Wanted! A cleaner for civil service

The monumental rot pervading the federal civil service is a threat to the anti-corruption stance of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. This has forced six deputy directors to sue the Federal Civil Service Commision (FCSC) to court. Deputy Editor Yomi Odunuga and Dele Anofi examine the consequences of the decadence. 

A GROUP of senior civil servants is  seeking  the immediate intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari to save the federal civil service from collapse.

The concerned workers, who are in the deputy director’s cadre,  allege that the rules guiding the service on matters of career progression have been deliberately manipulated and consequently jettisoned by successive chief executives of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF).

According to them, Mr. President will require a strong political will to rescue the service from further decay. The rot, they said, is deeper than what ordinary Nigerians can comprehend.

Lacing their claims with evidence of total disregard for rules regarding appointment and promotion of officers, they blamed the unimpressive input of the civil service to national development as the direct consequence of the rot in the system.

It was gathered that contrary to the Statute Book, the result of the 2014 promotion examination for the directorate level was released for deputy directors without their scores attached.

The affected officers said it was the first time such development would occur. Though the scores were not released, out of the 138 that took the examination, only 23 names were listed as promoted officers.

Again, in violation of the extant rules, another batch of 10 names was released following the uproar that followed the release of the first list.

According to the aggrieved officers, corruption was responsible for the piecemeal release of the results, a development they said, never happened in the service since the introduction of promotion examination for civil servants.

A source, who pleaded for anonymity said: “I make bold to say the situation was like that because there was no vacancy. Yes, 60 per cent was the cut off mark and it was believed that more than 98 per cent of them must have scored above that.

“But the question is: How can it be ascertained whether they passed or not if the scores were not displayed?”

When it dawned on the authorities that the aggrieved officers would not stop their protests, another batch of 10 names was released.

It was even learnt that another batch of 35 names, included those who never sat for the examination was about to be released but later shelved for fear of throwing the service into chaos.

Meanwhile, the implication for those whose names were not on the two lists was that they failed the examination. Now they were being asked to retake another examination.

The examinations, billed for early this month could not hold because of the situation at hand as many of those scheduled for the examination did not see any reason they should rewrite an examination they have written twice and passed.

The authority is at the cross-roads as there in no precedent to back their action.

Illegal recruitment thrives

One of the affected officers said: “If the reason for the list they refused to release was due to lack of vacancy, then they should wait till they have vacuum in the system.  We should not be made to take it again against the rules.”

He alleged that the reason behind the action of the chairman of the FCSC and the HCSF was basically corruption, saying, “I believe that it was to fix their own candidates into the available vacancies, including those that did not take part in the examination. There are evidences to prove many of these manipulations and I think it will do the civil service and the future of this country a lot of good to expose these absurdities.”

In a document obtained by The Nation, it was alleged that the FCSC and the OHCSF, have in the last six years brought the civil service to the current state of decadence.

The document reads in part: “In utter violation of extant Public Service rules, in 2013, several unqualified officers were brought into the service from unscheduled private sector organisations, including MTN and placed on the post of a director (administration) and director (accounts) above serving officers.

“Some hundreds of new entrants were recruited in the guise of ‘regularisation’ into the service as directorate cadre officers on Grade level 17 among the hordes of aides of political appointees of President Goodluck Jonathan.”

It was learnt that a commissioner in the FCSC, last year, could no longer live with the deceit perpetrated in the commission, protested verbally and formally the placement of 15 newly recruited officers on directorate level.

Also in another document available to The Nation, there were revelations that the commissioner, from the Northwest was pitted against his counterpart on one hand and commission chair on the other hand.

First, his protest was predicated on the unilateral decision of the chairman to extend the presidential waiver from Ebonyi, Bayelsa and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), that were disadvantaged for not having directors in the federal civil service, to cover Ekiti, Oyo and Ondo states that were not disadvantaged.

Secondly, and more damaging to the civil service was that due process and all known rules were completely jettisoned.  Out of the 15 appointments made from the presidential waiver, eight failed to meet the requirements as prescribed in the Scheme of Service, Commission Guidelines on Appointment, Promotion and Discipline, the Public Service Rules (PSR) and Establishment Circular.

Rules abused, relegated

The document gave graphic details of the position where the affected officers, who were all appointed as directors in 2013, ought to be based on their years of first appointment into the civil service.

Going by rules guiding career progression in the service, Musa Saaed Talle, who was first appointed in 1989, could not have risen to the position of director until next year.

Mr. Chukwu Demis, whose year of entry read 1990, should become a director in 2019. In the case of Omogo Benard OC, his due promotion date to a directorate position should be 2017 as he joined the service in 1993. Aduda Gabriel has a unique case, being a relation brother to the Senator representing the FCT. He was alleged to have failed a Confirmation/Promotion examination while working with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which led to his forced resignation. Not quite seven months after, he was brought into the service as the Director, Economic Research & Policy Management in the finance ministry.  Aduda joined the service in 1996 and he should not rise to become a director before 2023.

Afe Idowu, who entered the civil service same year as Aduda and has also joined the director’s cadre. Similarly, Alo Williams’ year of entry was 1997 and his due promotion date to the director’s cadre should be 2025.

