*In Nigeria, our civil service system has been overtaken by nepotism, lack of merit, incompetence, and complete disregard for critical thinking. The same Nigerian civil service that once produced Super Permanent Secretaries, now produces ethnic champions, looters, “area boys”, and closet politicians.* – Ruben Abati

By Babatunde Jose

Jesus was crucified between two thieves. According to the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus, the penitent thief on his right was named Dismas while the unrepentant thief on his left was Gestas. It was during a state of exasperation that a friend likened the corrupt civil servant to Gestas, ‘Ole apa osi’.

*“That Nigeria is not working is a fact that only those who deceive themselves would dispute. Yet, there is nothing that one can accuse the political class of for which the civil service can be exonerated. As the main organ through which the policies and programs of government are implemented, it stands to reason that the civil service is also culpable in the rot that now defines our society.”*- Segun Adeniyi.

In this election season it becomes pertinent to beam our searchlight, not only on the political aspirants but also on their collaborators, aiders and abettors in the spoliation and ruination of the Nigerian Project: Hence a revisit of the ‘Evil Servants’.

What are the functions of the civil service? Has it performed these functions admirably for the progress of the country?  The answer is a resounding NO! Among other things, the civil service is to formulate policies; advise the political class; implement policies; store government information; collect and keep government funds; ensure continuity of government. As things stand, they have not been doing these things due to their selfish and evil ways. They have abdicated their role and  connived with the political class in the impoverishment and pauperization of the people.

*“For some reason, we often downplay the role of civil servants and public officers in our underdevelopment. The absolute truth, though, is that if public servants do their job diligently and patriotically, the system will run far better than it currently does, and Nigeria will be a much better society.”* Simon Kolawole

Our civil service is a cesspool of corruption, nepotism, and tribalism. The reasons for the corrupt civil service which in turn has given room to ineffective service delivery are the weak institutional structures, negative attitude to work and individuals’ insatiable appetite for wealth at all costs. (Gabriel Favour Eke: Corruption in the Civil Service: The Dearth of Effective Service Delivery.)

But it never used to be like this, as attested to by the Sage: “Our civil service is exceedingly efficient, absolutely incorruptible in its upper stratum, and utterly devoted and unstinting in the discharge of its many onerous duties.“–  Awo. The Autobiography of Obafemi Awolowo (1960, p. 293).

This was the situation until 1975 when the satanic duo of Murtala and Obasanjo purged the civil service and unceremoniously evicted them from their quarters, from where many had to go squatting with relatives and friends . Many did not recover from the trauma, and some died from the shock. It was too much for those left to bear and those who came in after the purge vowed never to allow such a fate to befall them again. Hence the resolve to use all means to package and prepare for eventuality. The floodgate to embezzlement and outright looting of public funds was opened and, in the process, the ‘civil servant’ metamorphosed into the ‘evil servant’ of today.

Nigeria’s civil service declined due to its inability to articulate a vision and develop the required capacity to implement such vision. Many mourn the decline of the civil service today from its days as ‘primus inter pares’ in the Commonwealth to one which has earned a reputation for inefficiency, low productivity, corruption, and insensitivity to the needs of the public.

We often fall into the error of thinking that the problem is a poverty of ideas and capacity on the part of the civil service; whereas it is the inability to clearly articulate a vision, and the required capacity to implement the various components of the vision.

Talking of vision presupposes that there are cherished values. But what are our values?  It is our values that translate into vision and ultimately goals; where there are no values there can be no vision. This unfortunately is where we find ourselves today.

The absence of commonality of values would eventually lead to schism among the leadership and the creation of a fertile soil for widespread corruption that would see the civil service turned into ‘The Evil Service’.

The Nigerian public service is irretrievably dysfunctional with the cardinal characteristic as a silo of corruption. The civil servants and the amoral middle class are the foremost destroyers of Nigeria. During the military era, everyone puts the blame of Nigeria’s dysfunction on the military. Under various democratic regimes, we blame the politicians for all ills but there is a constant enabling common entity under the various systems of government – the civil service.

“There are civil servants today who are richer than their ministries. Envelope budgeting allows them to budget for some things, whether these are needed or not. Unspent funds are shared at the end of the year, instead of being returned to the treasury. Many agencies exist whose functions have no impact on our daily lives.

“What is the impact of the millions of dollars budgeted for the National Space Research and Development Agency, the Defense Space Administration, and Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited?

“The Biotechnology Development Agency operates twenty-six centers cross country. Have you ever heard of these government bodies? What do they do? What are the benefits of these agencies to Nigerians? What are the economic returns on their significant budgets?

