. Shehu, for their elucidating lectures.

The conference was declared open by the Governor of Katsina State, His Excellency Mallam Dikko Umaru Radda (PhD, CON) [represented by the Deputy Governor, His Excellency Mallam Faruk Lawal Jobe and featured goodwill messages from the host Chairman, the Civil Service Commission of Katsina State; the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; and the immediate past Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Dr. Tukur Bello Ingawa, OON.

In attendance were other important personalities, including: the Grand Khadi of Katsina State; the representative of the Emir of Katsina; the representative of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; the Head of the Civil Service of Katsina State; the Chairman, Civil Service Commission of Katsina State; and the Chairman, Local Government Service Commission of Katsina State.