June 23, (THEWILL) – The Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), has put the number of Nigeria’s bonafide workforce, at the federal level at 720,000.
The Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Dr Dasuki Arabi, gave the figures while commenting on reforms initiated by the agency, at the 42nd session of the media briefing, coordinated by the Presidential Media Team, at the State House in Abuja on Thursday.
Arabi, who noted that the government has been able to reduce more than N220 billion wastage through wrong management of IPPIS on payroll by ministries departments and agencies of government, added that it has also reduced the budget deficits and changed the budget composition of MDAs.
“We have succeeded in getting the Treasury single account (TSA), deployed in all ministries, departments and agencies of government.
While noting that there have been challenges in the implementation of the TSA at the initial stage, he added that “we are overcoming that and government is able to save over N10 trillion over the years, because whatever you’re generating now, goes into a treasury single account that is managed by somebody else, not you.
“And government, especially at the top, is always able to see what has come into our treasury single account today and what has gone out of that. So, planning has been simplified. Budgeting has been simplified. Our distribution and allocation of resources have been simplified and streamlined.”
Speaking on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), and the introduction of the Treasury Single Account, he said about 70,000 ghost workers have been eliminated from the payroll system, with N10 trillion saved through TSA administration of funds.
“We have a one shot opportunity to look at IPPIS and say, as at today, we have 720,000 public servants working for Nigeria.
This is a great achievement, which I think we need to encode and we need to get it celebrated by all of us.
Arabi also disclosed that the Federal Government will soon eliminate promotional examinations for civil servants as future promotions will now be based on performance evaluations with effect from early next year.
Arabi, who was responding to the question on poor attitude to work by some civil servants, said with the “introduction of performance management evaluation system, which will come into effect early next year, all promotions will now be done based on performance.”
“With this system, I know they will struggle to look for work, so that they can justify their existence and continuous stay in the ministry.
“What we are doing is to enhance competition within the civil service.
“Every agency of government that is created, is created to serve the purpose. So they have a mandate. They have a vision and for anybody to say there is nothing for him to do, possibly he doesn’t want to make himself relevant, and this is part of the things that we are trying to do.”
He disclosed that the government is doing a lot of culture reorientation to get people to understand why they must deliver service, regardless of the condition they find themselves in their ministry, department or agency of government.
“But I want to assure you that government is doing quite a lot to improve the conditions of our offices and to make sure that every one is doing something.
Arabi, disclosed that the federal government has started the implementation of the government white paper on the Steve Orosanye rationalisation report on the federal civil service.
According to him, “Government has been working on the Steve Oronsaye white paper. I assure you that it will be implemented in good time.”
Arabi stated that many more agencies and commissions were created since the reports was released, “which makes it necessary for government to look back and say okay, between Oronsanye white paper and today, how many more agencies have been created?
“So that was why those committees were created. But beyond that, I want to tell you that some silent aspects of the report are being implemented silently. We’re hoping that very soon we will conclude on that and the major activity will come. so just wait for the announcement from the secretary to the government of the Federation, who is the chairman of the implementation committee of the white paper.”
Speaking on the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), Arabi said the system has succeeded in making government operations paperless.
His words: “It has reduced man to man contact and processing, payments in ministries, departments and agencies of government.
“Transparency has been improved. A lot of things are done even outside the office. But the most important thing is the ability given to central agencies, office of accountant General of the Federation, and the Ministry of Finance, to see what is happening in all ministries, departments and agencies of government because GIFMIS is not controlled by the agencies, it is controlled by the central agencies, but every activity you are doing under GIFMIS, somebody is watching you and is monitoring that activity. This is a great achievement for us and for all of you and for all Nigerians.
“There is better access to information on finances in this country. Whatever you do, somebody’s watching you and somebody can request and get those information. International rating agencies standards and co have more confidence in Nigeria now because they have access to information and data that they were not able to get before this time.”
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