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Hanson Olakunle Osahon
CIVIL SERVICE COMPITENCE IN NIGERIA
(A Case Study of the Nigerian National Petroleum Commission)
PROLOGUE: One of the most valuable guides for any would-be reformer is
knowing what has, and has not worked in the past, this has been one of the
themes of most of the institute for government’s work over the past year.
It is necessary to state that one of the main conclusions of civil service
incompetence is the danger of leadership being too personalized and failing to
survive crucial transitions and the absence of a corporate leadership team at the
top of the civil service institute.
This document will review the framework of efficiency and then pose a proposal
for better performance in the civil servants institute.
The Nigerian Civil service consists of employees in government agencies other
than the military In the Nigerian ministries, most employees are employed based
on qualification and progressing based on qualification as well as seniority and at
the end retrenched after 35 years of service or haven attained 60 years of age.
The major duty of a civil servant in practice is to put in all available effort as
contributing to the development of the country through individual agencies, on
this note the government just as every other company is to provide a suitable
work atmosphere for worker so as to avoid any constraint whatsoever
(Akindayomi 2008).
BACKGROUND OF STUDY
History has it that the Nigerian Civil Service originates in organisations established
by the British in colonial time, it gained sovereignty after independent on 1st
of
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.

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Hanson Olakunle Osahon
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 and it is now being headed by Mrs. Joan Ayo
as the chairman
ORGANISATION.
The civil service is mainly organized around the federal ministries, headed by a
minister appointed by the President of Nigeria, 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 Corporation. 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:

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Hanson Olakunle Osahon
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)
Several measures have been put in place to increase the work efficiency of the
workers I.E the newly introduced proposal for pre-examination screening of
candidates for the slots of retiring permanent secretaries and directors.
In August 2009, Oronsaye and Al-Gazali jointly initiated the tenure policy, which
provides a four-year term renewable once for permanent secretaries and eight-
year term for directors, irrespective of other public service rules which prescribe
60 years of age and or 35 years of service for mandatory retirement.
This new policy cuts across all government agencies (NNPC inclusive), in the bid to
ensure the quality of service delivery by the worker, the board of management in
2014 ensured an on-going Transformation journey in the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) which is on course and is yielding the desired
results. General Manager, NNPC Transformation, (Mr. Yemi Adetunji 2014).
STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVE
The objective of this research is to set a framework which will pose a proposal to
setting directives on recruitment, performance management and development
discussions together with decision making
The framework is made up of ten competencies. Below is a list of all the
competencies with a high-level summary of each one.

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Hanson Olakunle Osahon
STRATEGIC CLUSTER – SETTING DIRECTION
1. Seeing the Big Picture
Seeing the big picture is about having an in-depth understanding and knowledge
of how your role fits with and supports organisational objectives and the wider
public needs. For all staff, it is about focusing your contribution on the activities
which will meet Civil Service goals and deliver the greatest value. At senior levels,
it is about scanning the political context and taking account of wider impacts to
develop long term implementation strategies that maximise opportunities to add
value to the citizen and support economic, sustainable growth.
2. Changing and Improving
People who are effective in this area are responsive, innovative and seek out
opportunities to create effective change. For all staff, it’s about being open to
change, suggesting ideas for improvements to the way things are done, and
working in „smarter‟, more focused ways. At senior levels, this is about creating
and contributing to a culture of innovation and allowing people to consider and
take managed risks. Doing this well means continuously seeking out ways to
improve policy implementation and build a leaner, more flexible and responsive
Civil Service. It also means making use of alternative delivery models including
digital and shared service approaches wherever possible.
3. Making Effective Decisions
Effectiveness in this area is about being objective; using sound judgment,
evidence and knowledge to provide accurate, expert and professional advice. For
all staff, it means showing clarity of thought, setting priorities, analysing and using
evidence to evaluate options before arriving at well-reasoned justifiable
decisions. At senior levels, leaders will be creating evidence based strategies,
evaluating options, impacts, risks and solutions. They will aim to maximise return
while minimising risk and balancing social, political, financial, economic and
environmental considerations to provide sustainable outcomes.

