1.0 Introduction:
1.1 It is a real privilege for me to address this galaxy of eminent Public Servants that gathered here for this auspicious occasion. I understand that today marked the climax of the Civil Service Week in Delta State and you will permit me to express my sincere appreciation to the Government of Delta State particularly the Head of the Civil Service who has given me the opportunity to address you on "The Role of the Civil Service in Nation Building".

1.2 This is a topical issue of the moment, as nations all over the world are currently in the struggle to better their existence through the process of good governance, effective and efficient service delivery and the adherence to the Rule of Law.

1.3 Ladies and Gentlemen, in this paper I shall proceed by defining some relevant concepts in order to enable me lay a solid foundation for the understanding of the strategic position occupied by the Public Service in building the Nigerian State. Thereafter, I will proceed by looking at the evolution of the Civil Service concurrently with the evolution of our Country (Nigeria) before and after Independence. This will dovetail into examining the prospects and difficulties associated with the building of state capacities that are necessary for the moulding of Nigeria into a nation before drawing conclusions on the way forward.

1.4 Definition of Concepts:
Civil Service: This is administrative system within the social structure of modern mass society. It is a formal organization designed to co-ordinate activities of many individuals in the pursuit of tasks set up by Government. These organizations are highly differentiated, efficiently organized by means of formal rules and a hierarchical chain of command that could either be vertical or horizontal.

Nation building: Permit me to define the concept nation building within the context of this paper, as a body of people united under a particular political organization and usually occupying a defined territory, as in our case the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This is different from that which says it is a body of people recognized as an entity by virtue of their historical, linguistic or ethnic linkages. Ladies and Gentlemen, for the greater part of this lecture I shall be looking at the Civil Service and Nigeria from both perspectives in our nation building.

Role of the Public Service: The concept 'Role' in our present context depicts the part the Institution of the Civil Service plays as a Bureaucracy in the formulation, sustenance, transformation and realization of Government objective within the realms of our polity and the International Community.
Development is the extent to which the Public Service as a bureaucracy is impacting on our Institutional transformation, Infrastructure, Human Capital, Service delivery and the capacity to manage our environment. This will aggravate the need for us to also look at the concept of the transformation of our Civil Service along with the building of Nigeria State. Transformation: Accordingly, it is a process of changing from one form, appearance, state or nature into another.

1.0 Historical Evolution of the Service:
2.1 An insight into the historical evolution of the Nigeria State and its Public Service is necessary in order to pave way for the understanding of this paper. Between the 9th and 18th century, the present territory called Nigeria were largely the domains of the Kanem Borno Empire, Oyo Empire, Benin Empire, the Fulani Caliphates and Ibo egalitarian societies. These principalities had an established form of administration that dates back into history particularly that of Mai Dynasty which held sway in Kanem Borno Empire from 9th to the 19th century when the Colonial master adapted their system as one of the modules for Indirect Rule in what later became Northern Nigeria.

2.2 Accordingly, the British in their attempt to colonize the geographical expression which later became known as Nigeria, introduced a system of Indirect Rule in all other parts of the Country except in the Eastern part where a form of Central Administration was non existent. This method of administration gradually metamorphosed into Local Government Authorities.

2.3 It is worthy of note that the system of administration established particularly in the Caliphates lent itself to delegation of authority, the use of efficient, loyal and dedicated subordinates as well as commitment to success. This sound native authority administrative system was one of the major factors responsible for the successful existence of these Caliphates and Empires. It is on this note that I shall examine the evolution of the Nigeria Civil Service with a view to establishing the traditional role of the Civil Service and the Civil Servants in order to anchor the role of the Institution in nation building.

2.4 Evolution of the Nigerian Public Service: The history of the Civil Service dates back to the colonial period. With the creation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates of Nigeria in 1900 and eventual amalgamation of both in 1914, the British colonial masters saw the need for the gradual evolution of a modern Public Service patterned toward the British module. Initially without equivocation, the policy was formulated with the logic of imperialism, buttressed by a false belief about the incapacity of Nigerians to develop initiatives in co-habiting as a nation.

