By Violet Osatohanmwen Obamwonyi
The Edo State Head of Service, Dr. Anthony Okungbowa Esq., has reiterated the pivotal role of the Civil and Public Service, asserting that effective governance is fundamentally dependent on the performance and quality of services delivered by civil and public institutions in a state.
Dr. Okungbowa made the assertion at a breakfast meeting held in his office, at the Government House with management staff, permanent secretaries, and heads of parastatals under his office. He stressed the need for a strategic rather than transactional approach to public service, saying that for Nigeria to progress, both the civil service and judiciary must be strengthened through deliberate investment. He charged public servants to support His Excellency, Sen. Monday Okpebholo in achieving his mandate of good governance.
According to him, “Our service must move beyond routine transactions and embrace a strategic mindset. We have set clear goals for ourselves. It is essential to evaluate our performances, measure the impact of our projects, programmes and policies, identify our achievements and areas for improvement. Governance can only be considered effective when public institutions deliver quality service to the people. It behooves on us as a service to redouble our efforts on making sure the Governor succeeds. Strengthening the public service is not optional, it is a duty we all share.”
Encouraging active participation, Dr. Okungbowa urged civil servants to engage in meaningful dialogue and offer constructive ideas to advance the Service. He emphasized the importance of developing the intellectual property resources in the Service, while clearly outlining the training initiatives made available by the State Government through the John Odigie Oyegun Public Service Academy. He called on all civil and public servants to take full ownership of the State-owned academy.
In his words, “You must contribute ideas that will move the service forward. We cannot get to where we are aiming to until we know where we are coming from. The quality of service we deliver is a direct reflection of the quality of intellectual input; as they say, garbage in, garbage out. Training is critical to our growth as a service. A better service depends on better input.”
Dr. Okungbowa disclosed that the Civil Service of the Federation would begin ranking civil services across the Country with key performance indicators including leadership style, communication, innovation, involvement in public policy, crisis and risk management and staff development. “To perform well in this national ranking, we must be intentional about everything we do. We can no longer afford to operate as though our efforts do not matter. We must strive to make a meaningful impact,” he concluded.
