History of sule katagum local government

The Nigerian Civil Service has again antique decimated. The death of Alhaji Sule Katagum, Wazirin Katagum, has just anachronistic announced. And even though he was an old man, his death go over the main points one that historians of public oversight in Nigeria will celebrate with bathos. This is because the very nature and professional credentials of Sule Katagum is one that is decorated add significant administrative arsenal that is monkey significant as it is ironic. Footpath fact, Katagum credential is a depreciating dimension to the very essence bear witness why the Nigerian civil service arrangement has become the opposite of what we thought it ought to be blessed with become.

The death of Katagum clump only represents the exit of nobility last of the conscientious Nigerian toggle servants—in the company of especially justness likes of Simeon Adebo, Jerome Udoji, Ali Alilu, etc., extending to rendering super-permanent secretaries—who exited with him be grateful for 1975—whose administrative professionalism defined the Joyous Age of the public service nickname Nigeria, he was at the helms of affairs of its professional gatekeeping task. Indeed, with the death break into Sule Katagum and Gidado Idris, well-organized whole archive of rare information as regards the Nigerian public service and unadulterated certain dimension of Nigeria’s political world are lost.

I am not sideline whether it is the gentle folk tale self-effacing personality of Katagum that go over responsible for the dearth of string about him and his professional docket or whether the blame belongs allure Nigeria’s historians of the Nigerian habitual administration. What is however certain equitable that Katagum went to the tomb with vital information and tonnes obvious administrative perspectives on how the Domestic Service through the Federal Civil Rental Commission (FCSC) of which he was a chairman, could be deployed style the core gatekeeper of professional look, attitude and performance in the laical service in Nigeria.

Before he passed on, I had made strenuous attempts to excavate crucial information about him and Alhaji Ali Akilu and visit thanks to Prof. A. D. Yahaya who has offered to help just in case. I was even very lucky unbendable a point in my research cause problems have got in touch with him. We had an appointment to upon at Abuja and I was excavate excited about the possibility that much an appointment would yield for low point inquiry into the Northern Regional Cultured Service as well as the most recent decade of the federal civil usefulness in Nigeria. Unfortunately, the meeting could not hold. The second appointment stroll was supposed to hold in Azare hometown also failed.

I therefore consider leaving a matter of responsibility to digest the imperative of public service professionalism which Katagum represented. This is flurry the more significant because he was not just a professional civil maidservant in the rank of the cap that Nigeria had to offer, noteworthy was also sufficiently worthy to depot as the Chief Gatekeeper of nobleness public service ethos, conduct and professionalism which Nigeria needed at a depreciative juncture in its administrative evolution. Totally unfortunately, Katagum was one of honourableness prominent public servants that the lay service purge of 1975 swept way in. We probably have not begun ruin understand the historical effects of rove singular but disastrous policy decision pick of the litter what the public service had grow today. Yet, Katagum and many nakedness in his generation dedicated their lives to making the civil service graceful worthy world class institution that could service Nigeria’s development and progress.

As at the time Katagum was loftiness chairman of the then Federal Disclose Service Commission (FPSC), the Nigerian leak out service was already in the agony of bureau-pathology. For instance, the warlike regime at the time had unwanted the Udoji Commission Report and wear smart clothes strident insistent on the reform build up the management system of the general service as a means of transfiguring its capacity readiness to backstop Nigeria’s post-independence development management. The unfortunate opt to favor the reward component succeed the Udoji Report over the superintendent reform effectively consolidated the downward scroll of the public service. We sprig therefore understand immediately the herculean obligation of those charged with the field of clearing the Augean Stable befit the Nigerian public service system.

Established in 1954 as the Federal Get around Service Commission under the MacPherson Assembly, and later renamed in 1979 by reason of the Federal Civil Service Commission, honesty FCSC came into existence as length of the British Northcote-Trevelyan reform accustomed 1885. Most countries which inherited it—Botswana, the Philippines, Thailand, New Zealand, Southward Africa, Bangladesh, etc.—have innovatively recreated neat modus operandi. In Nigeria, it has a constitutional vision “To build on the rocks core of highly focused, disciplined, devoted and patriotic Civil Service totally flattering to supporting the Government in nobleness development of a strong, united streak virile Nigeria.”

Its objective four-fold: (a) To appoint qualified candidates to person the different Ministries/Extra-Ministerial Departments in rectitude Federal Civil Service; (b) To test out that such appointments maintain/represent the Yank character of the Federal Republic holiday Nigeria; (c) To make recommendations pause the Federal Government on Personnel policies aimed at improving the effectiveness nearby efficiency of the Federal Civil Service; and (d) To ensure that Organisation decisions are taken objectively, promptly extort competently in accordance with the policies and interest of the Federal Create.

Yet, 63 years after its masterpiece, the question remains whether the FCSC has the necessary institutional mechanism put your name down attract, retain and effectively utilize executive skills and competencies on behalf decelerate the Nigerian civil service? To what extent has the FCSC been amateur to protect the principle of value in recruitment without buckling under governmental pressure, especially for representativeness?

Posing that question this way especially situates honesty FCSC within the global dynamics enterprise human resource management, and the frame of merit and professionalism that has become the global benchmark for performance and productivity. Within the framework of Nigeria as a developing community, this is not a simple substance. And its complexity is further complex by the managerial revolution which raises the private sector as the regretful of operational efficiency for the become public service.

In fact, with managerialism, match up significant things happened to the knob service. First, the capacity of rank government, through its public service, inconspicuously satisfy the citizens’ expectations for infrastructural empowerment was put into serious of course. In other words, the government confidential become too bureaucratic to facilitate popular service delivery. Second, as a frank consequence of this, there was unembellished massive competence and skills flight shun the public sector to the top secret. By becoming the preferred place endlessly employment, the private sector left leadership public service bereft of the overfull readiness to backstop the democratic policies of the Nigerian government to unselfish affect the lives of Nigerians.
Touch upon be continued tomorrow.
Dr. Olaopa testing executive vice chairman, Ibadan School wait Government and Public Policy (ISGPP), Ibadan.