By Our Reporter
The governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has said Nigeria does not need to continue to create new government agencies, especially at this time when many of the existing ones are not functioning effectively. He advocates that the existing ones should be strengthened only if they are vital to the effective deployment of scarce public resources.
According to the governor, “Nigeria does not need an endless profusion of new agencies in the public sector, but a more efficient deployment of what already exists, strengthening those are actually needed as part of the effective deployment of public resources.” The governor stated this while delivering his remarks at the 8th Annual Conference of the National Assembly and State Legislative Service Commissions, held at the Umaru Yar’Adua Hall, Kaduna, on 14th September 2021. The theme of the annual conference is “Repositioning Assembly Service Commissions for Optimal Service Delivery.”
He further pointed out that the theme of the annual conference, “speaks to an important issue about the substantive purpose of the public service. No country can rise much above the quality of its public service, the men and women on whose shoulders rest the duty to deliver public goods, regulate markets and institutions and enforce law and order. This goal of service requires dedication and zeal, but also the skill, knowledge and human qualities to make the best choices in developing policies and in implementing programmes.”
The governor explained that the public service needed adequate attention and reforms which he believed would make it more efficient and effective. To the governor, “constant attention to public service reform is a non-negotiable requirement for the progress of any country. The public service requires investments in the skills, training, work tools and welfare of its personnel, along with careful attention to its size and its efficient adoption of technology.”
The state governor used the occasion to explain the steps his government has taken to reposition the state’s public service in order for it to perform optimally. These, he regarded as the results of the reforms of the public agencies in the state.
According to him, “In Kaduna State, we have created new agencies where needed and restructured ministries, departments and agencies. We inherited 19 ministries in 2015, and we reduced them to 14. We have fewer commissioners than previous governments. Where our immediate predecessors had 24 commissioners, we are operating with only 14, six of whom are women.
“The Kaduna State Legislative Service Commission is responsible for the appointment, promotion and discipline of the public servants that support the work of the elected legislators in the Kaduna State House of Assembly. As you are aware, public servants in the legislative and judicial branches have been agitating for autonomy. I am pleased to inform you that just yesterday, after weeks of deliberation, the Kaduna State Executive Council approved three draft bills for transmission to the State House of Assembly to enact laws for the autonomy of the legislature and judiciary. These are: 1. State Account Allocation Committee Law2. Funds Management (Judiciary) Law, 2021 3. Funds Management (Legislature) Law, 2021,” the governor said.
He further explained that, “In six years, Kaduna State has attracted over $2.8bn in new business and investment pledges. These investments have been in sectors as diverse as iron mining and steel production, chicken hatchery and feed mills, tomato farming and processing, ranching, vehicle assembly, fertiliser production, housing, renewable energy and retail. Investors have validated our determined implementation of our Ease of Doing Business Charter, helping us emerge as the number one state for doing business in the World Bank’s Doing Business in Nigeria report for 2018.
“We have taken decisive steps to translate Kaduna’s potentials into economic opportunity. We have anchored our drive for economic growth and development on attracting private sector investments. We have invested considerable efforts in establishing our credentials as a friendly state for business. We have established a digital land registry and automated land administration, made it easier to acquire land and secure title, automated business licensing and issuance of permits. We passed a new tax law, removed multiple taxation and appointed only one collector of all government revenues. With good governance, policy clarity and enabling laws, the Kaduna State Government is a champion of business.
“Our industrial parks offer investors dedicated spaces and facilities to ease set up costs. The Green Economic Zone (GEZ) is being developed to house businesses engaged in light manufacturing. The Green Agro Allied Industrial Zone (GAAIZ) is already hosting businesses like Olam and OCP Fertiliser, and has been selected as one of the locations for the AfdB-financed Special Agro-Processing Zones,” the governor said.
However, he pointed out that all these were done while equally paying attention to the welfare of public servants.
“All these initiatives are being undertaken while paying attention to the welfare of public servants,” he said. “In September 2019, Kaduna State became the first to pay the new minimum wage, with consequential adjustment of up to 66% for most workers.
“We raised minimum pension to N30,000 for retirees on the old defined benefits system. We have been robustly implementing and religiously funding the contributory pension scheme since 1st January 2017. Civil servants bought more than 80% of the government residential houses sold from 2017, with the state government working with a bank to support them with mortgages at single-digit interest rates,” the governor added.
