The planned productivity-based wage for civil servants

Pro-LED wage strategy for civilian servants is simply a invited improvement that is expected to aftermath up the civilian work from its slumber to execute its tasks successful specified a mode that volition enactment the state connected the way to existent improvement for the payment of each citizens.

But the authorities should not beryllium successful a hurry to present the initiative. For it to work, determination is simply a important request to see and instrumentality attraction of everything apt to enactment against its success, including imaginable absorption from incompetent, corrupt and indolent workers who person for agelong benefitted from the aged concern of earning salaries whether oregon not they are productive. Besides, it should not beryllium 1 of the bully policies that volition yet extremity up successful a dustbin due to the fact that of a deficiency of governmental volition to diligently instrumentality it oregon hijack by governmental officeholders to persecute governmental opponents.

It is simply a information that the Nigerian nationalist assemblage is bedeviled with the duplicate evil of inefficiency and corruption. Despite the underperformance and incompetence of the bulk of authorities workers, they proceed to bask regular wages and different benefits without rendering invaluable services to the public. The extant auto-reward strategy has greatly engendered laxity, insipidness, and complacency successful nationalist servants thereby depriving Nigerians of prime nationalist services and decent living.

The contiguous medication appears sufficiently bothered by this amorphous anomaly arsenic hinted by the Director-General of the National Productivity Centre, Nasir Raji-Mustapha. He precocious disclosed that the Federal Government was considering a performance-based innovative wage strategy to thrust productivity successful the nationalist sector. In his words: “We are successful the process of processing a productivity-led wage strategy that volition guarantee that those who are productive are rewarded for their efforts, irrespective of their people level.

Under the projected system, employees connected the aforesaid wage standard tin gain antithetic wages.” He confirmed that the connection has the enactment and input of the organised labour, Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), and Trade Union Congress (TUC).

The improvement has generated a steadfast statement arsenic to whether a productivity wage-based strategy is practicable successful the nationalist sector. These are the cardinal questions agitating the minds of immoderate experts: Is determination a existent governmental volition to instrumentality the proposal? How does the authorities mean to enforce the connection nationwide? Is the authorities acceptable to deploy the resources and infrastructures to heighten productivity? Are nationalist services measurable? What volition beryllium the measuring prerequisites? Will the appraisal use to each cadre of workers? and volition determination beryllium exemptions?

Indeed, it volition beryllium herculean to reasonably measurement the productivity of authorities workers fixed the analyzable quality of the nationalist assemblage arsenic presently structured. The nationalist work thrives successful opaqueness, secrecy, and bureaucracy. Hence, immoderate betterment that is intended to marque the assemblage transparent and accountable whitethorn beryllium systemically frustrated. To this end, immoderate fearfulness that a productivity-based reward strategy volition beryllium strangulated by the prevailing endemic corrupt structure. The supra statement is further strengthened by the information that akin plans successful the past wholly failed adjacent from the inception.

In 2003, erstwhile President Olusegun Obasanjo, acknowledging the ineptitude of nationalist officers, stated: “Nigerians person for excessively agelong been feeling shortchanged by the prime of nationalist service. Our nationalist officers person for excessively agelong been showcases for the evils of inefficiency and corruption.” Consequently, a determination was made to: reappraisal work transportation successful Nigeria; analyse the organization situation for work delivery; bespeak connected peoples’ lives and expression; and gully a roadmap for a work transportation programme. To execute this, SERVICOM (Service Compact With All Nigerians) was established successful 2004.

SERVICOM was designed to guarantee that the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) render speedy and satisfactory work to Nigerians successful a timely, fair, honest, effective, and transparent manner. Typically, SERVICOM, similar astir authorities initiatives, failed to conscionable the intended objectives. It has not successful immoderate mode improved oregon made immoderate affirmative interaction on, nationalist work delivery. Ironically, nationalist servants present look oblivious to the beingness of the SERVICOM arsenic they person remained hostile, unprofessional, egoistic, and derelict successful discharging their duties.

Notwithstanding past failings, a productivity-based wage strategy is simply a practicable problem-solving strategy that could boost the nationalist economy, artifact wastages, and trim the outgo of governance if decently executed. The Nigerian authorities indispensable tackle the instant sermon with dispatch due to the fact that nary federation tin attain its afloat imaginable with an inefficient nationalist work administrative system. Despite the value of the backstage assemblage successful driving maturation and improvement successful an economy; the main histrion liable for creating inter-linkages betwixt work users successful an system is the nationalist sector.

Public work is the motor of effectual governance transportation and a pathway to nationalist development. It is the transmission done which the authorities tin conscionable the halfway needs of the citizens.   Without gainsaying, the Nigerian authorities astatine each levels cannot relation efficaciously without an enabling administrative system. Accordingly, immoderate program to marque the nationalist assemblage productive to conscionable nationalist expectations is commendable. Nonetheless, the situation is: does authorities person the capableness to measurement workers’ productivity?

To marque the astir of performance-based pay, it is indispensable to plan and instrumentality it strategically. With the operation of the close tools specified arsenic SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) and TQM (Total Quality Management), the show of workers tin beryllium measured. Firstly, MDAS indispensable person a intelligibly defined mission, vision, values, goals, and show standards. Also, the occupation description, expected deliverables, acceptable targets, and deadlines for each worker should beryllium spelt out. With the assistance of technology, the attendance and punctuality of workers tin beryllium monitored. Furthermore, the requirements for assessing services and transportation timelines should beryllium made public.

In a nutshell, the timeframe for each enactment and work should beryllium specified.  For instance, however agelong does it instrumentality for a record to determination from 1 table to another? How consistently and efficiently does an authoritative implicit tasks oregon execute goals? If the due parameters are successful place, the ratio of everyone successful the worth concatenation tin beryllium ascertained.

It is asserted that attempting to marque nationalist servants businesslike without due predisposition is akin to “pouring caller vino into aged wineskins” which of course, volition spill the vino and ruin the wineskin. After all, the show assessors volition beryllium drafted from the aforesaid nationalist service. Therefore, to execute the desired productivity, the psyche of the nationalist servants has to acquisition a paradigm shift. Sadly, an mean authorities idiosyncratic does not comprehend himself arsenic a servant of the public. On the contrary, helium sees himself arsenic superior to members of the nationalist and treats them with utter disregard and contempt.

“Progress is intolerable without alteration and those who cannot alteration their minds cannot alteration anything.” If the productivity-based wage strategy purports to amended nationalist work delivery, past the re-orientation of the mindset of nationalist officials should beryllium prioritised.  For the assessors not to weaponise their relation arsenic a sword against perceived enemies and shield for allies, a re-orientation programme is necessary. Additionally, the nationalist work has to beryllium restructured.

Importantly, the performance-based wage strategy should beryllium extended to each nationalist officials, including those elected and appointed, arsenic good arsenic judicial officials. The punishment for non-performance should not simply beryllium lesser wage arsenic projected but dismissal.  After all, “any histrion that does not carnivore bully effect is chopped down.” What would beryllium the rationale for retaining a nationalist authoritative adjudged to beryllium “unproductive”? It is submitted that immoderate strategy that enables specified signifier is destruction-bound.