2.5 Thereafter, from 1922 - 1954 there were a deluge of Constitutional reforms, ranging from Lyttleton Constitution, to that of Bourdillon, and Richards, McPherson 1951 and that of 1954. These Constitutional reforms were known as Order-in-Council and they brought about the evolution of Civil Service in Nigeria, as well as, the creation of regional Governments.

2.6 Consequently, a major attempt in establishing a central Pubic Service in Nigeria emanated from the acceptance of the Nigerianization Report of 1st January, 1949 by the colonial office. Later, a Caretaker Central Pubic Service Commission was constituted on 3rd May, 1952 under the provision of Section 169 of the Nigeria Order-in-Council (McPherson Constitution) of 1951. The Federal Public Service Commission was established on 1st April, 1954 under Section 174 of the Nigeria Order-in-Council (Constitution) of 1954.

2.7 With the evolution of modern state and the adoption of the concept of separation of powers, the Civil Service emerged as an organ of the executive responsible for advising it on policy directions and implementation of decisions. The great English Public Servant, Sir Warrant Fisher in his report of the Royal Commission on the Civil Service in 1929 stated that: "Determination of policy is the function of ministers; and once a policy is determined, it is the unquestioned and unquestionable business of the civil servant to strive to carry out that policy with precisely the same goodwill, whether he agrees with it or not". In other words, the basic functions of the civil service and the civil servant all over the world are:-
(a) To assist the government in the formation of policy by providing the necessary data,
(b) To implement the decisions (that is, the approved policies) without fear or favour,
(c) To ensure that when advising government the civil servant sets out the wider and more enduring considerations against the exigencies of the moment so that the conveniences of today does not become the embarrassment of tomorrow.

2.8 As pointed out above, the Civil Servant is expected to perform his functions without fear or favour, within rules and regulations and in accordance with approved procedures. For the Civil Service and Servant to be able to do this, it must be assured that the political bosses would not "get at them" for taking the correct actions that might not be politically correct or palatable to the powers that be.

2.9 In Nigeria the truth is that the political bosses who are the Heads of Departments are immersed in constituency politics and pressures which they bring to bear on the work of the Civil Service and the Civil Servants. In most cases, the boss (Minister or Commissioner) is regarded by his constituency as the fountain of largesse and bounty. They hardly have time to take sound decisions and do not want to get involved in the vigour of painstaking measures of sifting through policy advice made by the Civil Servants. Indeed, most time when the Minister is in the Office the people from his constituency who require all sorts of assistance are waiting for him and there are those who have suddenly arrived with a report from home that his political opponents are gaining grounds. This requires that the Minister has to leave office immediately in order to attend to constituency matters with real or imaginary. Consequently, a lot more valuable time is wasted at the expense of the objectives of the Minister's department.

3.0 Prospects associated with the building of state capacities that are necessary for the moulding of Nigeria into a nation:-
3.1 The critical issues involved in the analysis of the Nigeria Civil Service in nation building is the need to measure the Civil Service vis-à-vis globally accepted parameters. These critical factors are:-

• the demonstrable ability and capacity of Nigerian State to deliver goods and services to the people of Nigeria in cost - effective, efficient and timely manner,
• the existence of State Institutions that are guided by high ideals of pubic service in carrying out their mandates in a fair, equitable, transparent and accountable manner,
• the perception by the citizens that State Institutions are respectful of citizens rights, interests and generally demonstrates respect for the laws of the land,
  the legitimate use of physical force and coercion by agencies of Government,
• the existence of safe and secured environment that allow citizens to carry out their daily routines without fear, encumbrances and hindrance other than those imposed by law,
• the general perception that justice is dispensed justly, fairly, equitable and in a very timely manner,
• the legitimate enforcement of laws, rules and regulations that is not selective or perceived to be tainted with bias.
  

