The Role of Leadership in Driving Quality Service Delivery in Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies

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Introduction

Quality service delivery is a critical aspect of any government Ministry, Department and Agency as it directly impacts the satisfaction and trust of citizens. As such, leadership plays a crucial role in driving and maintaining quality service delivery in government agencies. In this blog post, we will explore the various ways in which leadership can impact service delivery and the steps that leaders can take to ensure that their agencies are delivering services to the highest standards.

 

Leadership and Organizational Culture

One of the most significant ways in which leadership impacts service delivery is through the creation of an organizational culture that values and prioritizes service quality. A positive and service-oriented culture can encourage employees to go above and beyond in their efforts to provide excellent service to citizens. On the other hand, a negative or apathetic culture can lead to poor service delivery and low employee engagement.

Leaders can promote a positive culture by setting clear service delivery expectations, recognizing and rewarding employees for excellent service, and leading by example. They can also work to remove any barriers or obstacles that may be preventing employees from providing the highest quality service.

 

Clear Expectations and Accountability

Leaders also play a crucial role in setting clear expectations and holding employees accountable for service delivery. This includes setting specific goals and targets for service delivery, as well as providing the necessary resources and support for employees to meet these expectations.

Leaders must also ensure that employees have the necessary training and development opportunities to perform their jobs effectively. By providing employees with the tools and resources they need to succeed, leaders can help to ensure that service delivery is of the highest quality.

Leadership also plays a critical role in ensuring that employees are held accountable for their actions and that there are clear consequences for poor service delivery. This helps to ensure that employees understand the importance of service quality and are motivated to improve.

Communication and Feedback

 

Effective communication and feedback are also vital components of quality service delivery. Leaders must ensure that there are clear channels of communication between employees, management, and citizens. This includes providing employees with regular feedback on their performance and encouraging them to provide feedback to management as well.

Leaders can also use communication channels to share information about service delivery performance with citizens, allowing them to see the progress being made and to provide feedback on areas for improvement.

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, leadership plays a critical role in driving quality service delivery in government agencies. By creating a positive organizational culture, setting clear expectations and holding employees accountable, providing the necessary resources and support, and effective communication and feedback, leaders can help to ensure that their agencies are providing citizens with the highest quality service. By focusing on these key areas, leaders can work to build trust and satisfaction among citizens, and ultimately help to improve the overall effectiveness of government service delivery.

By Mfon Iniunam

SERVICOM CALLS  FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE AND EFFECTIVE SERVICE DELIVERY IN THE PUBLICSECTOR

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The National Coordinator/ CEO SERVICOM, Mrs Nnenna Akajemeli, has called on leaders and Public Servants to imbibe the principles of good governance and uphold Public institutions to deliver services that are tailored towards meeting the needs of the citizens.
The National Coordinator made this call during a week long conference in Calabar with the theme” Enhancing Leadership Capacity for high performing Public Sector.
In her openings remarks, Mrs Akajemeli stated that the Conference was organised through the collaborative efforts of the House Committee on Governmental Affairs and the SERVICOM OFFICE with the overall aim ,to bring together stakeholders to stimulate national dicourse on the state of public service delivery in the country.
According to her, part of the  thrust of the Conference is to emphasis on the need to mobilise Leadership support and Commitment towards achieving sustainable improvements in the culture and quality Service delivery in the public sector.
She further stated that stakeholders  have converged to share knowledge and experiences on emerging issues and identity gaps as well as proffer solutions for improvements in the sector.
At the end of this Conference she said, participants are expected to understand service delivery dynamics and embrace changes.
As well as, understand Leadership qualities, ethics, accountability and link up to process and turn diverse resources and other input into goods and services.
She added that stakeholders would take up opportunities offered by better performance management, financial management, better information technology systems, thus improving customer and citizens satisfaction while deploying scarce resources optimally.
In his good will message, the Chairman House Committee on Governmental Affairs, Honourable Akin Alabi, represented by  the Clerk of the Committee, Mr Aiwila Kehinde, said that Nigerians would only realise its full potentials if citizens recieve prompt  and efficient services from the state for their needs and rights to enjoy social and economic advancement.
 He added that the future of our country is the responsibility of the National Assembly, hence the heritage of every citizen,is  to  be provided with basic services in a timely, fair, honest , effective and transparent manner.
Henrietta Okokon (Mrs)
Public Awareness Manager SERVICOM PRESIDENCY
25/8/22

SERVICOM PRESENTS COMPLIANCE EVALUATION REPORTS TO NATIONAL BOARD FOR TECHNICAL EDUCATION

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The National Coordinator/CEO SERVICOM Mrs. Nnenna Akajemeli has presented the SERVICOM Compliance Evaluation Reports of 23 selected Federal Polytechnics in Nigeria to the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).