“We do not have nuclear reactors, yet we have an Atomic Energy Commission and Nuclear Regulatory Authority. One can only say these establishments are conduits for bureaucratic corruption. – Bámidélé Adémólá-Olátéjú

Yet, it never used to be like this. This is exemplified by the life of revered civil servants. Those we call the civil service pioneers—Simeon Adebo, Chief Olatunde Lawson, Chief Stanley Olabode Wey, Jerome Udoji, Samuel Manuwa, M. O. Ani, Mrs Francesca Yetunde Emmanuel, I. O. Dina, Joseph McEwen, S. Ade Ojo, Ojimiri Johnson, C.O. Taiwo, Fola Ejiwunmi, G.E.A. Lardner, Sule Katagum, Joseph Imoukhuede; Ahmed Talib and Abubakar Koko, and many more—came into an inherited British civil service founded on a strong tradition.

Apart from giving their best in the service of their fatherland, they were men of impeccable character. In the days of yore, these civil servants could never have afforded buying land and putting up mansions in Ikoyi. They lived in the government quarters and relocated to their own homes immediately on retirement.

We know of late Engineer Ladiju who lived all his service life on Lugard Road, his official quarters from which he moved to his own house in Surulere on retirement. George Ige, of the Ministry of Works, lived on Temple Road and relocated to his house in Ikeja on retirement.

Samuel Manuwa who lived his life in Ikoyi as head of the Federal Civil Service Commission was traumatized when the callous duo of Murtala and Obasanjo retired him with immediate effect in 1975. His house in Surulere was occupied by a tenant and the poor man died shortly after.

When later many of these old public servants were allocated plots in Victoria Island, not Ikoyi, they had no money to build mansions. Their houses were built by Cappa on contractor finance basis, with a standard uniform design. Hence, the houses of late Chief Justices Adetokunbo Ademola, Fatai Williams and other public servants in their grade.

But not anymore. Today’s kleptocrats celebrate their 1st billion by throwing lavish parties, they ferry friends and family to Dubai and Johannesburg for the weddings of their children and send them to schools in the UK or the US with stolen funds.

Today, these Gestases have invaded Ikoyi, Parkview and Banana Islands buying up property. These are properties whose cost is far above their cumulative income for their entire service years. There is no doubt we have been serially robbed by our ‘Evil Servants’.

Many have even made the crossover to the political terrain where they have successfully run for office as governors, senators and members of the House of Representatives. They have invested their stolen wealth in politics which today pay a higher dividend.

The tragedy of it all is that they are our friends, acquaintances, and sometimes family and their children are schoolmates and friends of our children, who are aware of what their ‘uncles and aunties’ have been up to. Will things ever change? That is a question which will be open to a colloquium.

A public commentator is of the opinion that in our search for a solution to the nation’s current socio-economic problems, the impression is often given that Nigeria is a poor country with too large a population and limitless investment needs. This may well be true, but such an approach does not focus sufficient attention on the potential wealth of the nation. A third World country which produces nearly 1.5 million barrels of crude oil a day should not be at the bottom of the league of poor and needy nations.

What we have continued to experience is a management crisis. The solution lies in better management of our resources in a context of clearly defined priorities and an acceptable system of values and public probity at all levels, in the conduct of public affairs. And this falls squarely within the purview of the civil service.

The Nigerian economy was effectively managed in the civil war years, 1967 to 1970, to sustain the Federal Government war effort as well as satisfy the basic needs of the people without recourse to external loans. This remains an eloquent testimony to a viral and efficient civil service.  Which unfortunately we do not have today.

The Nigerian society must reorder its scale of moral values to arrest the current decline and establish a new and dynamic society.

Allah SWT has considered in the Quran: *“There has undoubtedly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an exceptional arrangement for any person whose faith is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] evokes Allah frequently.”(Quran 33:21)*

If we summarize the qualities of leadership as observed in the life of the Holy Prophet and his companions, these are values that if shared among our leaders our lives could be transformed and made better than what we have now.

No doubt a clean and reformed civil service will make it very difficult for politicians to steal public funds or convert our joint patrimony for private use.

