Working in the public sector or for a government anywhere in the world is considered the best in terms of job security and prestige. It is the same in Nigeria. I recalled how happy we were when, during the National Youth Service Corps, interviewers visited us at the state capitals. We were more interested in attending interviews conducted by the Federal Government ministries than those from the private sector organisations, despite the conviction that the latter group pays higher salaries and allowances. The primary reason was the job security associated with government jobs.
No sooner does one settle into a government job in Nigeria than one starts feeling the frustration and need to develop a survival strategy. No matter the levelโjunior or seniorโor whether at the federal, state, or local government, you feel the same frustration, maybe at different times, periods or stages. It would dawn on you that you are in a bureaucracy that is guided by a document called the general order, whose hard copy you may never see, and in a job that is not challenging but routine. It does not guarantee you a regular salary while on the job, nor immediate pension and gratuity at the time of exit.
Whenever matters relating to reforms of the civil and public services are considered, these issues are treated as if they never existed. Whereas they are the bedrock of the corruption and low productivity in the system. The civil and public service represents the backbone of government activities in every country. It is the bureaucracy, which is a government with a multilayered system and processes, or it describes the established methods in large organisations or the government. It is a system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives. The basic functions of the bureaucracy are the implementation of policies and the administration of policies and regulations. It does have some flexibility, known as administrative discretion, in actual implementation.
According to Max Weber, the main features of bureaucracy are specialisation and division of labour; hierarchical authority structure; rules and regulations; technical competence guidelines; impersonality and personal indifference; standards of formal and written guidelines or operating procedures; impersonal environment; and achievement-based advancement.
Like many Nigerian institutions, where the past is always remembered with nostalgia, the Nigerian civil service is not an exception. The foundation was rooted in dedication, integrity, and adroitness. Thus, the notion of prioritising working for the government over the private sector has its antecedent in the respect the service had built for itself over decades until 1975, when the military government of General Murtala Muhammed/General Olusegun Obasanjo came on board and summarily sacked the top hierarchy of the civil service, dubbed the Super Permanent Secretary.
Immediately, the action was implemented, and the affected personnel found that they had nothing of their own and nowhere to go. They were living officially in government houses and moving around in government vehicles. Other services were rendered to them in accordance with the general order provisions. Everyone got his/her benefits as and when due and as enshrined in the official guidelines. The military truncated the order, and the personnel in the civil service woke up. Since then, government workers have become an endangered species and devised a way of protecting themselves against work hazards.
Lack of dedication and bastardised work ethics were adopted as instruments of operation. Corruption became the immediate byproduct and has since taken root with unimaginable dimensions. Wherever corruption enters a production equation, we should expect low-quality output and low productivity. Most efforts thereafter are not seen as genuinely undertaken to achieve the objectives of the organisation.
The Nigerian governments at all levels do not treat their workers in a dignified manner, but expect excellent outputs from them. It is understandable that in the private sector, where profit motives lead to exploitation of workers, the paid wages are exploitative. Albeit the presence of vibrant umbrella labour unions like the Nigerian Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress that intervene effectively often helps the situation. The private sector does not owe salaries and does not delay payment of pensions. So, the workers are better off than the public service workers. They are less corrupt and more productive.
Within the context of the regularity of receiving salaries, a lot of uncertainty surrounds working with the government. To get the best out of workers, business owners, particularly large-scale businesses, know they must pay living wages, and they do try to do so. Even at the end of the year, they do pay bonuses or end-of-year allowances, while civil service workers receive different treatment. In many states of the federation, despite regular statutory allocations from the central government, government workers are not paid regularly or for months in some cases. They expect workers to come to the office every day and perform their duties efficiently. Ironically, the government expects the workers not to be corrupt.
While in employment, the workers have seen the retired civil or public servants struggling with new ventures or withering away because they are not receiving pensions and are not sure of living to receive gratuity in an unfathomable future. They must prepare for their future through creative corrupt means. Unfortunately, the corrupt activities have no human face. The workers start by taking on their colleagues. The messengers or office managers keep files of staff requesting tips to get them out. I remember losing my services to the Lagos State government because I was not ready to part with money.
I gained admission into a university and decided to resign my appointment as agricultural assistant with the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. I took my letter to the state secretariat, and the clerk on duty could not find my file. I was desirous of leaving the service in the proper process, but was frustrated. After two weeks of visits to the secretariat, and one elderly officer advised that the clerk would help if I greased his palm, I gave up. If there is a record that I ever worked with Lagos State, it could be in my file with the Lagos State School of Agriculture I attended and for which the government paid.
A retired policeman was on social media recently claiming that he received N3m from the Nigeria Police as arrears and his retirement benefits after serving the government for over 30 years!
Even the military is not spared. Many times, we have seen and read of retired soldiers protesting non-payment of their pension. These are people who sacrificed their lives for us to live! When I retired last year, I never received a pension until eleven months later, and only three monthsโ arrears were paid. I was told it is the law โ the law of punishment for working for the government? Even the pension being paid is less than half of my normal salary while on duty for over 40 years, and I was informed I should not expect gratuity in the next five years because the retirees of 2018 are the ones on schedule now!
There have been stories of states owing salaries to workers even when, in the last two years, the governments have been receiving humongous allocations from the Federal Government. The state governors are not concerned about the plight of human beings working for them. Wickedness of the highest order. Ogun State workers have been on strike for one week because of issues relating to non-payment of workersโ salaries, allowances, and pensions. The โowanbeโ governor was seen recently celebrating his birthday on an island when his workers are languishing in poverty. The state had not remitted the governmentโs workersโ pension contributions to the PFA since 2014! Even the deductions from workersโ salaries have not been remitted for some years. So, when workers eventually retire, will they be expected to chew dust?
There was a news report that some teachers have yet to be paid the minimum wage of N70,000 due to a lack of funds. Teachers again! Lecturers in federal universities are still on the salary negotiated and agreed upon in 2009. Fortunately, young lecturers, who are not ready to seek greener pastures abroad, have taken to moonlighting to keep their teaching passion alive. The nation expects quality teaching and quality graduates. When we are considering reformation in the civil service, we must be concerned about corruption and productivity in the sector.
Credit:Punch