Summary: This paper presents a variation on the theme of state capture as it is more generally understood in the literature. The term “state capture” is more widely used to refer to a situation in which non-state actors have captured the state by influencing public officials, or where powerful state officials are using non-state actors […]
“We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” – Elie Wiesel The above statement by Elie Wiesel is the favourite quote of those that insist that everyone in Nigeria must be politically partisan. It is often used to denigrate those that refuse to be drawn […]
I am deeply honoured to have been invited to address you at this year’s Comptroller General of Immigration Annual Conference holding in the ancient city of Benin. As a former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms and now a development practitioner and public intellectual, I have been very supportive of the reforms undertaken […]
Whenever the public service is not working as well as it should, people often point to one overriding reason: lack of ‘Political Will.’ A bit like the term “Restructuring”, Political Will is a nebulous concept that means different things to different people. For many, it is the absence of clear commitment from the very top […]
A typical Public Sector Performance in Dysfunctional Environments
Government communication in Nigeria has been historically weak. Citizens hardly know what government is doing and government does not engage sufficiently with citizens. The communication gap between government and citizens provides ample opportunity for mischief-makers to fill the gap with fake news, unfounded rumours and the most outlandish conspiracy theories. Because the government communication machinery […]