3.2 Another perspective to this discussion is to look at the Nigeria Public Service and its role in nation building through the under-listed processes:-

• the Service as the engine of growth in infrastructure and Human Capital,
• the Service as energized in the Nigeria Political process
• the Service as the beacon of unity in diversity and sustainability of the Nigerian Federation,
• the Service as instrument of social transformation and failed political process,
• the Service as a victim of corruption and retarded development,
  

3.3 Looking at the above indicators, you will permit me to state that the Civil Service is instrumental and in most cases responsible for:

• the expansion in the scope of activities in the area of education, health, housing development, agriculture and other social services, as well as, increasing National and Per capital Income. As a matter of fact the performance of the Pubic Service in the first few years of Nigerian Independence gave cause for hope that the expectations of Nigerians for rapid socio-economic development would be fulfilled with reasonable efficiency.
  
• attaining visible strides in the expansion of state capacities to provide for its citizens literacy level, more colleges and universities, several thousands of kilometres of roads including new airports, human capital development were vigorously pursued, new cities were developed and conscious urban renewal efforts were made,
• the sustenance of the Nigerian nation as an entity as well as its unity in diversity despite deep cultural and ethnic diversities of the component units,
• the transformation of Nigeria colonial structure of 1914 into the present 36 state structure of a federal system of government in response to the yearnings and aspirations of the multi-ethnic groups that constitute the Nigerian state,
• the National Youth Service Scheme has served as a meeting point between many Nigerians from different parts of the Country who for several years during their growth were restricted to their geographical zones. Some have gotten inter-married and this has resulted in the establishment of organic social relations amongst different families, tribes and states of the Federation.
• Government and the civil service Bureaucracy through the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Police have been able to contribute successfully to various Global Peace Missions across the continents in the last fifty years,
• Also, Government bureaucracies have been responsible for entrenching Nigeria amongst the Comity of nations i.e. African Union (AU), United Nations (UN) and other International Organizations.
  

3.4 However, there are aspects of the performance of the civil Service in the development of modern Nigerian that are by no means so impressive. Corruption, lack of transparency and accountability in the Civil Service and indeed poor political leadership resulted in the rapid regression of Nigeria to a near "failed state". Consequently, Public trust in the Civil Service capacity and efficiency was seriously eroded. This is aptly captured in the scenario below:-

• As instrument of social transformation and failed political process, the bureaucrats running the nation's Public Service were themselves tainted with the cankerworms of ethnicity and sectionalism as amply demonstrated by their active participation in partisan politics. They aided and abated election rigging, manipulation of census figures, falsification of reports on Government contracts and frustration or poor implementation of Government development programmes,
• Public contracts were no longer executed with a sense of value for money. Maintenance culture which was the hallmark of the colonial service and the Nigeria Public Service immediately after Independence were jettisoned,
• The Civil Service deteriorated, abandoning its tenets of commitment and service to the people, with huge public sector investment wasted and in some cases, vandalized by those placed under its care. The rot reinforced the capacity of Politicians and military dictators to plunder the Nigerian State and its component units.
• The Citizenry and the International Community were appalled by the unprecedented maladministration of the State and its agencies (the Police, the military, the security outfits, the electoral bodies, and the civil service), etc.
• Nigerian deteriorated into almost a Failed State, as infrastructures failed; conflicts become exacerbated amongst neighbours in some parts of the Country.
• This bad governance which resulted in the inability of the Pubic service to respond to the aspirations of Nigerians, created multiple political and economic distrust, hunger, poverty and endemic diseases, further decay in infrastructure, exacerbated illiteracy and ignorance, intermittent heavy debt burden and external aid to fund haphazardly very limited services/infrastructures, despite our huge oil wealth.
  