What are the views of the ‘Next man’(Enitokan), Obi-dient and the Atikulate on a situation where privileged civil servants subvert the system for personal gains at the expense of the poor. This, however, “is the greatest tragedy that a nation could experience”. – Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

*“Ihdinas-Siraat-Al-Mustaqeem” “Guide us upon the straight path”*

*Barka Juma’at and a happy weekend.*

*Babatunde Jose*

*In Nigeria, our civil service system has been overtaken by nepotism, lack of merit, incompetence, and complete disregard for critical thinking. The same Nigerian civil service that once produced Super Permanent Secretaries, now produces ethnic champions, looters, “area boys”, and closet politicians.* – Ruben Abati

By Babatunde Jose

Jesus was crucified between two thieves. According to the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus, the penitent thief on his right was named Dismas while the unrepentant thief on his left was Gestas. It was during a state of exasperation that a friend likened the corrupt civil servant to Gestas, ‘Ole apa osi’.

*“That Nigeria is not working is a fact that only those who deceive themselves would dispute. Yet, there is nothing that one can accuse the political class of for which the civil service can be exonerated. As the main organ through which the policies and programs of government are implemented, it stands to reason that the civil service is also culpable in the rot that now defines our society.”*- Segun Adeniyi.

In this election season it becomes pertinent to beam our searchlight, not only on the political aspirants but also on their collaborators, aiders and abettors in the spoliation and ruination of the Nigerian Project: Hence a revisit of the ‘Evil Servants’.

What are the functions of the civil service? Has it performed these functions admirably for the progress of the country?  The answer is a resounding NO! Among other things, the civil service is to formulate policies; advise the political class; implement policies; store government information; collect and keep government funds; ensure continuity of government. As things stand, they have not been doing these things due to their selfish and evil ways. They have abdicated their role and  connived with the political class in the impoverishment and pauperization of the people.

*“For some reason, we often downplay the role of civil servants and public officers in our underdevelopment. The absolute truth, though, is that if public servants do their job diligently and patriotically, the system will run far better than it currently does, and Nigeria will be a much better society.”* Simon Kolawole

Our civil service is a cesspool of corruption, nepotism, and tribalism. The reasons for the corrupt civil service which in turn has given room to ineffective service delivery are the weak institutional structures, negative attitude to work and individuals’ insatiable appetite for wealth at all costs. (Gabriel Favour Eke: Corruption in the Civil Service: The Dearth of Effective Service Delivery.)

But it never used to be like this, as attested to by the Sage: “Our civil service is exceedingly efficient, absolutely incorruptible in its upper stratum, and utterly devoted and unstinting in the discharge of its many onerous duties.“–  Awo. The Autobiography of Obafemi Awolowo (1960, p. 293).

This was the situation until 1975 when the satanic duo of Murtala and Obasanjo purged the civil service and unceremoniously evicted them from their quarters, from where many had to go squatting with relatives and friends . Many did not recover from the trauma, and some died from the shock. It was too much for those left to bear and those who came in after the purge vowed never to allow such a fate to befall them again. Hence the resolve to use all means to package and prepare for eventuality. The floodgate to embezzlement and outright looting of public funds was opened and, in the process, the ‘civil servant’ metamorphosed into the ‘evil servant’ of today.

Nigeria’s civil service declined due to its inability to articulate a vision and develop the required capacity to implement such vision. Many mourn the decline of the civil service today from its days as ‘primus inter pares’ in the Commonwealth to one which has earned a reputation for inefficiency, low productivity, corruption, and insensitivity to the needs of the public.

We often fall into the error of thinking that the problem is a poverty of ideas and capacity on the part of the civil service; whereas it is the inability to clearly articulate a vision, and the required capacity to implement the various components of the vision.

Talking of vision presupposes that there are cherished values. But what are our values?  It is our values that translate into vision and ultimately goals; where there are no values there can be no vision. This unfortunately is where we find ourselves today.

The absence of commonality of values would eventually lead to schism among the leadership and the creation of a fertile soil for widespread corruption that would see the civil service turned into ‘The Evil Service’.

The Nigerian public service is irretrievably dysfunctional with the cardinal characteristic as a silo of corruption. The civil servants and the amoral middle class are the foremost destroyers of Nigeria. During the military era, everyone puts the blame of Nigeria’s dysfunction on the military. Under various democratic regimes, we blame the politicians for all ills but there is a constant enabling common entity under the various systems of government – the civil service.

“There are civil servants today who are richer than their ministries. Envelope budgeting allows them to budget for some things, whether these are needed or not. Unspent funds are shared at the end of the year, instead of being returned to the treasury. Many agencies exist whose functions have no impact on our daily lives.

“What is the impact of the millions of dollars budgeted for the National Space Research and Development Agency, the Defense Space Administration, and Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited?

“The Biotechnology Development Agency operates twenty-six centers cross country. Have you ever heard of these government bodies? What do they do? What are the benefits of these agencies to Nigerians? What are the economic returns on their significant budgets?

