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The House of Representatives has expressed support for ongoing efforts aimed at ensuring efficient service delivery in the nation’s public sector.
Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, assured that the ninth National Assembly would enact laws required by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) to achieve the goal.
He gave the assurance during the weekend when a delegation of BPSR’s management, led by Director General (DG), Dasuki Ibrahim Arabi, visited him at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.
He expressed delight that reforms designed for Federal Government’s ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) have helped to enhance efficiency and quality of service delivery in public service.
The Speaker, however, lamented the situation whereby most of the reforms lack constitutional backing and legislative approval for their implementation by the various MDAs.
Gbajabiamila, who noted that the Bureau has achieved successes in formulating quality policy reforms that have helped to restructure the public service, described the agency as the ‘unsung hero of Nigeria’s democracy.’
“The National Assembly is appreciative of the good work BPSR has been doing, especially in driving public service reforms. Reforms in pension administration, taxation, electoral system, fiscal governance, e-governance and several others, have started yielding positive results,” he said.
He also assured that the Green Chamber would soon enact a legislation that would make reforms formulated by the Bureau to become laws, urging BPSR’s management to work closely with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to educate members of the public on the importance of their activities and achievements.
While disclosing that the ninth House would soon launch its own legislative agenda and reforms, Gbajabiamila stated that a ‘Transition Bill’ on smooth transfer of power between outgoing and incoming administrations was already in the House for passage.
He stressed that the House under his leadership would not condone shunning of invitations by some heads of MDAs, saying: “We have evolved stringent punitive measures and would penalise MDAs whose heads disregard our summons or refuse to cooperate with our House Committees during oversight activities.”
Arabi disclosed that the Bureau has served as the engine of reforms in the public service since it was created in 2004, saying their mandate was not only to initiate, but to also monitor and report implementation level of reforms by the MDAs.