Officials of the Lagos state government were at the Federal Capital Territory Administration Secretariat to understudy the reforms carried out in the FCTA civil service with a view of replicating the same in Lagos.
Head of the delegation and Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Office of Transformation, Creativity and Innovation, Mr. Abdulrahman Lekki, commended the FCTA Department of Reform Coordination and Service Improvement, RCSI, for driving reforms and improving service delivery in the nation’s capital.
According to Lekki, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu mandated his office to establish Reform Coordination and Service Improvement departments in the state’s ministries and agencies, as part of efforts to reposition the Lagos state civil service.
He said, “In the course of our research, we found out that in the Federal Civil Service, there was a circular in 2014 that gave a directive for the establishment of RCSID in all ministries and it looked like what we had in mind.
“We did the research and submitted to the Governor (Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu) and told him it has been done in Abuja. So we decided to visit Abuja for validation, and other reforms MDAs.
“We visited some of these office: Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, National Coordinator of Servicom, Bureau of Public Service Reforms and told them we wanted to visit an MDA where Reform Coordination and Service Improvement is being practiced.
“They told us that they have the best performing department of RCSI and that happens to be the FCTA, ably led by Dr. Jumai Ahmadu and that is why we are here.”
Responding, the permanent secretary of the FCTA, Mr. Olusade Adesola, assured the Lagos team of the administration’s continued commitment to collaboration with the state in information and knowledge sharing with a view to ensuring effective service delivery to Nigerians.
Adesola pointed that the FCTA civil service reform efforts gained momentum due to its proximity to the centre.
“The Bureau of Public Service Reforms has continued to support us because we are close to them. Actually we have become their laboratory for testing many of the initiatives, and our doors have always been open to ensure this.”
He, however, added that reforms will achieve minimal impact if it does not enjoy top management support.
“Reforms will also be meaningless if it is only targeted at the administration, that’s why in the FCTA, we do not have reforms that are attached to names, but ate attached to systems, so that they become sustainable and people can own them.”
On her part, the acting Director, Department of Reform Coordination and Service Improvement, Dr. Jumai Ahmadu, said it was a privilege that Lagos state government was coming to learn from the FCTA.
According to her, the FCTA had, even before the directive for establishment of RCSIDs in MDAs, made series of efforts at improving service delivery, one of which is the FCT Call Centre, which was created in 2004.
Dr. Ahmadu appreciated the support of the management of the FCT Administration to the Department, noting that it could not have been possible without the support.