Realities Of Nigeria’s Civil Service

If there is any unproductive attitude that has literally shot its root deep down into the soil of the civil service, it is unarguably the attitude of lack of probity. Without any scintilla of exaggeration, it is unarguable to say that a thread of unscrupulousness runs through the fabric of the rank and file of the civil service so much so that one cannot but become skeptical over the success of the reformation agenda that would one day become the trump card of President Goodluck Jonathan and his team in the game of politics.

A visit to any of the state or federal ministry or parastatal would reveal junks of motor vehicles and office equipment that are parked at every nook and cranny that can be found within the complex.

Recently, this writer visited a friend that works at a government-owned transport company and was surprised to see “refurbishable” vehicles that were apparently parked to rot away at this time when many commuters are usually stranded at the bus-stops as a result of lack of adequate means of transportation.

The question that instantly struck my mind was “If these vehicles were owned by a private transporter would he not have find a way of putting them back on the roads? The irony of the ugly sight at the government-owned transport company is that there were quite a number of mechanics and technicians, as their overall uniform portrayed them to be. Rather than making themselves busy at the workshop, they  were seen either parading the complex or chatting away with colleagues.

In the same nexus, rickety and non-functional equipment like ceiling fans, airconditioners, typewriters, broken furniture items and the like that are found in most ministries and parastatals are usually far more than those in good condition. The most annoying aspect of this phenomenon is that the refurbishment and replacements of bad equipment are traditionally provided for during the presentation of the yearly budget at the end of every fiscal year.  You may have asked, “Where are the monetary allocation that are yearly allocated to some ministries and parastatals at the beginning of every fiscal year?” Good question, though, but can’t you see that most civil servants that earn less than N100,000 per month live like kings?

In fact, it is always difficult whenever one makes an attempt to reconcile the salaries of some civil servants and their collective ostentatious lifestyle.

Despite the fact that government ministries, departments and agencies are not usually operational on Saturdays and Sundays, branded vehicles of most of these government establishments are commonly seen cruising on the streets and roads of Lagos state transporting assorted drinks and cooking utensils together with men and women clad in “Aso-Ebi” to various party venues. If it is as bad as this in Lagos, how would it be in Abuja that has a plethora of government establishments. This piece is not meant to castigate civil servants but to urge them to do government work and use government properties in the same way and manner they would have done if they were employed in the private sector or if they were to be self-employed.

Apart from the foregoing realities that are rife in the public service, teeming unemployed population and parents cannot boast that they know when and how civil servants are recruited, except those that are related to politicians and key officers in various ministries, departments and agencies.

There is no denying the fact that civil servants are bereft of pleasant work habits, such as punctuality, determination, reliability, patience, organization, thoughtfulness, cooperation and teamwork

Sometime in the month of October 2012, it was variously reported in the media that Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, dismissed four secondary school teachers when he paid an unscheduled visit to some schools in Etsako West Local Government Area of the state. While bemoaning the teachers’ unproductive attitude to work, he said, “I’m afraid if the attitude currently being displayed by teachers is allowed to continue the state will not only be in trouble but the country as a whole.”

It is not an exaggeration to say that most civil servants are wont to engage in buying and selling of clothes, shoes, jewellery and even recharge cards while on their various duty post. Little wonder the stair cases and lobbies of most government establishments are always busy with seemingly human traffic. As if these bad habits are not enough, some take the seemingly unrestrained freedom that pervades in various ministries, departments and agencies to a ridiculous height by enrolling for full time degree courses at the behest of their superiors that have their names in their good books to the detriment of the job. Each time they are caught in their truancies and lackadaisical attitude to work, they would in an unpatriotic manner explain their actions away by replying in local patios that  “Na gofment work, nor be my papa work.” As if this is not enough, some civil servants are wont to operate small scale business outfits, like business centres, barbing salons, cybercafes and others. For some medical workers in various government-owned secondary and tertiary health institutions, they are widely known to be engaged in private medical practices to the detriment of the health of patients admitted into government hospitals for treatments.

In as much as one is not discouraging those who want to further their studies and those who want to augment their salaries, it is expedient to suggest that there are better ways of achieving their respective dream without jeopardizing government’s efforts toward the betterment of the people’s welfare. Today, part-time studies and distance learning programmes are run by various universities across the federation. The opportunities presented through  these programmes can be seized by any civil servant without spending his official hours to run any full time degree or diploma programme offered by any of the tertiary institutions in the country. In the same vein, civil servants who run small business outfits can do that by employing close relations to manage their private businesses while they on their own can join them at the close of work, during holidays and by weekends.

In my view, both the federal and state governments should begin to contract human resource companies in the private sector to commence training geared at changing the orientations and mindsets of civil servants. This is not to say that civil servants do not attend training. They do, even more than workers employed in the private sector. But the problem is that they are often trained by government-owned training institutions, which in my view, cannot change the orientations and mindsets of civil servants as both the trainer and trainee fall within the same sector. There is no way a building that is painted with blue colour can be repainted to white with blue paint. Therefore, I would suggest that from henceforth the training and retraining of civil servants should be contracted to human capital development companies in the private sector across the federation. Doing this is indispensable as our nation cannot afford to fail in the lofty promises that are inherent in the transformation agenda on the one hand, and the millennium development goal on the other hand.

Finally, let me opine that government ministries, departments and agencies may be unable to set the stage for a successful implementation of transformation agenda if they on their own are not transformed.

•Isaac Asabor wrote from Lagos. E-mail: [email protected]