“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 into the current political milieu in Nigeria, and to paint them as unconscionable, irresponsible and unpatriotic. This unfair labelling is the action of oppressors and tormentors.   The politics that we practice in Nigeria is not based on ideology, principles or manifestos. Manifestos are
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This morning, I want to talk about why I think some states don’t pay workers salaries. As always, my intention is to explain, not to justify. It is immoral and wrong not to pay ANYBODY that has done agreed work, both in public and private life: civil servants or domestic staff. Many states are public service states. In some, the main economic activities in the state revolve around the public service. The only good jobs available are public service jobs. Public servants are the elite. Everybody’s ambition is to join the public service. It’s prestigious. The public servants are, if
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Dr. Joe Abah is a seasoned Nigerian administrator and erstwhile Director-General of the Bureau of Public Sector Reforms, a critical  parastatal in the federal civil service of Nigeria. For four years of his service (2013-2017), he led the transformation process for the Nigerian public sector and has left a legacy of excellence and innovation in the BPSR. He retired this year. On Decmber 24, 2017, Dr. Joe Abah shared his wealth of experience and insight into governance and administration on Twitter via his handle @DrJoeAbah to address the current state of the Nigerian polity and chart a pathway for progress. Related Link: https://twitter.com/DrJoeAbah/status/944835329378476033 Background Dr. Abah begins by pointing
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Government of NigeriaAug 31, 2017 So, on Thursday the 24th of August, 2017, we held the inaugural edition of our conversation series, #PODEMeets. Our Debut Special Guest was Dr. Joe Abah, at that time one day to the end of his four-year tenure as Director General, Bureau Of Public Service Reforms (BPSR). Yes, it was his final week as DG, and we had the opportunity to get him to reflect on the preceding four years, in this hour-long interview (full video above). Below are highlights of what he said: ON HIS VISION/AMBITION AS DIRECTOR GENERAL, BPSR: What I set out to achieve,
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February 2017 Abah, J. When money finishes, people remain: The challenges of youth unemployment in Nigeria. GREAT Insights Magazine, Volume 6, Issue 1. February/March 2017. The need to tackle rising youth unemployment is clear to all. Nigeria needs to develop a coordinated, overarching youth employment policy, approved at the highest level of government, to guide all the interventions. A few days ago, Mr Bisi Ogunwale, a businessman, reported on Twitter how a young boy had begged him for money at a popular bus stop in Lagos, the bustling commercial capital of Nigeria. When he refused to give the boy any
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Published on March 17, 2015 Managing Organisational Performance in the Public Sector By Dr Joe Abah Introduction Performance Management denotes a range of managerial activities designed to monitor, measure and adjust aspects of individual, programme and organisational performance through management controls of various types. The main objective of a Performance Management System (PMS) is to support the transformation of an organisation by developing the structures, processes and procedures for managing the individual, team and institutional performance within a public or private organisation. The performance of private sector organisations is often measured by one overriding factor – profitability. Profit refers to
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