Nigerian Civil Service
Encyclopedia
The Nigerian Civil Service consists of employees in Nigeria
n government agencies other than the military.
Most employees are career civil servants in the Nigerian ministries, progressing based on qualifications and seniority. Recently the head of the service has been introducing measures to make the ministries more efficient and responsive to the public.
in colonial times.
Nigeria gained full independence in October 1960 under a constitution that provided for a parliamentary government and a substantial measure of self-government for the country's three regions.
Since then, various panels have studied and made recommendations for reforming of the Civil Service, including the Margan Commission of 1963, the Adebo Commission of 1971 and the Udoji Commission of 1972-74.
A major change occurred with the adoption in 1979 of a constitution modeled on that of the United States
.
The Dotun Philips Panel of 1985 attempted to reform to the Civil Service. The 1988 Civil Service Reorganization Decree promulgated by General Ibrahim Babangida
had a major impact on the structure and efficiency of the Civil Service.
The later report of the Ayida Panel made recommendations to reverse some of the past innovations and to return to the more efficient Civil Service of earlier years.
The Civil Service has been undergoing gradual and systematic reforms and restructuring since May 29, 1999 after decades of military rule.
However, the civil service is still considered stagnant and inefficient, and the attempts made in the past by panels have had little effect.
In August 2009 the Head of the Civil Service, Stephen Osagiede Oronsaye
, proposed reforms where permanent secretaries and directors would spend a maximum of eight years in office. The reform, approved by President Umaru Yar'Adua, would result in massive retirement of Permanent Secretaries and Directors, many of whom are from the North.
Stephen Oronsaye has said that his goal is for the Nigerian civil service to be among the best organized and managed in the world.
Oronsaye retired in November 2010 at the statutory age of 60 and was succeeded by Oladapo Afolabi
.
, who must include at least one member of each of the 36 states in his cabinet. The President's appointments are confirmed by the Senate of Nigeria
. There are less than 36 ministries. In some cases a Federal minister is responsible for more than one ministry (e.g. Environment and Housing may be combined), and a minister may be assisted by one or more ministers of State.
Each ministry also has a Permanent Secretary, who is a senior civil servant.
The ministries are responsible for various parastatals (government-owned corporations) such as universities (Education), National Broadcasting Commission (Information) and Nigerian National Petroleum Corp (Petroleum).
Other parastatals are the responsibility of the Office of the Presidency, such as the Independent National Electoral Commission
, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
and the Federal Civil Service Commission
.
The service has six additional units which provide services to all departments on the Civil Service:
Note: As of January 2008, one Naira was worth about 0.0057 Euros, or 0.0084 US Dollars.
A partial list of the new line-up as of December 2009 follows:
theophilus erebho,unn, PALG
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n government agencies other than the military.
Most employees are career civil servants in the Nigerian ministries, progressing based on qualifications and seniority. Recently the head of the service has been introducing measures to make the ministries more efficient and responsive to the public.
History
The Nigerian Civil Service has its origins in organizations established by the BritishBritish people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
in colonial times.
Nigeria gained full independence in October 1960 under a constitution that provided for a parliamentary government and a substantial measure of self-government for the country's three regions.
Since then, various panels have studied and made recommendations for reforming of the Civil Service, including the Margan Commission of 1963, the Adebo Commission of 1971 and the Udoji Commission of 1972-74.
A major change occurred with the adoption in 1979 of a constitution modeled on that of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The Dotun Philips Panel of 1985 attempted to reform to the Civil Service. The 1988 Civil Service Reorganization Decree promulgated by General Ibrahim Babangida
Ibrahim Babangida
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida CFR DSS mni , popularly known as IBB, was a Nigerian Army officer and military ruler of Nigeria...
had a major impact on the structure and efficiency of the Civil Service.
The later report of the Ayida Panel made recommendations to reverse some of the past innovations and to return to the more efficient Civil Service of earlier years.
The Civil Service has been undergoing gradual and systematic reforms and restructuring since May 29, 1999 after decades of military rule.
However, the civil service is still considered stagnant and inefficient, and the attempts made in the past by panels have had little effect.
In August 2009 the Head of the Civil Service, Stephen Osagiede Oronsaye
Stephen Osagiede Oronsaye
Stephen Osagiede Oronsaye is a Nigerian accountant and civil servant who was appointed Head of the Civil Service of the Federation in June 2009. He began an energetic program of reform immediately after his appointment....
, proposed reforms where permanent secretaries and directors would spend a maximum of eight years in office. The reform, approved by President Umaru Yar'Adua, would result in massive retirement of Permanent Secretaries and Directors, many of whom are from the North.