The report was formally presented to the Executive Secretary of the Board, Prof. Idris Muhammad Bugaje at the NBTE Liaison Office in Abuja on the 5th of July, 2022.

According to her, the overall objective of the SERVICOM Compliance Evaluation is to ensure citizens focused Service Delivery in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), identify gaps in Service Delivery and make recommendations to the NBTE (Federal Polytechnics) to improve customer satisfaction and accountability.

Mrs. Akajemeli also highlighted that, the mandate of Federal Polytechnics in Nigeria is to train Technologists, Technicians and management skills in courses leading to the awards of certificates.

She informed the Board that the Polytechnics were established to promote vocational education and training, technology transfer as well as skills development to enhance the socio-economic advancement of the country.

The SERVICOM Boss stated that twenty-three (23) out of the 37 Federal Polytechnics were selected for assessment of their evaluation compliance with the SERVICOM Index, and that evidence was gathered at the service windows evaluated through customer interviews, discussions with management, staff and partners, review of key documents, desk research and general observations.

Findings revealed in the report indicated that trainings for staff are inadequate, Service Charters are obsolete, funds are released late, Poor Staff Attitude and Slow response to students’ complaints.

Nevertheless, some polytechnics have introduced online platform where students can apply for their transcripts and get them in record time and have made provision for solar-powered boreholes for constant water supply within the polytechnic community.

While speaking on the strengths and weaknesses of the various Polytechnics, the National Coordinator added that, the SERVICOM Compliance evaluation was based on five (5) driver(s) which include the service delivery, timeliness, information, professionalism and staff attitude.

Mrs. Akajemeli further urged the management of the NBTE to ensure that Service Charter is produced by all Federal Polytechnics while those with obsolete Charters should be reviewed to contain key services provided and service standards which would bring about improvement.

In her words, ‘’ it is our belief that service windows concerned would ensure continuous improvement on the quality of service delivered to their customers when the recommendations contained in these reports are truly implemented’’ she noted.

Prof. Idris Muhammad Bugaje said his organization is very much at home with SERVICOM and expressed willingness to comply with SERVICOM’s standards and implement recommendations made in the reports.

Bugaje appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Folashade Yemi-Esan to grant the Polytechnic special waivers to enable them employ more lecturers to bridge the shortfall in manpower.

 

 

 

 

SERVICOM ADVOCATES IMPROVEMENTS IN INTERNAL PROCESSES IN NYSC

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The National Coordinator/CEO SERVICOM, Mrs. Nnenna Akajemeli has advocated for innovative and proactive improvements in internal processes in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to elevate their status to a five-star citizens service centred delivery organization.

This statement was made when the National Coordinator addressed the NYSC during the SERVICOM Networking Committee meeting tagged ‘’Adopting innovations for Effective and Efficient Service Delivery’’ for Nodal/Focal and Desk officers recently in Abuja.

The SERVICOM Boss while presenting her paper, informed the officers that Corps members who come to take services expect more transparent, accessible, and responsive services from NYSC. Therefore, identifying which service(s) corps members find most problematic and measuring the extent of that dissatisfaction is one way the Scheme can prioritize areas for improvement.

Mrs Akajemeli urged the management to combine feedback from customers with internal data to uncover issues that cause service failures and also carry out stakeholder engagements through customer survey and other feedback channels.

She further explained that, a customer’s journey is the entire experience that a person has when seeking service in an organization, and that the Agency should develop a chart of how citizens experience these journeys, translate improvement opportunities into solutions and improving the journey by simplifying processes, eliminate bottlenecks to enhance service delivery efficiency.

While speaking on steps to improve the customers journey, The National Coordinator emphasized on the process improvement strategies which she said will make the Agency’s operation recognizable and more successful.

In her words, ‘’ By taking the steps listed in this presentation, NYSC can better understand the needs of their stakeholders and translate those needs into targeted, effective service-delivery improvements in order to increase citizen satisfaction’’ She said.

In his introductory address, the Head, Reforms Unit, Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Baba,  said the meeting  in line with SERVICOM mandate is organized annually and  deliberately designed to prepare the Nodal, Focal and Desk Officers as foot soldiers of the Scheme in their various departments, Area offices, States and other NYSC formations Nationwide for the noble task of ensuring effective and efficient service delivery.

In his welcome address, the Director-General National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Mk Fadah said that, in a bid to ensure world class Service Delivery, the scheme has put mechanisms in place for assessing the impact of our services, through the establishment of the NYSC Radio and Television Stations, toll-free telephone lines, provision of suggestion boxes, as well as meetings with our Nodal, Focal and Desk officers to review commendations, complaints and suggestions.

