Chief Executives and Heads of Parastatals in Nigeria have been warned against interference in roles and responsibilities of duties.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha said this in Abuja at the 7th batch of the Induction Programme for CEOs, Chairmen and Governing Board Members, noting that Government is committed to the entrenchment of good and purposeful governance.
He said the workshop was institutionalised, to further deepen the beneficiaries’ understanding of the new policies, processes and procedures that have been introduced into the art of governance.
Mustapha said; “As you are all aware, the Public Service remains the major service provider in Nigeria. It is the operating arm of Government with the responsibility of implementing policies and programmes that guarantee the efficient delivery of good governance and democratic dividends to citizens.”
“It is, however, hierarchical in structure deriving its direction from the foremost decision-making body in the Federation, the Federal Executive Council (FEC). It is this assignment of responsibility of specific tasks that evolved the creation of Parastatals and Agencies of Government,” he explained.
The SGF said; “Parastatals are Government establishments created by statutes to provide specified services, the structure and operating instruments, derived from their respective Acts of Establishment.
” The observed poor and unhealthy relationships existing between Governing Boards and their Chief Executive Officers have become very worrisome to Government and are unacceptable… This could be avoided if Chairmen and Members of Governing Boards acquaint themselves with the instruments of establishment of their respective organisations, where the role and responsibilities of the Board are prescribed.”
He added that there must be a sustained and committed leadership that embodies the core values of equity, integrity and good governance.
The SGF therefore enjoined all beneficiaries at the workshop to strive to entrench the values in their organisations.
He was represented by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Mbeari Nnamdi.
The Director General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Dr Ibrahim Arabi noted that the Induction Programme was germane now more than before, owing to the concerns raised about the weak corporate governance practiced in government agencies in recent times.
He said; “You will agree with me that while top-level Federal Civil Servants, such as Permanent Secretaries grow through the Federal Civil Service and acquire extensive public service knowledge and experience in the conduct of government business, most members appointed to Governing Boards of Federal Agencies largely lack such knowledge and experience. This is because most of them are selected from outside the public service, and assume duties in their respective agencies with limited knowledge of the workings of the public service, corporate governance practices and conduct of government business.”
Dr Arabi noted that the overall objective was to enable Governing Board Members gain understanding of their roles, key responsibilities and the behaviour required of them in their respective organisations, both as individuals and as part of the Board’s collective responsibility.
The workshop was organised by the Bureau of Public service Reforms in collaboration with the office of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS).
Mercy Chukwudiebere
