THE Federal Government has launched Nigerian civil service Culture Diagnostic Survey (CDS), aimed at repositioning conditions of civil service for better performance and improved service delivery.

Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF) who launched the programme on Tuesday in Abuja, said that the CDS was in line with the current administration’s development agenda.

She explained that the initiative was designed to re-position the civil service system in the country through Efficient, Productive, Incorruptible and Citizen-centred (EPIC) and Project Management Team (PMT) culture change.

According to her, EPIC culture change, one of the eight key priority initiatives of the strategy is central and will play critical role to successful delivery of the goals and objectives of the other initiatives.

She explained that PMT culture change was constituted to drive the day-to-day implementation of the strategy.

“The PMT is charged with the responsibility of launching a change in behaviour from bureaucratic to an entrepreneurial and innovative service.

“We need to have a change in our perception of what the civil service stands for.

“This is because the initiatives deals with  employee behaviours, mindset and perceptions which are the major determinant factors of the success levels of the implementation of this high impact civil service transformation strategy,” she said.

She said the primary goals of the CDS include growing a new culture, emphasising increased employee productivity of the civil service, improved customer-client relationship and improved civil servants` attitude to work.

According to Oyo-Ita, the CDS is carried out nationwide by civil servants themselves through online and a total of 5,876 employees completed the survey.

She said parts of the summary of the survey by respondents, indicated several challenges in the civil service system in Nigeria, which explains the need for adequate and fair remuneration and welfare packages for civil servants across board.

Others she said were to promote and encourage innovation and creativity, be adaptive to changes and be technologically driven, among other recommendations made by respondents.

Also in her contribution, Dr Magdalene Ajani, Permanent Secretary, Service Policies and Strategies OHOSF, appreciated the federal government for the final launch of the CDS.

While congratulating Oyo-Ita on the success of the initiative plans, Ajani urged civil servants to put in more efforts in their services for efficient and effective service delivery.

-NAN

BE

– July 9, 2019 @ 15:15 GMT