3.5 A fundamental drawback to the building of the Nigeria nation is the inability of the Civil Service, the political leaders and the Nigerian people to use Constitutional instrument to mould a nation: Despite various Constitutional reforms since Independence, the Nigeria State is still grappling with the fundamentals of nationhood. The various States Civil Services are yet to comprehend with the concepts of employing a resident who is a non indigene, yet he is a victim of Direct and Indirect Tax as a result of his economic activities in that State.

3.6 Ladies, and Gentlemen, permit me to ask if there are other factors that have impeded our Civil Service from contributing positively toward nation building. A peep into some emerging economics that were at par with Nigeria at Independence showed that their Public Service has been used to drive policies which eventually succeeded in establishing a virile and vibrant economy. Examples of these are Malaysia, India, Japan and China that are today driving the world economy. These Countries exhibit:-

• Good Corporate Governance and efficient Public service,
• Political and Economic Stability,
• Sustenance and integration of their rich Culture,
• Maturity of Capital and Financial Markets,
• Availability of core competence and retention of rare talents,
• Favourable investment climate and,
• Strict obedience to rule of law and due process.
  

3.7 On the contrary, it is painful to note that the Nigeria economy and its Pubic service exhibit, for the time being, the following characteristics:-

• Lack of good leadership,
• Lack of political and economic stability,
• Lack of good governance,
• In adequacy of qualified Human Capital and flight to greener pastures,
• High Poverty levels and unrealistic minimum wage,
• Low life expectancy and high death rate,
• High Illiteracy levels,
• Inadequate and poor infrastructure,
• Poor health facilities leading to the spread of preventable diseases,
• Inadequate educational facilities and infrastructure characterized by inappropriate curricula,
• Inconsistency and lack of continuity of pubic policies,
• Conflicts and civil strife in some States of the Country.
  

3.8 The above deficiencies have brought to the front burner the need for the Nigeria Public Service to be transformed into a State where it will be capable to first salvage the Country from sliding into a failed State, meet with the objectives of building a 21st century successful nation, and move in tandem with New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) objectives, as well as, the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

3.9 The Yar'Adua Administration, the Public Service and Nation Building:-
It is in response to the above needs that the present administration of Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, GCFR, has made the pursuit of excellence in education one of the seven priority areas in its development effort. Without credible and viable educational programme, it would not be possible to produce well educated and efficient Civil Servant capable of meeting the development of challenges of modern time. I therefore urge all the State Governors, particularly those in the North and some States in the South to pursue this policy vigorously.

3.10 Other areas in the priority agenda of this administration which can hardly be achieved between now and 2011 without an effective and responsive Civil Service include:-

• the provision of sustainable power and energy,
• food security,
• wealth creation,
• effective public transportation,
• land reforms,
• Security of lives and property.
  

3.11 The above programme and policy direction has resulted on the part of Government to mobilize the top echelon of the Executive and Public Service to come up with a blue print on what should be done, how if should done, time frame and cost for realizing the various projects between now and 2011.

3.12 One of the major focuses is that the Nigeria Public Service as presently constituted, must be rapidly transformed it the Yar' Adua Seven Point Agenda has to be realized and survive what I may call nation - State Darwinism. In addition, that although Nigeria is a federation, the 36 component State Services along with their 774 Local Government public services must be carried along in this transformation.

4.0 What do we do?
4.1 Ladies and Gentlemen, my experience in the last 44 years as a Public Servant has revealed that the Public Service is considerably degraded from a powerful regional Public Service during the colonial era and immediately after Independence to almost a non performing Institution. The State Public services had increased in number from 3 in 1960 to 4 in 1963 and 36 in 1997 but considerably degraded in efficiency and effectiveness.

4.2 In some States, the Service appears to be existing only in principle and ephemeral in practice. Some of the political Heads have turned the Services into a pawn that could be used for the fulfilment of untoward objectives. the Service and the Civil Servant is no longer standing firm as ethics has been thrown to the wind.