Stephen Oronsaye has said that his goal is for the Nigerian civil service to be among the best organized and managed in the world.
Oronsaye retired in November 2010 at the statutory age of 60 and was succeeded by Oladapo Afolabi
Oladapo Afolabi
Professor Oladapo Afolabi is a former academic who was sworn in as Head of Service of the Federation of Nigeria by President Goodluck Jonathan on 18 November 2010...
.
Organization
The civil service is mainly organized around the federal ministries, headed by a minister appointed by the PresidentPresident of Nigeria
The President of Nigeria is the Head of State and head of the national executive. Officially styled President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The current President of Nigeria is Goodluck Jonathan.-History:On October 1, 1960, Nigeria gained...
, who must include at least one member of each of the 36 states in his cabinet. The President's appointments are confirmed by the Senate of Nigeria
Senate of Nigeria
The Senate is the upper house of the National Assembly of Nigeria. It consists of 109 senators: the 36 states are divided in 3 senatorial districts each electing one senator; the Federal Capital Territory elects only one senator....
. There are less than 36 ministries. In some cases a Federal minister is responsible for more than one ministry (e.g. Environment and Housing may be combined), and a minister may be assisted by one or more ministers of State.
Each ministry also has a Permanent Secretary, who is a senior civil servant.
The ministries are responsible for various parastatals (government-owned corporations) such as universities (Education), National Broadcasting Commission (Information) and Nigerian National Petroleum Corp (Petroleum).
Other parastatals are the responsibility of the Office of the Presidency, such as the Independent National Electoral Commission
Independent National Electoral Commission
The Independent National Electoral Commission , set up in 1998, is the electoral body which was set up to oversee elections in Nigeria.The INEC has encountered several controversies in the run-up to the April 2007 general elections, including criticism about its preparedness from Sada Abubakar,...
, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is a Nigerian law enforcement agency that investigates financial crimes such as advance fee fraud and money laundering...
and the Federal Civil Service Commission
Civil Service Commission of Nigeria
The Federal Civil Service Commission of Nigeria is an executive body in Nigeria that has the authority to make appointments and transfers, and to exercise disciplinary control over all Federal Civil Servants....
.
The service has six additional units which provide services to all departments on the Civil Service:
- Establishments & Record Office (E&RO)
- Career Management Office (CMO)
- Manpower Development Office (MDO)
- Management Services Office (MSO)
- Common Services Office (CSO)
- Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR)
Budget
A sense of the relative expenditure on the different areas is given by the table below, which shows the 2008 budget for Federal ministries, departments and agencies.| MDA (Ministry, Department or Agency) | Budget (Naira) |
|---|---|
| Agriculture & Water Resources | 113,673,666,845 |
| Auditor-General | 2,477,435,789 |
| Code of Conduct Bureau | 1,126,777,207 |
| Commerce and Industry | 7,758,202,700 |
| Culture & National Orientation | 11,655,900,664 |
| Defense | 151,940,617,034 |
| Education | 210,444,818,579 |
| Energy | 139,783,534,336 |
| Environment, Housing and Urban Development | 15,915,443,907 |
| Federal Capital Territory | 37,958,110,000 |
| Federal Character Commission | 2,366,945,741 |
| Federal Civil Service Commission | 925,690,890 |
| Health | 138,179,657,132 |
| Transportation | 124,444,316,123 |
| Finance | 11,777,469,168 |
| Foreign & Intergovernmental Affairs | 40,873,686,687 |
| Independent Corrupts Practices Commission | 3,588,338,165 |
| Independent National Electoral Commission | 12,693,517,785 |
| Information & Communications | 18,183,376,503 |
| Interior | 266,371,519,798 |
| Justice | 12,695,948,416 |
| Labour and Productivity | 6,142,634,383 |
| Mines and Steel Development | 6,592,555,334 |
| National Planning Commission | 6,400,000,000 |
| National Population Commission | 5,219,851,968 |
| National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission | 441,347,573 |
| National Sports Commission | 5,562,611,171 |
| Office of the Head of the Civil Service | 6,836,928,125 |
| Police Service Commission | 599,570,075 |
| Public Complaints Commission | 2,008,996,208 |
| Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Allocation Commission | 2,370,007,697 |
| Science and Technology | 16,306,271,658 |
| Women Affairs | 2,288,935,104 |
| Youth Development | 45,591,142,712 |
Note: As of January 2008, one Naira was worth about 0.0057 Euros, or 0.0084 US Dollars.
