Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing has called for a review
of the extant guidelines governing the operations of Generating
Companies (GENCOs) and Distribution Companies (DISCOs) in order to
accommodate new entrants.
In a communique issued at the end of the ministry’s 6th Edition of
the Top Management Retreat for Directors, Chief Executive Officers of
Parastatals, Agencies and Heads of Unit at
Imo Concorde Hotel in Owerri,
Imo State, the ministry agreed to sustaining compliance with Standard
Operating Procedures and Guidelines in the discharge of duties and
responsibilities.
According to the communique, the ministry among other resolutions:
“Noted that sustaining national prosperity was dependent on the
entrenchment of transformational governance and favourable
socio-political and secured environment.”
It “advocated the review of Nigeria Electricity Regulatory
Commission’s (NERC) extant licenses and regulations governing the
operations of Generating Companies (GENCOs) and Distribution Companies
(DISCOs) so as to accommodate new entrants to increase competiveness and
performance in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).”
The ministry also noted the role of the civil service in facilitating
national development and democratic stability and observed the need to
strengthen the basic institutions and procedures as part of the key
elements that would enable the Service perform optimally and withstand
identified challenges militating against it.
The retreat, with the theme: “Re-inventing Governance for National
Prosperity,” was chaired by the Minister of Power, Works and Housing,
Babatunde Fashola.
Read the full text of the communique here:
COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF THE SIXTH (6TH) TOP MANAGEMENT
RETREAT OF FEDERAL MINISTRY OF POWER, WORKS AND HOUSING HELD AT THE NEW
IMO CONCORDE HOTEL OWERRI, IMO STATE, FROM FRIDAY 22ND TO SATURDAY 23RD
MARCH, 2019
The Sixth (6th) Edition of the Top Management Retreat of the Federal
Ministry of Power, Works and Housing was held at the New Imo Concorde
Hotel, Owerri, Imo State from 22nd to 23rd March, 2019, with the Theme:
“Re-Inventing Governance for National Prosperity”.
2. The 2-day event was presided over by the Honourable Minister,
Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, His Excellency, Babatunde
Raji Fashola, SAN. He was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary (Works
and Housing) Muhammed Bukar and the Permanent Secretary (Power) Louis
O. N. Edozien.
3. Special Guests who attended the Retreat and presented papers were
the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, ably represented by Dr.
Bakari Wadinga, Permanent Secretary, Common Services Office; Office of
the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; the Chairman,
Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission
(ICPC) ably represented by the Secretary to the Commission, Dr. Musa
Usman Abubakar. Other paper presenters were the Chairman/CEO Nigerian
Electricity Regulation Commission (NERC), Prof. James A. Momoh; the Ag.
Director General, National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN),
Ahmed Bolaji Nagode; and the Resident Doctor, Staff Clinic, Federal
Ministry of Power, Works and Housing (Works and Housing Sector), Dr.
Eyituoyo Ojo. Participants at the Retreat were Directors, Chief
Executives of Parastatals and Agencies as well as Heads of Unit in the
Ministry.
4. In his keynote address, the Honourable Minister urged participants
to draw inspiration from the short but impactful life of late Professor
Pius Adesanmi (who died recently in the Ethiopian Airline Crash) to
improve their services to the public. He advised that as privileged
citizens entrusted with enormous responsibilities for Power, Works and
Housing, staff of the Ministry can do more to impact on the society and
the lives of the individuals who benefit from improvement in power,
roads and housing.
5. He further pointed out that public servants should be polite to
clients and members of the public in the course of providing services
and that a simple smile even when saying no goes a long way in building
trust and understanding with the public. He stated that this is a
culture of service that can and must be cultivated and adopted as our
style of governance.
6. While thanking staff and management for their commitment towards
successful implementation of Ember months programmes of the Ministry,
which sought to improve services during the September – December period,
preparatory to the yuletide period and the dry/hot season, the
Honourable Minister implored that a similar commitment be applied to
implementation of projects and programmes towards successive seasonal
changes; especially the coming rainy season with its special challenges
to power facilities, road works and housing. Finally, he disclosed
that the Ministry received an approval from the Federal Executive
Council for the maintenance of public infrastructure which will ensure
uniform standard of maintenance for all public buildings and facilities
by Federal Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs). The Public
Buildings and Housing Department in the Ministry would coordinate its
implementation and help other MDAs prepare and procure their building
maintenance works.
7. The papers presented by the Speakers were:
i. Re-inventing Governance for Sustained Prosperous Nation;
ii. Enhancing Capacity Building in the Nigerian Power Sector for National Prosperity;
iii. Re-inventing Governance for National prosperity;
iv. Corruption: The Bane of Good Governance; and
v. Keeping your Spine Healthy.
