By Fabian Ozor
Senior Correspondent, Lagos

The Director General, Bureau of Public Reforms, Goke Adegoroye, disclosed this at the 18th national workshop for chief executives of public and private sector enterprises, held at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), Topo, Badagry, Lagos.

Adegoroye denied the insinuation that the World Bank and other international agencies are dictating the tune of the reform in the public service but said all the programmes of the reform are the initiatives of the Federal Government.

“The most salutary aspect of the ongoing initiative is that it is being internally driven by the public service as opposed to past initiatives which were either driven by political leadership or foster by donors as part of the requirements of structural adjustment,” the DG said.

He said the downsizing has become necessary because of the wastes in the system, saying it was discovered that in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a former minister was having 17 drivers attached to him and when he left office those drivers are still working in the ministry.According to him, while in office, a minister came with some relations as assistants. But when he was removed, he insisted that those assistants must be retained in the ministry.

“In solid Mineral Ministry people there were found to be sleeping, reading newspapers and doing nothing during work hours, an indication that they do not have work to do,” he said.

“Government service is not a social welfare. People do not come to work and while in public service they also engage in private business without permission. Those people who are in the system that are not doing anything must go,” he added.

Adegoroye enumerated the gains in the current reform as the monetisation in the core civil service, introduction of the contributory pension scheme, institution of more transparent and open procurement system as one of the means of curtailing wastes, rightsizing the civil service and the review of the public service rules, regulation and procedures.

In his welcome address, the ASCON DG, Professor Sheikh Abdullah, said in recognition of the pivotal role of public and private enterprises on the attainment of the commanding heights of the economy, the college decided to create a conducive avenue as a melting pot for chief executives in the public and private sectors.