The luckiest, Eseduwo Famonu, was employed with a 1999 Higher Diploma Certificate and a 2000 PGD in Admin/Local Govt.  With just 14 years experience, the former Lecturer II at the Federal University, Otuoke is the Director, Recruitment and Appointment, Federal Civil Service Commission.

If the rules are followed, Famonu should become a director in 2028.

Several memoranda by the commissioner, who said the oath he took on his appointment was pricking his conscience, were not treated.

The HOCSF, Danladi Kifasi, though appointed in August 2014 is aware of the development because his OHCSF was copied when litigation began in March 2015.

 The role played by the FCSC and the OHCSF in the rot was also pronounced in the abuse of presidential waiver. It was also stated in the document that, “the presidential waiver was wantonly utilised by the FCSC and the OHCSF as a license for wholesale arbitrariness.

“While former President Goodluck Jonathan approved waiver of five directors for two Southsouth states and two directors for the FCT because they were disadvantaged, the FCSC chairman, on her own, added two more states, just to be able to bring in her cronies.

“Even at that, due process was not followed as internal advertisement was not carried out, which would have enabled qualified deputy directors to apply. In the last six years, the two bodies have used corrupt means to fast-track career advancement of their cronies, using all manner of means including ‘regularisation’, ‘proper placement’, ‘advancement’, ‘conversion’, and ‘upgrading’ to place their favoured candidates on abnormal levels in violation of all known rules.

“For instance, one Joseph Erim was allegedly moved from Grade level 09 to Grade level 16 before being moved to Grade level 17 three months after. Promotion in the service today has become a case of just anybody with the right connection or a big purse.

“They can be promoted or transferred to the post of director arbitrarily. Currently, there is a director in the National Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) that has never worked as a civil servant before. These are facts that can be verified by intelligence agencies. So, what value do we expect officers like these to add to the system?”

The rot in the service has also been traced to the unprofessional handling of the appointment of the Heads of Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF) in recent times.

The incumbent HCSF and four of his predecessors were either not core civil servants or recruited without due process, it was revealed. Against the extant rules that only administrative officer can become the Head of Service, Kifasi is a chartered accountant.

None of the last four HCSF was recruited at entry point of Grade level 08.

One of the aggrieved officers said: “Even as we speak, a market woman is a director in one of our ministries. Her past experience was the ownership and the management of a shop in one of the choice malls in Abuja. A radiographer is a permanent secretary in the OHCSF.

“To drive home the point on how deep the rot in the federal civil service has gone, adherence to entry point rules was jettisoned long time ago. Entry points in the civil service are Grade level 08 to 12, but not beyond 12.

“Today, officers are being recruited even at directorate level. As a matter of fact, Stephen Oronsaye was never a civil servant, he was recruited into the service as a director and he even became the HCSF.

“This could be one of the reasons why a 2004 presidential directive similar to our case was conveniently ignored. The directive, dated September 7, 2004, and signed by Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, Special Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, stated that having taken the promotion examination, a candidate should not be made to take a fresh examination on the basis of lack of vacancy.

“President Obasanjo intervened because the matter was also a subject of litigation. Obasanjo’s intervention saved the situation and the needful was done. But, in this case, there was no such intervention and that is why I think they are going ahead with the court option. It is beyond comprehension, the effrontery with which the presidential directive was disregarded by the current authorities in the FCSC and the OHCSF.

“The 2004 directive by President Obasanjo set a precedence on which these new victims based their agitation. But the former administration of President Jonathan would have none of it. Maybe that is why Kifasi has not shown concern about this injustice because he is a beneficiary of the rot in the system. “

The directive from the Office of the special adviser to the President on Policy and Programmes Monitoring Unit, dated September 7, 2004 with reference number PRES/PPMU/HOS/09/07 was addressed to the Head of Service.

 It reads: “Re: Year 2004 Promotion Exercise for Officers on Salary Grade Level 14-16 in the Federal Civil Service

“Further to our brief discussion this morning and Mr President’s directive, I write to inform you that His Excellency’s attention has been drawn to the circular from the Federal Civil Service Commssion Ref. No. FC6296/VOL.XV/3 dated 8th July, 2004 on the above subject.

“You will recall that as a result of the controversy generated because of failure to promote officers in hype administrative cadre on salary Grade Level 14, 15 and 16, who fulfilled promotion conditions including success at prescribed examination in year 2002, you, in circular Ref. HCSF/PSO/AOD/102/S.3/C.1/1 of 10th December, 2002 exempted this category of officers from participating in a fresh examination for that which had been scheduled for the 16th-17th December, 2003.

“As you are aware, the problem has become intractable, more so in view of the fact that it is now a subject of litigation at the National Industrial Court. In order to resolve this, His Excellency has directed that you immediately step into the matter to prevent it from deteriorating and find a lasting solution.

“One way would be to ensure that the backlog of officers who passed their examination in the year 2002 exercise should be cleared by utilising available vacancies before any consideration is given to cases of transfers, upgrading, etc. in effect, this category of officers should be exempted from the proposed exercise.

