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| Last Updated: Jan 19th, 2012 - 11:25:19 |
Analysis/Commentary
Rationale Behind New Tenure for Permanent Secretaries and Directors
Sep 8, 2009, 08:09
| | Introduction
Since the return to civil rule in 1999, and even before then, the Nigerian Civil Service has undergone several reforms and will continue to undergo reforms in conformity with the ever-changing times and circumstances. The latest reform, which has been approved by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, GCFR, is the tenure for Permanent Secretaries and Directors in the Federal Civil Service. Henceforth, Permanent Secretaries shall hold Office for a term of four years, renewable for a further term of four years, subject to satisfactory performance, and no more. In the case of Directors, they shall compulsorily retire upon serving eight years on post. This is in consonance with normal career progression in Service and without prejudice to the extant circular, which prescribes 60 years of age and 35 years of Service for mandatory retirement.
The primary purpose for introducing the tenure system is to arrest the succession crisis in the Service, create vacancies, reinvigorate the system, and boost the morale of qualified and deserving officers, which had reached very low ebb in recent times.
Current Situation
There is a chronic lack of vacancies at the top Directorate level of the Civil Service. This is more worrisome because subordinate officers are retiring ahead of their superior officers, creating a grave succession crisis in the service. A careful assessment of the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) service-wide, shows a pervading loss of morale and growing signs of frustration from a large number of officers who are overdue for promotion but are not assured of any hope for advancement. Ordinarily, the Public Service Rule 020701, prescribes 3 years as the maturity period for officers to earn their promotion to the next Grade Level, between GL.08 and GL.14, while the maturity period to move between GL.14 and GL.17 is 4 years. It follows simple logic, therefore, that an officer entering the Civil Service with a first degree would require a minimum of 27 years to attain the post of Director (GL.17), leaving only 8 years as maximum number of years that an officer could possibly spend on the two grades of Director and Permanent Secretary. This calculation is based on extant regulation, which has prescribed a maximum of 35 years of service for mandatory retirement.
Unfortunately, available facts reveal that the records of some officers are not in sync with this model. The real situation is that we have Directors who have spent 10-12 years on post and still have more than 5 years to retirement. Similarly, there are Permanent Secretaries who have been on post for more than 8 years and could still have several years to retirement. Meanwhile, there is a large number of hard-working and effective officers with potentials for creative thinking but could not be promoted due to lack of vacancies and which had resulted in the stagnation of hierarchy.
Mr. President’s approval
As part of strategies to checkmate the succession problem, renew and reinvigorate the service, restore morale of officers and unlock the potentials of creative and hard-working officers who hitherto had been held down by stagnation, the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, in tandem with the recommendations of the Forum of serving and retired Permanent Secretaries and the consensus of members of the Directorate cadre in the Federal Civil Service, presented the proposal to Mr. President for his consideration and approval.
Misrepresentation of facts
There is a deliberate attempt to misrepresent the facts contained in the approval of Mr. President. The introduction of tenure is not targeted at any particular group. Contrary to claims that a section is the target of the move, Permanent Secretaries to be affected are to be replaced by equally qualified officers from their States of origin.
It should also be clarified that the new dispensation does not include Deputy Directors as falsely reported in certain sections of the media.
Feedback
From the feedback so far received, the move is already boosting morale within the system and it is believed that ultimately, the system will be better for it.
Olusegun Adeniyi
Special Adviser to the President
Media and Publicity
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