4.3 Therefore the way forward for rejuvenating the Service in Nigeria so as to enable it responds to its challenges of nation building is through the reform of the Public Service.

4.4 If the above assertion holds water, I recommend that the Civil Service in Nigeria should undertake the following processes in order to commence its meaningful reform. These are:-
" determination of crystal clear vision, mission and core objectives of Ministries and Extra-Ministerial Departments established by the Executive,
" the execution of a thorough job analysis with a view to establishing actual manpower needs that are capable of delivering the mission and objectives of the Service.

• the determination of appropriate work structures that will lead to efficient departmentalization,
• the installation of an effective Human Resource Acquisition Process for the Service and.
• the installation of an efficient Performance Measurement system for upward mobility and promotion in the service.
• efficient cooperation between the Civil Service Commission, the Head of Service and the Secretary to Government must exist in order to synchronize at all times the programmes of Government and the harmonization of reform programmes.
  

4.5 In ensuring that only those who needed in the Service are retained for the purposes of service delivery and meeting the objectives of the Service, a rightsizing/downsizing exercise may require the under-listed recipe if the Service is not properly manned. This may involve the application of these concepts:-

• Redundancy is where employee job is no longer required, i.e. under the current Civil Service Reforms, those still occupying jobs that have been overtaken by modern work processes, are to be right-sized out of the service. These shall include, civil servants designated as Messengers, Clerical staff, Typist, Telephone Operator, Executive Officer {General Duties}, particularly those that have not obtained relevant HND or its equivalent. Most of them that have risen to SGL. 08 and above, do not exhibit required competence, necessary for job performance, in a modern bureaucracy. In a reformed service, jobs are specific with defined scope, thereby making the position of general duties staff irrelevant, indeed, our globalized economy is knowledge based, where performance is driven by core competencies.
• Medical Ground is where employee is no longer capable of performing the job responsibilities on grounds of ill health; has regularly been absent from duty under the cover of being sick in the hospital; has impaired disability that impedes performance of the job; absent from duty on ill health without due medical certificate. In this particular criterion, the recommendation of the Health Management Board may be necessary.
• Mandatory skills is the possession of organised and co-ordinated pattern of mental and, or physical ability necessary for the performance of the job tasks designated to an employee, in the service. It is a practical way of exhibiting expert knowledge, necessary in the execution of tasks. When it is absent in an employee, such a person is said to lack mandatory skill. It could also be the lack of appropriate qualification, required by an employee, before occupying a job position in the 'service.
• Efficiency, an employee is said to be efficient when his/her action on the job results in the production of desired objective, with minimum waste or effort. Consequently, an employee is said to be inefficient when his/her actions results to undesired objectives, waste of efforts and in most cases, at a cost to the Service. Inefficient employees are in most instances unable to accomplish job tasks satisfactorily.
• Monetized jobs are job positions for which benefits are paid directly, as part of the emolument of an entitled public officer. Under our current disposition, these jobs are monetized:-
  Motor Driver/Driver Mechanic, Steward, Gardener, Kitchen Attendant/Cook and all categories of domestic staff.
• Outsourced jobs are job positions that are either contracted out, or are consigned to other organization believed to have better capacity to manage such job. In our current circumstance, such jobs include, all Catering and Hotel Services, Washerman [Laundry Services], Cleaning or Cleaner, Security Services or Watchman, Catering Assistant, Catering Officers and Catering Instructors, Training and Staff development of civil servants etc.
• Abolished Cadres are jobs that have been phased out or jobs that would be overtaken by the reforms. Such jobs include:- Porter, stores attendant, All jobs on GL. 01 - 05 whose entry requirement is below OND.
• Unsatisfactory Conduct is when an employee is seen to be dishonest, inefficient, disobedient, not conforming to rules and regulations, not loyal to appropriate authorities, not dutiful and committed to work objectives, etc.
  

