Reforming the Public Sector: Can it be Done?
Reforming the Public Sector: Can it be Done?
The answer to this question is polar: Yes and No. Yes, if reform is carried out taking into consideration peculiarities of individual countries. No, if we view reform only from the perspective of reducing cost of administration.
From 1999 to date Nigeria has embarked on series of reform in the country. NEEDS I and other reform documents address this issue. My focus is the Public Service Reform.
Reform in Nigeria, and indeed most African countries, are being dictated by the so called developed nations. The main focus is always to reduce government expenditure by reducing subsidies on critical services, pruning labour and so on. When you remove subsidies on petroleum, fertiliser, medicare and other (essential) services the national will be making savings; and we will say the country is reforming. Similalrly, when we purge workers (call it downsizing, rightsizing, pruning or whatever), we beat our chest and say we are reforming - forgetting after-effects. So, from this point of view the reform is working (YES)!!!
Any historian of the civil service in Nigeria will tell you that although Murtala's Government was above average anywhere in the world, it had some setbacks; such as the purging of the SUPER PERMANENT SECRETARIES. Those who took over decided not to share their predecessors' fate - the end result was corruption. Let me add here that an idle mind is a devil workshop, especially when the mind is educated and experienced. Moreso, if the mind had, at one way or the other, access to important government documents, services or products.
Viewed from the preceding paragraph, government can be savings on the one hand but will be spending on security, campign to regain international confidence and other unnecessary expenditure, which are far more costly than the perceived savings. From this perspective the answer is NO!!!
The way forward is that for reform to work in any country, it has to take into cognisance the peculiarities of that country. For instance, in France you find social secirity services for the unemployed, good retirement packages and other goodies for their public service and the society. People do not fear retirement. In fact, they welcome it. An example is where the Govt. wants to increase retirement age from 60yrs to 62yrs but the workers do not agree. The story is different in Africa. May God bless Nigeria and Africa to reform into model entities. Ameen. I believe we can make it.
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Comment
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Comment by REBECCA CHIRCHIR on January 10, 2012 at 7:26pm -
Thank you so much Sambo, i am impressed by your contribution and more especially on reforms being country specific. The critical issue is not just about reforming because the donors have said but a country should assess itself to find out what their problem or needs are. Questions that should be asked are, for example in the public service would be; whether it is the size or the attitude, commitment and integrity that should be focused. This is because the challenges in Kenya for example may not be the same as in Western countries and therefore reforms should be looked at in terms of cause- effect relationship and the way they are inter connected. This would help in reparations to face the intended and unintended consequences. Otherwise strategic reforms are necessary for development and it can be done.
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Comment by Dr. Bala Ibrahim Sambo on November 14, 2011 at 2:54pm -
Wail F. Badawi,
I don't mind being called Bala. In fact. my culture - Hausa - is just like yours. We prefer being called by our first names. Its only being a little English or formal. But I think we can now remove the formality between us. I speak, write and read Arabic langauge very fluently and a little Amharic. You know the Ethiopians too prefer to be called with their first. Even married do not change their names to their husbands' names. All the they do is maintain their names and add w/o for Miss; w/r for Married. Africa has a rich cculture.
So much about culture. I shall join the site to join the discussion
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Comment by Dr. Bala Ibrahim Sambo on November 14, 2011 at 11:39am
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Comment by Dr. Bala Ibrahim Sambo on November 14, 2011 at 11:24am
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Wail Fahmi,
Thank you for your well-articulated response to my write up. Undoubtedly, there is no subtitute to democry. And we should support any endeavour aimed at reforming the public service. But we should go about it in such a way that we do not end up distroying our nations instead of reforming them. we should put structures in place to cushion the painful side of reform.
Thanks once again.
Dr. Sambo
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Comment by Dr. Bala Ibrahim Sambo on November 14, 2011 at 11:16am
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