“It is essential that you get in touch as soon as possible with the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission to ensure compliance”.

Prof. Ihonvbere signed the memo in his capacity as special adviser on Policy and Programmme Monitoring to the then President Obasanjo.

According to the source, in the case of the latest victims, the directive was conveniently ignored for reference purposes.

Industrial Court to the rescue

It was gathered that the injustice forced six deputy directors, who had earlier written the examination to articulate their grievances and headed for the National Industrial Court, on March 26, 2015 to seek redress. They took the action for themselves and on behalf of others in the administration cadre.

The six are John Magbadelo, Mrs Ada Ihechukwu  Madubuike, Mrs Ganiat Ayodele, Olusegun Oginni, Mrs Janet Ayorinde and Otajele Musa.

Giving an insight into expectations of the victims, the source said: “As for these six officers, I think their minds are made up because with my interaction with some of them, they are ready to face whatever punishment or reward that might follow their action.

“One of them told me that witch-hunt, intimidation or outright dismissal from service would be of no consequence to them because the fight was not about them as individuals but for the sake of the entire civil service and its survival.

“He said they do not have to be direct beneficiaries of this fight if they succeed because successive heads at the FCSC and the OHCSF would be well aware of the consequences of jettisoning the rule books. Nigerians should be wondering by now why execution and results of most government policies ended up, adding no value to the lives of Nigerians. When a market woman was made a director, accepted she is a graduate, but where is the cognate experience to give professional direction to memos on her table or give required coordination to teams saddled with the responsibility of executing a technical assignment.

“It is simply impossible. Imagine the case of the director in charge of recruitment and appointments at the FCSC. What do you expect from such an officer if not decisions based on nepotism, tribalism and incompetence, because that’s what brought him to that office.

“With the fact that the civil service is central to the success or otherwise of a government, it will do this government a lot of good to address this situation. This is because the corruption which this government intends to fight is deeply rooted in the civil service.

“The earlier President Buhari started to look in the direction of the Federal Civil Service, the better for his determination to fight corruption”.

Commission chair speaks

In a recent interview with The Nation, FCSC chairperson, Mrs. Ayo admitted that the core values of the civil service were being gradually and steadily eroded due to a number of factors.

She, however, denied being an accomplice or complacent about repositioning the service and restoring it’s lost glory.

Vowing to rid the service of corrupt, indiscipline workers, she disclosed that 79 bureaucrats have been dismissed in the last two years.

According to her, the commission has initiated plans to weed out bad eggs out of the service.

Consequently, she said the commission has treated a total of 208 cases of indiscipline in the service, with 79 summary dismissals.

According to her, 29 senior officers were retired and four demoted.

The decadence in the service has over the years led to a deliberate programme distortion. The commission chair blamed the rot on military incursions into politics and vowed that the system would be cleaned up.

She said: “Let me say this, we have lost the core values of the civil or public service and this core values are what we want to re-enact or re-enforce. When you see a soldier, you know who a soldier is.  He greets you good morning even if it is 2pm. That is part of their unwritten tradition.

“The civil service has its unwritten tradition also and it has its own formal tradition and we imbibed this core values on the job. Nobody ever came to teach. Yes, you may have your own natural tendency to be polite to have been brought up in some good families. But then, the moment you come into the civil service, the core values mould and shape you to the extent that you now comport yourself as a civil servant.

And who is a civil servant? He is that polite civil person, who recognises himself as a servant of the public. And why are you a servant? Because you are paid from the tax payers’ fund and you are serving your country in that capacity. You will ask, what are these core values? Meritocracy, this is the first one, our founding fathers when they negotiated our independence during the constitutional conferences between 1952 and 1960 adopted meritocracy and political neutrality as the first basic core values to shapen what we call the public service.

“Then it was called the Nigerian Public Service. Against that background, the public civil service commission was established on April 1, 1954 and these core values translated into ensuring that we recruit patriotic, highly cultured and disciplined officers to work in the public service. Other core values are integrity, political neutrality, discipline, professionalism, patriotism and humility.

“The civil servant is only seen but not heard, impertiality, regardless of your tribe your race, your ethnic background, or your religion. Once you are on this job you must be impartial. So, it’s about impartiality, accountability and transparency.

“On my assumption here as chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission in 2012, I brought out five objectives which have been my guiding principles. These were adopted by my colleagues because a tree does not make a forest. The first one is that at the recruitment level, you will ensure standard, merit, quality control; because if we do not ensure standard and merit, then of course we will not have the same quality of people that will man the service. I also said transfers, recruitments, all these will be done strictly on qualification and rules and regulation.

“I said I would ensure collaborations with the office of Head of Service because before I got here, there used to be friction between this two offices. You will only get friction if you have territorial ambition, we have our own mandate.

“They have their own mandate, as clearly defined in the 1999 Constitution. And then of course I went on to say we want to be globally competitive and as such we will try as much as possible to make the civil service ICT based, which is what everybody does the world over.

“And finally, this I said nearly everywhere, we will have zero tolerance for corruption. Of course you know clearly that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as per Section 153 of that constitution, states clearly our functions, appointment and promotion of civil servants, discipline and dismissal.”