4.6 The Nigeria Public Service has suffered from gross inefficiency of the upper echelon of the Service. In order to address this at both Federal and State levels, the following recipes are recommended:-

• Performance contract already in practice in some African Countries such as Botswana and South Africa should be adapted to shore up performance of top civil servants and service delivery within the Service. Time frame for implementation Now.
• The tenuring of term of office of Permanent Secretaries and Directors in the Public service based on performance contracts with a resolve that the office of Director in the Public Service should be tenured for a period of five (5) years and renewable for another maximum term of five (5) years only, while those of Permanent Secretaries should be tenured for a term of four (4) years and renewable for another maximum term of four (4) years only. The attainment of 60 years of age, 35 years of service, or whichever that comes first should remain as part of the conditions for exit from service under this contract arrangement. Time frame for the evolution of performance contract modalities: Now; while time frame for the tenuring of office of PS and Directors: Effective 1st January 2009.
• that the renewal of the tenure of office of the Permanent Secretary and that of a Director in the Federal and State Public Service as well as their continued stay in office should be based on an annual crystal clear meeting of established targets by the Permanent Secretary or the Director during his first term in the office. Time frame for implementation: Effective 1st January 2009.
• that the Human resource Management practice existing in Nigeria Public Service must be re-engineered and fine-tuned with necessary tools provided as input and remuneration improved to pay competitive wage to Civil Servants working in central Agencies such as Civil Service Commission, Office of the Head of Civil Service and office of the Secretary to Government.
• that in order to create a world class Public Service such as those obtainable in the emerging markets of Asia and the developed economies of Europe and America, the Public Service in Nigeria must evolve new ways in talent management. This will enable the Service attract and retain some of the best brains required for its service delivery. Time frame for implementation: Now and annually.
• that good Human Resource Management practice and ICT have become twin catalytic agents of modern Public Service and that for the Nigeria Public Service to effectively compete in the globalization process, the Civil Service Commissions in Nigeria (Federal and States) must as a matter of urgency and deliberate practice seek these knowledge and apply them for effective service delivery. In this connection, it is suggested that only those with core competence and capacity in Public Administration, Human resource Management and ICT should be deployed to the Civil Service Commission as civil servants. Time frame for implementation of postings and deployment: Now.
  

5. Conclusion:
5.1 In order to achieve the above cutting edge, I advocate that the age long ideals of impartiality, anonymity and permanence must be restored in the Nigeria Public Service. This is however without prejudice to the urgent need for the institutionalization of performance contract and tenuring of certain offices in the Service.

5.2 The Public Service must serve as the bastion of continuity if the Nigerian nation will succeed in its drive for development, within the context of its unity in diversity.

5.3 The service must not be politicized in order to allow it successfully play its traditional roles. The politician who is the chief executive of the ministry must understand that it is the responsibility of the Civil Service and the civil servant to provide him with all options available in the shaping of policies and that he has a responsibility after being advised, to decide on the best option that is in the interest of the nation or the institution he represents.

5.4 It is important that the Public Service commissions should be insulated from politics and that the provision for appointment should not only make its independence a reality but also be clearly understood to be so.

5.6 The Government should ensure the immediate restoration of and respect for, the political neutrality of the pubic service.

5.7 The authority of the Civil Service Commission must extend to all public officers other than staff whose appointment is vested in some other authorities. In India, the "Union Public Service Commission" is responsible for the conduct of recruitment examination for all its Public Officers, including the Military and Para-Military. Their Commission is composed of senior citizens from various Professional backgrounds, including the Military and the Police.

5.8 Government should also respect the time-honoured practice of engaging in negotiations through the normal channels between the government and its employees. This practice appears to have collapsed, and has since been replaced by misunderstanding to the Government towards its employees.