8. In conclusion, the Retreat resolved as follows:
i. Stressed the need for officers to take ownership of
responsibilities assigned to them to positively affect the lives of
Nigerians through efficient delivery of services;
ii. Advocated the importance of polite service delivery with a smile
in order to earn the trust and acceptance of members of the Public;
iii. Urged participants to always be proactive and plan well ahead on
how to deliver efficient services in anticipation of the impact of the
rainy season on construction projects and power generation;
iv. Directed the Director, Public Buildings and Housing Department to
coordinate all Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to implement a
uniform standard of building and facilities maintenance under the
National Infrastructure Maintenance Programme;
v. Urged stakeholders in the Ministry to collaborate and build a sustainable training culture for each sector’s growth;
vi. Encouraged the Technical Departments in the MDAs to develop a
programme to engage interns with a view to giving them practical work
experience with stipends paid to them without contravening the
provisions of the Public Service Rules;
vii. Noted that sustaining national prosperity was dependent on the
entrenchment of transformational governance and favourable
socio-political and secured environment;
viii. Advocated the review of Nigeria Electricity Regulatory
Commission’s (NERC) extant licenses and regulations governing the
operations of Generating Companies (GENCOs) and Distribution Companies
(DISCOs) so as to accommodate new entrants to increase competiveness and
performance in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI);
ix. Noted the role of the Civil Service in facilitating national development and democratic stability;
x. Noted the various reform initiatives aimed at strengthening and repositioning the Service for efficient service delivery;
xi. Observed the need to strengthen the basic institutions and
procedures as part of the key elements that will enable the Service
perform optimally and withstand identified challenges militating against
it;
xii. Endorsed the use of Performance Management System (PMS) approach
in the Public Service to ensure efficient and effective service
delivery;
xiii. Supported the merger of Agencies and Parastatals whose functions are duplicated for greater efficiency and productivity;
xiv. Noted the need to restore geo-political slots in appointing
Permanent Secretaries in the Federal Public Service in addition to the
existing States representation as a means of reducing stagnation in the
Civil Service;
xv. Advocated for reform initiatives that will enable civil servants
own and take responsibility for policies, programmes and activities in
driving effective governance as it relates to productivity and target
setting in respect of salary review, promotion, union matters, adherence
to the principle of Federal Character;
xvi. Advocated for policies that will mainstream gender issues such
as providing a longer and realistic period of maternity leave to promote
breast feeding, protection from sexual harassment and gender
discrimination in the Public Service;
xvii. Noted that corruption was a hydra-headed monster and a major
obstacle to actualizing good governance confronting the Service which
requires collective efforts to eliminate corruption in the interest of
the generality of the citizenry;
xviii. Appreciated the role of Independent Corrupt Practices and
Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in curbing corruption and
ensuring good governance;
xix. Resolved to strengthen the systems, processes and structures within the Ministry to fight corruption through:
· Provision of leadership by example and setting high standards
· Strengthening of Anti-Corruption and Transparency Units
· Sensitization of staff on anti-corruption and service delivery
· Encouraging Whistle Blowing and Code of Ethics
· Sustaining compliance with Standard Operating Procedures and Guidelines in the discharge of duties and responsibilities
xx. Resolved to continue to liaise with ICPC to conduct Corruption
Risk Assessment with the aim of identifying corruption vulnerabilities
and mitigating same through integrity planning;
xxi. Urged the ICPC to always furnish the MDAs with names of erring
officers found complicit in corrupt acts for disciplinary action;
xxii. Advocated for the review of the Procurement Act 2007, as
amended, to further promote competition, inclusiveness of small
businesses and openness in Public Procurement;
xxiii. Advised the ICPC to adopt global best practices in carrying out system studies to eradicate defaults;
xxiv. Noted that pains in the spine are caused by factors such as
injury (trauma), inappropriate method of lifting heavy items, obesity,
poor sitting posture, inappropriate foot wear, inappropriate or wrong
sleeping position, genetic condition and pregnancy in women;
xxv. Noted the need for staff to be in a state of good health in order to be able to perform optimally on their jobs;
xxvi. Advocated for engagement in activities that encourage the spine
to be aligned and advised prompt visits to doctors when pain persists;
xxvii. Noted that the occupational groups most commonly affected by
spinal pains are civil servants, farmers and petty traders due to long
hours of work and inappropriate posture;
xxviii. Noted the need to avoid long periods of sitting by standing and walking for a few minutes after every hour; and
xxix. Appreciated the Honourable Ministers and the Permanent
Secretaries for sustaining the quarterly Top Management Retreat which
has helped immensely in building team spirit in the Ministry.
ISSUED TODAY, SATURDAY, 23RD MARCH, 2019 AT THE NEW CONCORDE HOTELS, OWERRI, IMO STATE.
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