“We do not have nuclear reactors, yet we have an Atomic Energy Commission and Nuclear Regulatory Authority. One can only say these establishments are conduits for bureaucratic corruption. – Bámidélé Adémólá-Olátéjú

Yet, it never used to be like this. This is exemplified by the life of revered civil servants. Those we call the civil service pioneers—Simeon Adebo, Chief Olatunde Lawson, Chief Stanley Olabode Wey, Jerome Udoji, Samuel Manuwa, M. O. Ani, Mrs Francesca Yetunde Emmanuel, I. O. Dina, Joseph McEwen, S. Ade Ojo, Ojimiri Johnson, C.O. Taiwo, Fola Ejiwunmi, G.E.A. Lardner, Sule Katagum, Joseph Imoukhuede; Ahmed Talib and Abubakar Koko, and many more—came into an inherited British civil service founded on a strong tradition.

Apart from giving their best in the service of their fatherland, they were men of impeccable character. In the days of yore, these civil servants could never have afforded buying land and putting up mansions in Ikoyi. They lived in the government quarters and relocated to their own homes immediately on retirement.

We know of late Engineer Ladiju who lived all his service life on Lugard Road, his official quarters from which he moved to his own house in Surulere on retirement. George Ige, of the Ministry of Works, lived on Temple Road and relocated to his house in Ikeja on retirement.

Samuel Manuwa who lived his life in Ikoyi as head of the Federal Civil Service Commission was traumatized when the callous duo of Murtala and Obasanjo retired him with immediate effect in 1975. His house in Surulere was occupied by a tenant and the poor man died shortly after.

When later many of these old public servants were allocated plots in Victoria Island, not Ikoyi, they had no money to build mansions. Their houses were built by Cappa on contractor finance basis, with a standard uniform design. Hence, the houses of late Chief Justices Adetokunbo Ademola, Fatai Williams and other public servants in their grade.

But not anymore. Today’s kleptocrats celebrate their 1st billion by throwing lavish parties, they ferry friends and family to Dubai and Johannesburg for the weddings of their children and send them to schools in the UK or the US with stolen funds.

Today, these Gestases have invaded Ikoyi, Parkview and Banana Islands buying up property. These are properties whose cost is far above their cumulative income for their entire service years. There is no doubt we have been serially robbed by our ‘Evil Servants’.

Many have even made the crossover to the political terrain where they have successfully run for office as governors, senators and members of the House of Representatives. They have invested their stolen wealth in politics which today pay a higher dividend.

The tragedy of it all is that they are our friends, acquaintances, and sometimes family and their children are schoolmates and friends of our children, who are aware of what their ‘uncles and aunties’ have been up to. Will things ever change? That is a question which will be open to a colloquium.

A public commentator is of the opinion that in our search for a solution to the nation’s current socio-economic problems, the impression is often given that Nigeria is a poor country with too large a population and limitless investment needs. This may well be true, but such an approach does not focus sufficient attention on the potential wealth of the nation. A third World country which produces nearly 1.5 million barrels of crude oil a day should not be at the bottom of the league of poor and needy nations.

What we have continued to experience is a management crisis. The solution lies in better management of our resources in a context of clearly defined priorities and an acceptable system of values and public probity at all levels, in the conduct of public affairs. And this falls squarely within the purview of the civil service.

The Nigerian economy was effectively managed in the civil war years, 1967 to 1970, to sustain the Federal Government war effort as well as satisfy the basic needs of the people without recourse to external loans. This remains an eloquent testimony to a viral and efficient civil service.  Which unfortunately we do not have today.

The Nigerian society must reorder its scale of moral values to arrest the current decline and establish a new and dynamic society.

Allah SWT has considered in the Quran: *“There has undoubtedly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an exceptional arrangement for any person whose faith is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] evokes Allah frequently.”(Quran 33:21)*

If we summarize the qualities of leadership as observed in the life of the Holy Prophet and his companions, these are values that if shared among our leaders our lives could be transformed and made better than what we have now.

No doubt a clean and reformed civil service will make it very difficult for politicians to steal public funds or convert our joint patrimony for private use.

What are the views of the ‘Next man’(Enitokan), Obi-dient and the Atikulate on a situation where privileged civil servants subvert the system for personal gains at the expense of the poor. This, however, “is the greatest tragedy that a nation could experience”. – Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

*“Ihdinas-Siraat-Al-Mustaqeem” “Guide us upon the straight path”*

*Barka Juma’at and a happy weekend.*

*Babatunde Jose*