5.9 Career public officer's should be allowed to perform traditional functions of implementing government policies and programmes without fear or favour in accordance with approved procedure. While policy formulation is the work of the government, its implementation is the preserve of the pubic service; and it must be allowed to perform this job, including the Military, the Police etc. who by this discuss, are Public Servants.

5.10 The Nigerian experience in trying to bring about the transformation of its Public Service bureaucracy appears to be muddled up between the Presidential and Parliamentary system of Public Service. The result is that, political interference in the Service has brought about the emergence of half-baked bureaucrats to manage the Public Service at various tiers of government. Consequently, the old age presence of properly groomed, experience and competent bureaucrats in the Service appears to have been significantly depleted and this is a challenge which the Service must brace up to replace with new generation of competent managers.

5.11 It is on this note that I strongly advocate that the Service should be allowed to totally owns its reform. Permanent Secretaries, Directors-General and Officers that are not meeting targets must exit for more competent ones to emerge and perform. This will make for efficiency, ease in coordination, reduction in bureaucratic bottle necks, save costs and ease in compliance to Service Delivery;

5.12 Also in carrying out the reform of the Service, the Civil Service in Nigeria at all levels should aspire:-

• To remain relevant at all times and not to be swept into the dustbin of history:
• To establish a Public Service that is strictly driven by the observance of efficient and dynamic Rules/Regulations;
• To establish a Public Service that is appropriately remunerated;
• To establish a Public Service that attracts and retains some of the best brains and care competent holder s that would render efficient and timely services;
• To establish a Public Service that is technologically driven ,efficient, knowledgeable, patriotic, committed and guaranteed 'security of tenure;
• To establish Public Service that is proactive, anticipates problems and provides well considered indigenous solutions and competent to evaluate foreign or foreign based solutions usually packaged through consultants/experts or by whatever other designation known;
  
• To establish a Public Service in which corruption is at a zero tolerance level i.e. where corruption is near absent or insignificant to affect the goals of the service;
• To establish a Public Service that provides structures and working conditions that creates space for motivation, growth, efficient managerial succession and fulfilment for the Retirees when they exit from the service;
  
• To establish Public Service whose past glory and the confidence of our people are restored as an institution that can be trusted to withstand changes in our democratic process;
• To establish a Public Service that can keep this country together, find lasting solutions to the problems of the Niger Delta and other ethnic nationalities;
• To establish a Public Service that will synchronize our National development objectives with those of the MDGs, NEPAD, ECOWAS, AU and the International Community with a view to placing Nigeria amongst prominent Globalized Nations; and
• To establish a Public Service that will take the driver's seat toward the realization of Nigeria's vision 2020.

5.13 Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my hope that with the political will on the part of politicians in government and the commitment of managers in the central agencies of the Public Service that a new Public Service will be born in Nigeria.

5.14 I than you all for your audience and may the Almighty God bless you.

Office of the Chairman,
Federal Civil Service Commission,
Abuja.

References:-
(a) Principles and practice of Public Administration in Nigeria", by Augustus AdebayO, Spectrum Books, 2004
(b) Evolution of political Culture in Nigeria", Edited by J. F. Ade Ajayi and Bashir Ikara, University Press, 1985.
(c) The Report of the Ayda Panel on the Review of the Nigerian Public Service" 1995.
(d) Government White Paper on Ayida Report on the Nigerian Public Service", 1997.
(e) The Harmonized Roadmap for the Federal Civil Service", by the Federal Civil Service Commission and Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Abuja, December, 2005.
(f) The role of Civil Service in National Development" by Amb. Admed Al-Gazali, OON, mni, mda, Abuja, October, 2007.
(g) Extending the Frontiers of Civil Service Refo0rms", by M. Yayale Ahmed, CFR, Hon, Minister of Defence, Paper presented at the 37th Conference of Civil Service Commissions in the Federation, December, 2007.
(h) Communiqué of first Conference of Public Service Commissions and other appointment Agencies in Africa", held in Kampala, Uganda, April, 2008.