The Civil Service In The New Dispensation

[Defender]

The Ogbeni Governor Rauf Aregbesola is never tired of reiterating his determination to revamp the economy of Osun State. This is a fundamental thrust of his can-do administration and he is well on course to do so. At the recently concluded retreat for the Executive Council of the state in Offa,  he went to great lengths to restate this position.

At the retreat in a presentation, entitled: "Osun State Development Agenda," the governor once again stated that he was going to run an unconventional, "unusual" government. He said that having understood the peculiarities of the state before coming into office, he was convinced that running a conventional government would not help him to achieve his goals.

The governor is of course on full steam. For example,  the memorandum of Understanding (MOU) he signed with Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) to ensure easy transportation of agricultural and manufacturing products between Osun and Lagos states is a brilliant strategy for economic growth and sustainable development. Obviously sustainable development is Aregbesola's key operating strategy. Inclusive here, is the eradication of poverty, hunger and employment; promotion of healthy living, functional education, peace and progress.

The objectives listed above constitute a tall order and they will be achieved. However, there is  the need to throw in a word of caution. This is that it is a truism well worn that a workman is as good as his tools. In this instance the tool of operation for the Ogbeni Governor is his civil service. This could if not handled with sensitivity and care lead to a debilitating cul-de-sac. A participant  at the retreat, a retired federal permanent secretary, Dr. Goke Adegoroye, spotted this potential area of difficulty in his presentation. He therefore called for greater understanding between civil servants and political office holders. Adegoroye hit the nail on the head when he pointed out that the vision of any new administration might be difficult to achieve if civil servants fail to key into the programmes and see themselves as the vehicle for delivering on the objectives of the administration.

The astute, very experienced Dr. Adegoroye has sensibly spotted a lacuna. There is a well-known key contradiction here, pertaining to the structure of government. The change over in 1979 from the parliamentary format to Presidentialism was not reflected in the structure of the civil service. In the presidential structure of the United States of America, a departing administration at federal or state level departs with thousands of political appointees. These appointees have effectively been running the apparatus of the machinery of government. However, in the British  parliamentary system,  the opposite is the case. The structure of the civil service is run by permanent presumably a – political civil servants.

Let us state here though, that even in the United Kingdom,  there has

been a movement away from this structure. Beginning with Mrs. Margaret

Thatcher in 1979, the Prime Minister's office has become more

presidential. This reflects the changing nature and the complexities

involved in running a modern economy. Hitherto unknown nomenclatures

such as 'special assistants', 'advisers,' directors have now entered

the lexicon in parliamentary government. This would have been

unthinkable 50-60 years ago. Here we can see that the

'times-are-changing.' We can't change time as the British Rock band,

'The Rolling Stones' have observed, 'but time will change us.'

Ogbeni Aregbesola is therefore absolutely correct to state the civil

service must function within the policy driven ethos of

presidentialism. The exponent of 'total governance is absolutely

correct  on this score. The civil service must be retooled to become

the mechanism of implementing the Osun State development agenda. The

civil servants must see themselves as the focal mechanism for

achieving Aregbesola's six-point integral development agenda.

To do this they have to operate within the ethos of the presidential

make-up. Those who have doubtful commitment to Aregbesola's programme

should simply excuse themselves. This is the honourable thing to do.

For this reason the inherent contradiction between the structure of

the civil service vis-à-vis a parliamentary as opposed to a

presidential modus operandi must now be resolved. It makes sense that

the resolution is done in favour of piloting the programmes and

objectives of the incumbent administration.

There is a very important reason this should be done. The

administration ran for elections and was elected on the basis of a

programme. They would have sold a false prospectus to the electorate

if they fail to implement the programmes on which they were elected.

Therefore, the civil service must be handy tool, the vigorous

mechanism to achieve the goal of the administration. Overall the

Aregbesola administration has only a limited amount of time within

which to achieve its objectives. Every minute counts. For this reason

the civil service must be retooled to move with vigour.

–

It's well!

Osun Defender