A COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF A 3 – DAY NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY WITH THE THEME “PROMOTING EXCELLENT SERVICE DELIVERY IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR” ORGANIZED BY THE NATIONAL SERVICOM OFFICE, ABUJA IN COLLABORATION WITH THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON INTER-GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS HELD FROM 26TH – 28TH AUGUST, 2024 AT THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN, OYO STATE, NIGERIA.
- INTRODUCTION
The Public Service as the conductor of policy framework capable of providing direction for National Development in Nigeria is challenged by several inefficiencies leading to service failures. Public Service delivery is presently deemed ineffective, slow, confusing and unfriendly.
An effective public service delivery is critical to improving the quality of life, promoting economic growth, and reducing inequality.
In an effort to change this narrative, delegates numbering about 215 drawn from 54 Ministries, Departments and Agencies [MDAs] of the Federal Government of Nigeria, gathered at a 3 – Day National Conference with the theme: “Promoting Excellent Service Delivery in the Public Sector” with the sole objective of ensuring excellence in public service delivery,
DELIBERATIONS
Having exhaustively discussed the various digital presentations, the conference rose with the following observations and resolutions:
That Service as an intangible experience which can be felt, should at all times uphold the EPIC Creed of Efficiency, Productivity, Incorruptibility and Citizen-centered and delivered in an excellent manner.
Good Governance emphasizes that public managers must deliver high quality services, which should embody the ethos of accountability, transparency, responsiveness, equity, inclusiveness, effectiveness, efficiency, and rule of law.
That to effectively manage service, public sector entities must imbibe a service culture, constantly adhere to service quality, regularly engage employees and leave customers with a pleasant experience (delight the customer).
That in order to improve on service delivery, red-tapism must be removed, waiting time must be reduced, forms and documentation must be simplified, information must be readily available and a one – stop service centre should be created.
That it is imperative that service providers must understand their customers and get feedback from them, set service standards, embrace technology, prioritize training and development of employees, streamline communication channels and evaluate and improve service delivery, since every customer has “the right to be served right.”
That for Service to continually meet ever-changing demands and expectations of our valued Customers, it must constantly be re-engineered to embody ethical values of loyalty, honesty, courtesy, fairness, equity, tact, efficiency and dedication.
That for the Public Service to be Result – Based, Ministries, Departments and Agencies must shift their focus from how many activities they carry out, to being results-oriented/driven.
Finally, on the adoption of RBM, conference resolved to set implementation timelines, establish a monitoring committee and mount a follow-up workshop to assess progress and address any challenges that may have been encountered during implementation.
That in building sustainable performance management system, public sector entities must not focus only on organizational effectiveness, but also promote long-term sustainability.
That for public service excellence to be achieved, moral principles should be established to guide the core values of the Nation.
That in building morals and values, trust is built, which will increase productivity and sustainability within an organization and the nation in general.
That a comprehensive training on how to build and sustain an effective performance management system (PMS) to enhance pubic service delivery should be adopted
CONCLUSION
The conference rose with the hope that if the above resolutions are implemented, service delivery in the public sector would be tremendously improved upon.
The introduction of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021-2025 (FCSSIP25), which began January, 2023; is a welcomed development towards achieving excellent public service delivery.
Henrietta Okokon
Assistant Director Information and Public Relations
SERVICOM PRESIDENCY
