BPSR seeks collaboration with NUJ to promote transparency in Public Service

The Bureau of Public Service Reform, BPSR, is seeking collaboration with the FCT Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ to improve transparency in public service and creating awareness of its operations

The agency is also to collaborate with the NUJ training and retraining of Journalists on ongoing reforms in the nation’s public service.

Speaking when he led some management members on a courtesy visit to the Chairman of the Council, Comrade Grace Ike, Director General of BPSR, Alhaji Dasuki Alabi also called for strengthen collaboration in publicizing activities of the Bureau such as customer experience, school of modernization and informed tracker.

Alabi said “One of the things we have noticed is the need for Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government to upscale their collaboration with the media so that citizens will know what we are doing, and they will be kept abreast of the activities of government.”

“You are aware that Nigeria has signed on to the Open Government Partnership, and that mandates MDAs to work with the citizens to provide information and to open the space of governance.

“We have enjoyed wonderful relationships with the Nigerian Union of Journalists and the various outfits managing information.

“The Bureau of Public Service Reforms was set up in 2004, and saddled with this mandate of initiating reforms, monitoring reforms, managing reforms, and providing information on reform activities of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government.

“That means that we are a megaphone providing information. Since we don’t have NUJ, we don’t have AIT, NTA and others, this kind of visit becomes paramount and important. As we get into our discussion, I want to use this opportunity to thank your members that have been covering our activities over the years.”

He listed some achievements of BPSR to include: Bank Verification Number, BVN, Treasury Single Account, TSA,Integrated Personal and Payroll Management System, IPPIS and Government Integrated Financial Information Management System, GIFMIS.

“Pillar three is looking at public financial management, and it is another pillar that our agency came up with. The Integrated Personal and Payroll Management System is the HR management tool that manages the payment of salaries, allowances of public servants.

“That tool has really helped government to know how many people are on it’s payroll, and to know how much they need to pay salaries at the end of the month.

“For the purpose of training, planning and capacity development, IPPS has given government that opportunity to have those information at the touch of a button. In 2004, what we planned was to digitalize public financial management, which is what we have done at IPPS and GIFMIS.

“GIFMIS is Government Integrated Financial Information Management System, which is the government platform for payment to contractors and service providers. The good thing about GIFMIS is that it has created a consortium of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government and working to manage resources of government. With GIFMIS, you cannot become a contractor or a supplier unless your documents with Inland Revenue Service are up to date.

“That means if you have not paid your tax, you cannot be a contractor. You cannot be a beneficiary of any contract or do business with the government if your papers are not up to date with the Corporate Affairs Commission. You cannot be a beneficiary of business or anything if you have issues with any anti-corruption agency.

“This has been built into the GIFMIS platform in a way that electronically, we are able to get this information immediately with the touch of a button.

“That means speed of service delivery has improved, efficiency has improved and most importantly, there is no man-to-man contact in that process. It is that pillar too that BPSR tapped into initiate Treasuries Single Account, which is the pocket where revenues of government are paid into.

“For the purpose of planning, whoever is saddled with that responsibility will be able to tell you how much has gone into the nation’s treasury today, how much has been utilised and who are the beneficiaries of the monies that have come into that treasury.

“So the government and people that are saddled with managing resources are given the space to know what is ours as at this time. That has improved transparency unlike those days when you pay your revenue into an account in a commercial bank, then you transfer again, this is done automatically. The payment of monies into Treasury Single Account are not done manually.”

Responding, the Chairman, NUJ FCT Council, Comrade Grace Ike assured the Bureau of aggressive sensitization and publicity of their activities, adding that transparency was one of the pillars of her mandate

She said “For us, it’s a step in the right direction and it’s a welcome development. The Nigeria Union of Journalists is an umbrella body of journalists in the FCT and our job is to report accurately.Our job is to educate, to inform and to let the public know what is happening in different agencies. And like you know, we are the watchdog of the society, the mirror of the society.

“Ours is to tell, while we tell our stories, we tell your story too. I am happy that you saw and found the NUJ as a one-stop association or union to visit. If not for this visit, I am not too familiar with the public service reform. That is to tell you that there’s need for aggressive awareness, aggressive campaign on your activities.”

“And I appreciate the fact that you have moved further to see that whatever you do all boils down to transparency, accountability and efficiency, which for me remains the pillar I built my campaign on, to see that we are transparent in whatsoever we are doing.

“Now how we go about this is mutual partnership, mutual collaboration. While you are there for us, we are also there to see that we hold you accountable to what you do, to your activities and to report exactly what you do.

“But if you do not open your doors for us, if you do not let us into your house or your service, we will definitely be blind. And even if at all we are compelled to do so with the Freedom of Information Act, most of us will not even know an agency like this is existing.

“I cover the National Assembly and sometimes when we see agencies like this, I will say, ah, so we have an agency like this in operation.”

Comrade Ike promised that the Union would to work closely with the Bureau to reduce corruption to the barest minimum.

By Sandra Udeike