SERVICOM SOLICITS FOR SUPPORT FROM STAKEHOLDERS
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