Governments at all levels have been urged to improve the welfare of civil servants and ensure that their salaries and working conditions reflect current economic realities in Nigeria.
A retired Permanent Secretary in the Kwara State Civil Service, Mr Asha Olanrewaju, made the call while speaking to Newsmen in Ilorin, Kwara State Capital, North Central Nigeria.
Olanrewaju expressed concern over the disparity in remuneration and welfare packages between federal and state civil servants, stressing the need for governments at all levels to ensure that public servants are adequately motivated to deliver quality services.
The seasoned technocrat argued that although states have the constitutional and fiscal space to determine their remuneration within applicable frameworks, there should be greater effort to bridge unjustifiable disparities in the welfare of workers performing similar responsibilities.
“Civil servants operate in the same economy as other Nigerians and are confronted by the same rising costs of food, housing, transportation, healthcare and other basic necessities”. He said
According to him, remuneration should be sufficient to enable workers meet their basic needs, warning that inadequate pay could negatively affect concentration, morale and productivity.
“Any remuneration that cannot meet these four things is not a remuneration. It is a slave wage,” he said, identifying feeding, clothing, housing and healthcare as basic necessities that workers’ income should reasonably support.
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Olanrewaju also advocated the reintroduction of welfare schemes that previously supported civil servants, including housing and car loans, affordable credit facilities, palliatives and other structured assistance programmes.
He said such interventions would help workers acquire essential assets and cushion the impact of economic hardship without encouraging dependence on informal or questionable sources of income.
The retired Permanent Secretary particularly called for the revival of housing loan schemes, suggesting that eligible workers with sufficient years remaining in service could be supported to build or acquire houses, with repayments spread over time through salary deductions.
He argued that owning a home could strengthen workers’ sense of belonging and encourage greater commitment to the institutions they serve.
Olanrewaju also advocated the restoration of car loans, noting that civil servants should be given opportunities to acquire affordable vehicles that would ease transportation challenges and improve their mobility.
He further called for the reintroduction of appropriate overtime benefits for workers who are required to work beyond their regular hours, noting that such incentives had existed in the public service in the past.
Beyond remuneration, the technocrat stressed the importance of regular training and retraining of civil servants to strengthen their professional competence and improve public service delivery.
He said government-sponsored capacity development should be complemented by deliberate efforts by individual civil servants to improve themselves through reading, professional courses, technology and acquisition of new skills.
Olanrewaju recalled that the civil service of the past placed considerable emphasis on integrity, commitment, industriousness, dedication and mentorship, saying experienced officers played important roles in developing younger colleagues.
He lamented the weakening of the mentorship culture, noting that senior officers previously took younger workers under their guidance irrespective of ethnic or religious differences.
According to him, “effective mentorship helped to transfer institutional knowledge and prepared younger officers for leadership and greater responsibilities”.
He therefore urged governments and senior public servants to rebuild a culture where experienced officers deliberately mentor younger personnel.
The retired Permanent Secretary also advocated prompt promotion of deserving workers, saying career progression was an important motivational tool in the public service.
He argued that promotion should increasingly recognise competence, performance, dedication and productivity, while maintaining fairness and adherence to established rules.
According to him, a system that rewards competence would encourage workers to become more focused, industrious and committed to their responsibilities.
He, however, stressed that civil servants must also take responsibility for their own professional development rather than relying entirely on government.
“It’s a deliberate thing. All effort, all success in life is by deliberate effort. Let them deliberately equip themselves,” he said.
Olanrewaju further warned against increasing political partisanship among career civil servants, describing the development as an aberration capable of undermining the neutrality of the public service.
He maintained that civil servants should serve whichever government is in power, irrespective of its political party.
“A civil servant is expected to be apolitical. You don’t have to belong to a political party,” he said.
He explained that political affiliation could compromise the objectivity of civil servants and potentially influence the professional advice they provide on government policies and programmes.
He therefore urged public servants to maintain professional neutrality and allow elected political office holders to make political decisions while career officials provide objective, evidence-based administrative advice.
On the retirement age of public servants, the retired Permanent Secretary opposed calls for an extension beyond the existing 35 years of service or 60 years of age.
He argued that retaining the existing framework would create vacancies and provide opportunities for young Nigerians, particularly fresh graduates, to enter the workforce.
“If retirement age goes to 65, how does my own child enter the service? If you don’t exit, you don’t come in,” he said.
Olanrewaju maintained that Nigeria’s employment challenges made it important to ensure regular renewal of the workforce while allowing older workers to retire with dignity and enjoy their post-service years.
The retired Permanent Secretary stressed that improving the civil service required responsibilities from both government and workers.
While governments must provide adequate remuneration, welfare packages, training opportunities and a conducive working environment, he said civil servants must reciprocate through professionalism, integrity, diligence and commitment to duty.
He also cautioned against attempts by political actors to encourage civil servants to compromise professional standards, saying public servants should have the courage to uphold the rules governing the service.
Olanrewaju ultimately called on state governments to make workers’ welfare a priority, stressing that a motivated, professionally competent and politically neutral civil service remains indispensable to effective governance and sustainable national development.