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Hanson Olakunle Osahon
PEOPLE CLUSTER - ENGAGING PEOPLE
4. Leading and Communicating
At all levels, effectiveness in this area is about leading from the front and
communicating with clarity, conviction and enthusiasm. It’s about supporting
principles of fairness of opportunity for all and a dedication to a diverse range of
citizens. At senior levels, it is about establishing a strong direction and a
persuasive future vision; managing and engaging with people with honesty and
integrity, and upholding the reputation of the Department and the Civil Service.
5. Collaborating and Partnering
People skilled in this area create and maintain positive, professional and trusting
working relationships with a wide range of people within and outside the Civil
Service to help get business done. At all levels, it requires working collaboratively,
sharing information and building supportive, responsive relationships with
colleagues and stakeholders, whilst having the confidence to challenge
assumptions. At senior levels, it’s about delivering business objectives through
creating an inclusive environment, encouraging collaboration and building
effective partnerships including relationships with Ministers.
6. Building Capability for All
Effectiveness in this area is having a strong focus on continuous learning for
oneself, others and the organisation. For all staff, it’s being open to learning,
about keeping one’s own knowledge and skill set current and evolving. At senior
levels, it’s about talent management and ensuring a diverse blend of capability
and skills is identified and developed to meet current and future business needs.
It’s also about creating a learning and knowledge culture across the organisation
to inform future plans and transformational change.

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PERFORMANCE CLUSTER - DELIVERING RESULTS
7. Achieving Commercial Outcomes
Being effective in this area is about maintaining an economic, long-term focus in
all activities. For all, it’s about having a commercial, financial and sustainable
mindset to ensure all activities and services are delivering added value and
working to stimulate economic growth. At senior levels, it’s about identifying
economic, market and customer issues and using these to promote innovative
business models, commercial partnerships and agreements to deliver greatest
value; and ensuring tight commercial controls of finances, resources and
contracts to meet strategic priorities.
8. Delivering Value for Money
Delivering value for money involves the efficient, effective and economic use of
taxpayers‟ money in the delivery of public services. For all staff, it means seeking
out and implementing solutions which achieve the best mix of quality and
effectiveness for the least outlay. People who do this well base their decisions on
evidenced information and follow agreed processes and policies, challenging
these appropriately where they appear to prevent good value for money. At
senior levels, effective people embed a culture of value for money within their
area/function. They work collaboratively across boundaries to ensure that the
Civil Service maximises its strategic outcomes within the resources available.
9. Managing a Quality Service
Effectiveness in this area is about being organised to deliver service objectives
and striving to improve the quality of service, taking account of diverse customer
needs and requirements. People who are effective plan, organise and manage
their time and activities to deliver a high quality and efficient service, applying
programme and project management approaches to support service delivery. At
senior levels, it is about creating an environment to deliver operational excellence
and creating the most appropriate and cost effective delivery models for public
services.
10. Delivering at Pace
Effectiveness in this area means focusing on delivering timely performance with
energy and taking responsibility and accountability for quality outcomes. For all

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staff, it’s about working to agreed goals and activities and dealing with challenges
in a responsive and constructive way. At senior levels, it is about building a
performance culture to deliver outcomes with a firm focus on prioritisation and
addressing performance issues resolutely, fairly and promptly. It is also about
leaders providing the focus and energy to drive activities forward through others
and encourage staff to perform effectively during challenging and changing times
(Civil Service Governance U.K. 2012).
CONCLUSION
It is important to state that the civil service commission is expected to be the
engine room of the country which relative should be a foundation builder for
other non-government companies to follow, Let me also restate that the
government has a lot to do to making sure that the civil servants are well
managed and cared for.
The government needs to also redirect its interest in the issue of civil servant
pension as most workers are not finding it easy to get their gratuity and pension
after retirement.