Permanent Secretaries
Permanent secretaries head the civil service departments. In August 2009, Stephen Oronsaye announced a major reshuffle where almost half of the permanent secretaries were assigned to new departments.A partial list of the new line-up as of December 2009 follows:
Ministries
| Name | Ministry | Joined Service |
Current Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Otaki Mijiyaw Oyigbenu | Agriculture & Water Resources | 1978-07-24 | 2005-12-21 |
| Idris Adamu Kuta | Aviation | ||
| Dr A.K. Mohammed | Commerce & Industry | ||
| Sheidu Bello Ozigis | Culture, Tourism & National Orientation | 1976-11-30 | 2005-12-21 |
| Ezikiel O. Oyemomi | Defense | ||
| Prof. O. A. Afolabi | Education | ||
| Dr. Safiya Muhammed | Environment | 1982-01-19 | 2001-01-01 |
| Dr. Ochi C. Achinivu | Finance | ||
| Amb J C Keshi | Foreign Affairs | ||
| Linus Awute | Health | ||
| Ammuna Lawan-Ali | Information & Communication | 1977-02-17 | 2001-01-01 |
| Dr A.S Adegoroye | Interior | ||
| Abdullahi Yola | Justice | ||
| Dr. Haruna Usman Sanusi | Labour | 1977-07-01 | 2001-04-09 |
| Suleiman D. Kassim | Mines & Steel Development | 1978-08-01 | 2005-12-21 |
| Elizabeth B.P. Emuren | Petroleum | 1980-12 | 2005-12-21 |
| I B Sali | Power | ||
| Dr N A Damachi | Science and Technology | ||
| A. S. Olayisade | Transport | ||
| Dr D B Ibe | Women Affairs | ||
| Dr. Tukur. B. Ingawa | Works, Housing and Urban Development | ||
| Danladi I Kifasi | Youth Development |
Commissions
| Name | Commission | Joined Service |
Current Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Y.A Thorpe | Federal Civil Service Commission | ||
| Dr. Yahaya A. Abdullahi | Niger Delta | ||
| Bukar Goni Aji | Police Affairs | ||
| Engr (Mrs) E.G. Gonda | Police Service Commission | ||
| S. D. Matankari | State House | 1977-08-01 | 2001-11-01 |
theophilus erebho,unn, PALG
Internal departments
| Name | Department | Joined Service |
Current Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| S.A.D Osuagwu | OHCSF --- | ||
| T.O Iroche | OHCSF --- | ||
| Dr. (Mrs.) E. A. Abebe | OHCSF (CSO) | ||
| B. U. Maitambari | OSGF SSO | 1976-08-03 | 1999-06-14 |
| Dr Alex Chike Anigbo | OSGF-PAO | ||
| S. Oronsaye | OHOSF | 1995-12-18 | 2001-04-09 |
| M. N. B. Danbatta | OHOSF-ERO | 1980-07-01 | 2001-01-01 |
| Pius I Major | OHOSF-MDO | ||
| Dr. Imoro Kubor | OSGF (Ecological Funds) | ||
| Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed | OSGF (GSO) | 1978-08-16 | 1999-03-18 |
| E. I. Ogbile | OSGF -CS | ||
| Garba Buwai | OSGF-EAO | 1979-01-01 | 2001-01-01 |
Unassigned
| Name | Joined Service |
Current Position |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Abdullahi Aliyu Abdullahi Aliyu Dr. Abdullahi Aliyu is a Nigerian Civil servant who joined the Civil Service in August 1980 and became a Permanent Secretary in January 2001.In 2006, he was appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Science & Technology.... |
1980-08-01 | 2001-01-01 | |
| Ibrahim Talba | 1981-10-19 | 2001-01-01 | |
| Engr. S. M. Mahmood | 1974-07-12 | 2002-07-15 | |
| Prof. Ignatius A. Ayua, SAN, OFR | 1974-06 | 2003-03-05 | |
| Dr. (Mrs) Timiebi K. Agary | 1980-04-18 | 2003-12-18 | |
| Engr. Raymond N. Okenwa | 1981-07 | 2005-12-21 |
See also
- Federal Ministries of NigeriaFederal Ministries of NigeriaThe Cabinet of Nigeria is the Executive Branch of the Government of Nigeria.The Cabinet members are appointed by the President and report to the President....
- Politics of NigeriaPolitics of NigeriaNigeria is a Federal Republic modeled after the United States, with executive power exercised by the president and with influences from the Westminster System model in the composition and management of the upper and lower houses of the bicameral legislature. However, the President of Nigeria is...
- Civil Service Commission of NigeriaCivil Service Commission of NigeriaThe Federal Civil Service Commission of Nigeria is an executive body in Nigeria that has the authority to make appointments and transfers, and to exercise disciplinary control over all Federal Civil Servants....