General Fadah said that, the modest steps taken with other SERVICOM guidelines informed the conferment of Awards on the Director-General and the Nodal Officer in 2021 and that the SERVICOM National office elevated the NYSC to a 4-Star organization.

He further gave his commitment to ensuring continuous improvement through best practices, including training and sensitization of field officers on work ethics, discipline, as well as timely and transparent Service Delivery.

 

 

 

SERVICOM CALLS FOR MORE IMPACTFUL SERVICE DELIVERY PROCESSES IN MDAs

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The National Coordinator/CEO SERVICOM Mrs.  Nnenna Akajemeli has urged Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to work towards improvements in service delivery processes in order to deliver seamless and efficient services across the various service window to Nigerian Citizens.

This call was made when she paid an advocacy visit to the Director General, Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA) recently in Abuja.

According to her the quality of governance is determined by the quality of services delivered to citizens and the extent to which these services meet their expectations and therefore SERVICOM’s mandate focuses on improving the quality of contacts by working with Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure effective service delivery across board.

She said that, SERVICOM’s core mandates are; to coordinate efforts of MDAs to develop and implement Service Charters service wide, carryout independent surveys on customer satisfaction on Public Services, raise citizens’ demands for satisfactory service from MDAs and build skills of Public Servants to deliver excellent service by promoting best practice in service delivery among others.

However, she added that, the Directorate should promote technological transfer through technical cooperation between Nigeria and other countries in Africa, and that a culture of qualitative service delivery needs to be sustained by the management and staff in order to ensure that the objectives of the Directorate are achieved.

The National Coordinator further advised that, the SERVICOM Unit in the Directorate be further strengthened by providing the necessary support and resources needed for the development and implementation of the Service Charter to capture services and standards required.

While speaking on the Importance of the Service Charter, Akajemeli noted that, the Service Charter is a strategic document that communicates promises and commitments of services provided by an organization to its customers, and it contains realistic and measurable standard in key services.

The SERVICOM Boss urged management to continuously engage with stakeholders within and outside Nigeria on matters of cooperation and integration in Africa and review their service charter to further strengthen its mandate it was set out to achieve.

Welcoming the SERVICOM Boss and her team the Director General, Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA), Ambassador Rabiu Dagari mni, informed the Coordinator that his Directorate had embraced SERVICOM’s mandate and principles by training their frontline officers in order to ensure that services and amenities gets to the citizens.

He further stated that the Directorate carries out government ‘s policies   and implement these policies through the staff who represent government adequately by rendering efficient services to the citizens who in turn would send feedbacks as to the measure of efficient services received.

He pledged his commitment to collaborate with SERVICOM to ensure that all the policies of the Federal Government and mandate given to the Directorate are geared towards impacting the Nigerian Citizen through efficient service delivery.

 

 

Henrietta Okokon (Mrs.)

Public Awareness Manager (SERVICOM)

5/4/22

SERVICOM LAUDS FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTRE EBUTE METTA

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The National Coordinator/CEO SERVICOM, Mrs. Nnenna Akajemeli, has lauded the Federal Medical Centre Ebute Metta initiatives towards driving the culture of excellence given, by testimonies of service delivery experienced by patients in the Centre.

This commendation was given when the National Coordinator paid an advocacy visit to the Medical Centre during the week as part of her working visit to firm up deliveries on Open Government Partnership (OGP) commitments in improved service delivery thematic area.

The National Coordinator said the culture of excellence, innovations and technology witnessed in the Medical Centre attest to the value placed on the Service Delivery Initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria, and SERVICOM’s commitment to actualize the mandates in the Open Government Partnership’s program.

According to her, SERVICOM is working assiduously to position excellence in the customer service drive of this administration by ensuring it attains connectedness between intuitions and the Citizens.

She informed the Chief Medical Director of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Commitment to the OGP Initiative as being governed by four major principles such as Transparency, Accountability, citizens’ participation and technology.

Mrs. Akajemeli said that due to the centrality and the importance of the Federal Ministry of Health’s services to the citizens, SERVICOM selected to work with the Ministry’s Hospital Services Department, Federal Medical Centres Ebute Meta and Keffi, because of the high customer facing services they render to Nigerians.

 

She advocated for a total commitment and by –in by the CMD On the implementation of improved service delivery commitment, which would involve development/ review of service standards as contained in the service charters of selected service windows in line with National Guidelines. This she said is key in streamlining systems and promises in line with the charter.

‘’We would also develop a monitoring and reporting framework for the implementation of selected service standards in charters of selected service windows’’, she added.

