The Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Dr Dasuki Arabi, says embracing ongoing public service reforms and innovation will improve governance.
Arabi, who was represented by Mrs Mercy Okon, Head, Strategy Innovation/Research department, BPSR. said this on Monday in Abuja at the Stakeholders’ Perception Survey Workshop on the Implementation of Public Service Reforms.
He said that the initiative would also improve economic growth, development and well-being of Nigerians.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the stakeholders’ meeting provided a platform for public servants, development partners, Civil Society Organisations and the Media.
It was to gauge the implementation level of critical public service reforms service dedelivery.
Arabi said that perception survey on critical reform initiatives of government was a reform action of the BPSR aimed at regulating policy evaluation.
According to him, the survey was also designed to gauge the perspective of stakeholders on government interventions in the area of programmes and projects, and communicating same across the public service.
“It is pertinent to state that the future of Nigeria’s Public service lies in our ability to embrace reform and innovation aimed at improving governance, economic growth and development, and the well being of citizens.
“Towards that end, the bureau developed the National Strategy for Public Service Reform (NSPSR).
“The NSPSR was categorised into four pillars, which are, enabling institutional and governance environment, socio-economic environment, public finance management reform, and civil service administration reform,” he said.
He said that the initiative was to reinvigorate and transform the public service into an efficient, productive, incorruptible and citizen-centred institution with the capacity to deliver government policies and programmes.
“Upon the review of the strategy, a monitoring and evaluation result framework was incorporated to enable Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) track their performances vis-a-vis level of compliance.
“It may interest you to note that the bureau had carried out perception/impact assessment survey on Freedom of Information (FOI) Act implementation.
“It also carried the survey dministrative burden on the implementation of TSA, status of implementation of Pension Reforms Act 2004, among others, ” he said.
Also, Dr Zakari Lawal, a Consultant for BPSR, said that the perception survey was a project carried out to measure the effectiveness, relevance and the efficiency of the public service reforms that have been facilitated by the bureau over the years.
According to him, the impacts at the end of the exercise is to provide the empirical evidence for the government about the effectiveness of the reforms, particularly with emphasis on there impacts on the citizens.
“Governance is generally about service delivery to the citizens, and the reforms undertaken by the government is to ensure that service delivery to the citizens has been enhanced, ” he said. (NAN)
