The National Coordinator / CEO SERVICOM Presidency Mrs. Nnenna Akajemeli has urged service providers in MDAs to engage more with the Nigerian citizens in a transparent, open and honest manner in order to gain adequate public trust.
Akajemeli made this statement when she delivered a paper presentation at the State House SERVICOM Unit workshop with the theme “Understanding the Policy process and enhancing policy advocacy in the public service“.
In her presentation, titled “Building Public Trust for Public Policies through transparent and informative communication”, Akajemeli urged Service Providers in MDAs to engage more with the Nigerian citizens as this will create greater inclusiveness and diversity as we actively listen to voices from across the communities as they come to take service.
According to her, improved trust and communication between citizens and government as constituents would gain insights into the processes when they feel heard and valued.
She called for increase civic participation and empowerment, as citizens understand that their engagement can make real changes to lives and their immediate communities. This would foster trust, transparency and accountability as service providers understand they are being scrutinize and assessed by the citizens she added.
The National Coordinator stated that public service is public trust and citizens expect public servants to serve their interest with fairness and manage public resources properly in their various service windows.
The Coordinator called for service ethics in MDAs that are requisite to under pin trust as a keystone of good governance.
Citizens she said, trust public institutions if they know that public offices are used for the public good.
She defined public trust as faith that the public has in the legitimacy of public servants to function effectively.
She enjoined both the public servants and citizens to always report cases of misconduct in their service windows whenever there are such gaps.
She advised Service Providers to shift emphasis from enforcement to preventive measures, stating that sound ethics management policy adequately combines enforcement and prevention measures.
Prevention she said, has more positive impact on the public service culture and on the relationship between the public and the civil society.
She advised service providers to take adequate advantage of the new technology and exploring ways to new technologies can help governments find new ways to build trust.
In his key note address the Permanent Secretary State House, Engineer Olufunso Adebiyi , said that as public servant we must acknowledge the pivotal role that effective communication plays in our places of endeavors.
He called on the service providers to leverage on the power of technology and innovation to augment our efforts in combating misinformation, by harnessing digital platforms to disseminate accurate information promptly and counter false narratives before they gain traction.
He informed the participants of the State House Management commitment to excellence of digitization of State House work processes to enhance efficiency and transparency.
Henrietta Okokon
Assistant Director Information and Public relations Unit
SERVICOM PRESIDENCY
