Public service is the institution that drives the activities of government, all over the world. It consists of the civil service which includes ministries, extra-ministerial departments/agencies, the local government service and parastatals. It operates with professionals and non- professionals from whom it demands a special aptitude, training, language, discipline and culture. It is the major instrument used by government to implement its policies, programmes and plans. No wonder many refer to it as the engine room of government. It can be rightly said that the health of any nation rests on resourceful politicians as well as competent and inventive public servants. Hence, for any government to do well, it must be backed by a virile and visionary public service.
It is in view of the strategic status of the public service that the Lagos State government is poised to bequeath on the state a civil service that is well-structured, organized and staffed with skilled and well-motivated people who will help to deliver the vision, policies and programmes of the state government. One of the fundamental strategies that the present administration in Lagos State has evolved to reposition the state’s public service is the transition from finance and administration practices to administration and human resources (A&HR). It is important to stress that Lagos State is currently the first in the country to make this crucial transition.
The A&HR model was introduced into the state’s public service because of the need to put in place a visionary goal-directed leadership that would efficiently coordinate and harness human resources within the public service for optimal output. It must be accentuated that personnel which has been previously managed through the administration cadre till date is a kneejerk representation and has reached its maximum limit. Consequently, a practical tactical mode is needed to assist the state in realizing its developmental agenda. This, indeed, is what necessitates the adoption of the A&HR model.
However, for the model to be successfully executed, MDAs are required to consider new strategic directions, new ways of thinking and operating, new structures and positions, and new skills and capabilities for their workforce. Policymakers are often too positive in their anticipation that once plans for reform have been developed, the process of implementation will be uncomplicated. But then, this is not always the case. Without developing the skill and competence of the existing workforce (through strategic development, deployment or recruitment), seamless accomplishment of reforms could become rather cumbersome. This is where workforce training comes in. Hence, in order to fully integrate affected public servants in the state to the workings of this transition, Office of Transformation, Creativity & Innovation (OTCI) recently embarked on segmental training exercise for administration and human resource officers in MDAs in the state.
The need for the adoption of A&HR in the state public service cannot be over-emphasised. Proficient A&HR is needed to shape and facilitate the work of government so that when a state government sets its strategy, A&HR can respond to build the capacity and manage the performance of civil servants to deliver the strategic objectives and services ‘on the ground’. It is a universal reality that change will not just come out of the blue. In the public service, integration of A&HR into the system is part of what could bring about an enduring change. A&HR responds directly to the need for MDAs to become more focused on performance and accountability, and increases the chances of successful public service reform.
Skilled A&HR is a modern approach to people management which elevates HR officers from supportive administrators to professional strategists and advisers who are an integral part of the management team. It plays a key role in delivering a workforce that is fit for the future – not just for today. Contemporary A&HR specialists recognize the critical drivers of government, the wider environment and the context in which their MDA operates. They systematically gather data and analyse trends, creating action plans, tracking progress and reviewing how HR influences the trends identified. They have a deep staff insight into skills, competencies, aspirations and needs.
No doubt, transition from finance and administration to A&HR would afford administrative officers their rightful professional recognition with emphasis on human resource management rather than performing generalized functions. Also, if sufficient attention is accorded human resource, which is a very crucial asset of any organisation, other assets of the organization would be harnessed for better effectiveness. The central focus of human resource management is ‘managing people within the employer-employee relationship’. In switching to the A&HR model, the state government would ultimately be able to reduce the heavy burden placed on the defunct finance and administration by breaking the responsibilities into strata which will in turn be handled by competent professionals. Some of these strata are: planning and capability audits, recruitment and selection of employees, skill development and training, career progression, performance appraisal, formulating employment conditions, and compensation and reward.
It is instructive to state that on-going reforms in the state public service are being undertaken in partnership with the UK Department for International Development (DFID) through its States Partnership for Accountability, Responsiveness and Capability (SPARC) programme. The Office of Transformation, Creativity & Innovation recently introduced service charter to restore public confidence in government services and as a mechanism for making public officers alive to their responsibilities. The service charter is to provide, among other things, the experience a customer can expect and the available information about any of the MDAs they approach, as well as the relationship the customer will have with any particular agency of government. This has helped in correcting the age-long practice of unfulfilled promises characterizing government establishments over the years.
With the introduction of the A&HR, the message that the Lagos State government is passing is that public service can and should serve as catalyst for transforming the state. What can be learnt from the Lagos example is that with adequate motivation, there are grounds for optimism that public service can be refurbished and reshaped to fit today’s shifting challenges. Though the difficulty of improving public service delivery is one of the biggest challenges confronting not just Nigeria but other countries worldwide, the stakes here have seldom been higher for public service. To get to desirable level citizens must also be active, ready to always stand up for their rights and demand accountability from public servants. All officials in the public service, including politicians, are servants of the masses and not their masters and as such must dutifully and diligently provide public service for the public who are the real masters.
Tayo Ogunbiyi
Ogunbiyi is of the Features Unit, Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.
