NASS ‘ll enact
NASS ‘ll enact legislation backing BPSR’s
reforms–Gbajabiamila
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi
Gbajabiamila, has assured that the ninth National Assembly (NASS)
will enact a legislation that will give constitutional and legal
backings to critical reforms been initiated and championed by the
Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR).
Hon. Gbajabiamila, gave the assurance while receiving a
delegation of BPSR’s management staff led by the Director General
(DG), Mr. Dasuki Ibrahim Arabi, at NASS Complex, on Wednesday.
The Speaker expressed delight that the streams of reforms
articulately designed for various Federal Government’s Ministries,
Departments and Agencies (MDAs) by the Bureau have helped to
enhance the efficiency and quality of service delivery in the
public service.
He however bemoaned the situation whereby most of the critical
reforms lack constitutional backing and legislative approval to
enforce their implementation by various MDAs.
Gbajabiamila, who noted that the Bureau has silently achieved
tremendous successes in terms of formulating quality policy reforms
that have helped to restructure the public service, described the
government agency as the ‘unsung hero of Nigeria’s democracy’.
“The National Assembly is highly appreciative of the good work
BPSR has been doing, especially in driving critical reforms for our
public service. The awesome reforms of the Bureau in the areas of
pension administration, taxation, electoral system, fiscal
governance, e-governance and several others, have already started
yielding bumper harvests,” he said.
The Speaker, who assured that the ‘Green Chamber’ will soon
enact a legislation that will automatically make reforms formulated
by the Bureau to henceforth become laws, called on BPSR’s
management to work closely with the National Orientation Agency
(NOA) so as to educate the public on the importance of their
various reforms, programmes, activities and achievements.
While disclosing that the ninth House will soon launch its own
legislative agenda and reforms, Hon. Gbajabiamila, stated that a
‘Transition Bill’ on how to conduct a smooth transfer of power
between an outgoing and incoming administrations has been sponsored
and already tabled on the floor of the House for passage.
He promised that the House, under his leadership, will not
condone shunning of summons by some Heads of MDAs, saying: “We have
evolved stringent punitive measures and would heavily sanction MDAs
who disregard our summons or refuse to cooperate with our House
Committees’ during oversight activities.”
Earlier in his address, BPSR’s Director General, disclosed that
the Bureau has served as the engine of reforms in the public
service since it was created in 2004, saying their mandate is not
only to initiate, but to also monitor and report the implementation
level of their various reforms by MDAs.
Mr. Arabi, while thanking the Speaker for receiving them,
asserted that most of the reforms championed by the Bureau have
helped in curbing corruption in the public service, while also
enhancing service delivery to teeming Nigerians.