Furthermore, she solicited for the CMD’s collaboration with SERVICOM, as the customer service arm of the government to put in place systems and mechanisms to ensure implementation of the service standards within the delivery period of OGP NAP11 which falls within 2019-  August 2022.

Mrs. Akajemeli further stated that performance would be assessed regularly or intermittently by SERVICOM Presidency and the International Review Monitors (IRM), OGP Headquarters, Washington DC.

She called on the CMD to spearhead, own, and support staff sensitization trainings for the project and also carry out awareness campaigns for their service takers.

In his welcome address the Chief Medical Director ( CMD) , Federal Medical Centre , Ebute Metta , Dr. Adejuwon Adedamola Dada, informed the Coordinator that the Centre had bridged the Clinical and the Financial aspect of their processes into an E Card and Wallet for ease of business.

He further informed her that the Center had keyed extensively into innovations and is completely technology driven with states of the art operating theaters, 100% Molecular Laboratories, gas plants, well equipped wards as well as hardworking and dedicated work force to attain the culture of excellence witnessed.

Dr. Adejuwon concluded by pledging Managements’ commitment to embrace the culture of service excellence, by rendering quality and efficient services in all the Service Departments of the Centre.

 

Henrietta Okokon

Public Awareness Manager (SERVICOM)

01/04/2022

SERVICOM SOLICITS FOR SUPPORT FROM STAKEHOLDERS

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The National Coordinator/CEO SERVICOM Mrs. Nnenna Akajemeli has asked for stakeholder’s support to facilitate the passage of the SERVICOM Bill in order for the repositioning of the public service for a more effective and efficient service delivery.

This appeal was made during the public hearing on the SERVICOM Bill at the National Assembly on the 9th February, 2022 in Abuja.

The SERVICOM Boss, Mrs. Akajemeli, said that the Nigerian Service Delivery Initiative was initiated to provide the basic services to which citizens are entitled to in a timely, fair, honest, effective and transparent manner.

Furthermore, she added that, the SERVICOM office currently has a very little statutory powers to enforce compliance, and this makes the articulation and implementation of existing Service Charters by Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) ineffective.

However, Mrs. Akajemeli noted that, in bid to ensure compliance with the Service Charter among MDAs, the action necessary is thus the drafting, passage and assent to the National SERVICOM Act.

The National Coordinator stated ‘’ a bill for the establishment of the Service Delivery and Compliance Management Agency (SERVICOM) for the management, execution and enforcement of service charter and standards, resolution of service failures and other related matters has passed through the second reading here at the National Assembly and today marks another milestone in our quest to institutionalize Service Delivery in Nigeria’’ she said.

She highlighted that, the bill aims at providing for an effective, comprehensive legal and institutional framework for the effective management, execution and enforcement of service compact of MDAs with Citizens, and also providing measures for the identification and facilitation of resolution of service failures and enforcement of citizen’s service rights in Nigeria.

Speaking on the objectives of the Bill, Mrs. Nnenna Akajemeli, said that the Bill will engender the culture of service excellence and will boost the customer service arm of running government business, entrench dynamic changes that will lead to service improvement that would hold us up as a developed nation.

At the public hearing, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila represented by Deputy Majority Leader, Honorable Peter Akpatason, noted that, the public hearing moves us closer to these objectives by providing an opportunity for citizens and legislators to jointly consider the contents of the bill, and it is expected that citizens would advance ideas throughout the public hearing and also make recommendations that will improve the quality of the legislation.

He added that, we must ensure that all the contributions we make today are determined not by narrow considerations of personal interests but fealty to the best interests of Nigerian people.

In his words. ‘’ as legislators, we have a responsibility to meticulously review and examine every aspect of these Bills to ensure that we produce final output that is clear in its objectives, thoughtful in the mandates it imposes, and reflective of the best aspirations of all our citizens’’ he said.

In his welcome remarks, the Chairman, House Committee on Government Affairs Honourable Akin Alabi, said that SERVICOM as a Nigerian Service Delivery Initiative was launched in March, 2004 after the President signed a Service Compact with all Nigerians, declaring a dedication towards providing basic services to which citizens are entitled in fair, honest and transparent manner.

Mr Alabi further pointed out that, every system needs proper structure and framework and rules concerning how individuals, institutions and systems should operate in order to achieve economic and social policy outcome, therefore there would be no greater stride towards ensuring the optimum effectiveness of the Service Compact Management Agency (SERVICOM) than putting the full weight of the law behind them.

However, he said that, the public hearing is a culmination of an enormous collective efforts which involved series of processes, programs and meetings, and that all hands must be on deck until the Bill is fully established and only through a joint effort can our fundamental goal be reached.

 

Henrietta Okokon (Mrs.)

Public Awareness Manager

SERVICOM Office

14/02/2022