By ABAH ADAH

Federal Ministry of Works has urged its staff to step up performance, as they are being accessed in line with the Performance Management System, PMS, component of the Federal Civil Service Strategy Implementation Plan, FCSSIP, developed by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, OHCSF.

Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Yakubu Kofarmata, disclosed this during the launch of the Weekly PMS Day at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.

He noted that all departments or units would be assessed, rated and rewarded accordingly based on the outcome from time to time, adding that the exercise was in sync with President Bola Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda.

It would be recalled that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service, as part of its efforts to reinvigorate the service, developed FCSSIP 2017- 2020 and its successor, FCSSIP 2021-2025. 

“The Plan consists of six major pillars which Performance Management System is included. Today’s event marks an important step in our ministry’s commitment in the implementation of FCSSIP2021-2025 for the enhancement of performance, transparency and accountability in governance for  improved service delivery,” he explained.

He said, “Thursday of every week has been designated PMS Day where employees performance would be reviewed, assessed and improved in executing the ministry’s ongoing tasks and projects.

“This initiative is designed to ensure that we align with our goals, monitor our progress and address challenges promptly, thereby ensuring improved performance.

“Performance management is a systematic process that enables organisations to achieve their strategic objectives by aligning individual and team performance with organisational goals. 

“It is a continuous cycle of planning, monitoring, evaluating and improving employee performance to drive business success.”

He outlined the tasks of PMS to include but not limited to goal setting, performance monitoring, evaluation, development planning.

Delivering his welcome address, the Director, Human Resources, Aliyu Abdullahi, urged all directors to assess their staff credibly, corroborating the position of the permanent secretary that the department with the highest level of performance would be rewarded by the ministry.

Highpoint of the event was when the permanent secretary officially inaugurated the PMS Day team.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan and ex-governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and now Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, yesterday, openly disagreed over the sack of the latter.

Sanusi had said in the book he co-authored with a former Minister of Finance, Shamsudeen Usman, that the former president sacked him because he blew the whistle on the $49.8 billion allegedly stolen from government’s coffers during his tenure.

But replying to the monarch, Jonathan said he (Sanusi) was only suspended over the query raised by the Financial Reporting Council, FRC, over expenses of the apex bank, adding that had his (Sanusi) tenure not expired, he would have been recalled to office.

The former president, who spoke during the launch of the book, “Public Policy and Agents Interests: Perspectives from the Emerging World,” said: “Let me mention that I do not agree completely with some issues raised by one of the contributors. But I don’t intend to join issues because he is our royal father. And he is here.

“The one he raised that he was sacked because he blew a whistle that the federal government lost $49.8 billion is not quite correct. He was not sacked, he was suspended because FRC queried the expenditure of CBN.

“There were serious infractions that needed to be looked at. That was the reason. But somehow, the time was short. So before we finished, his tenure elapsed. Probably, he would have been recalled.

“On the issue of $49.8 billion, till today, I am not convinced that the federal government lost $49.8 billion. And that year, our budget was $31.6 billion. So for a country that had a budget of $31.6 billion to lose about $50 billion and salaries were paid, nobody felt anything. The researchers that wrote this book need to do further research.

“More so, our revered royal father came up with the figures, first $49.8 billion, later $20 billion and later $12 billion. I don’t even know the correct one.”

Jonathan said he was vindicated about the claim after the former CBN governor began to change the narrative from $49 billion to $20 billion and later $12billion.

He added that PriceWaterhouseCoopers, PWC, which investigated the matter, revealed that no such amount of money was stolen, but noted that $1.48 billion could not be accounted for by NNPC at the time.

But countering former President Jonathan that he was only suspended and not sacked, Sanusi II told him that he sacked him as governor of the CBN over the whistle he blew about the alleged missing $49.8 billion.

The monarch jokingly told the former president that he “constructively sacked him.”

Sanusi, who took to the podium hours after Jonathan’s comment, insisted that he was sacked by Jonathan.

“My boss sacked me. I was constructively dismissed. I continue to respect Jonathan and don’t have grudges against anyone,”he said, as he delivered a short message at the event he presided over as Royal Father of the Day.

South West Senators Caucus has commended the passage of the South West Development Commission Bill on Thursday, September 26.

In a statement in Abuja by its Secretary,  Senator Shuaib Salisu (Ogun Central), the caucus enthused that the bill, a collaborative effort of all the senators from the South-West Zone, is yet another demonstration of a shared vision and commitment to advance and protect the interests of the zone at all times, within the context of a united, secure and prosperous Nigeria.

The statement reads in part:“The  South West Development Commission, the principal objective of the Bill, will complement the development efforts of the six states in South-West and in particular, boost the Development Agenda of South West Nigeria, DAWN, a joint initiative of the South-West States.

“Whilst noting that the Bill still has to receive the concurrence of the House of Representatives to be ready for presidential assent, the caucus noted with confidence that members from the South-West Zone are equally committed to this initiative and will work collaboratively, as was done in the Senate, to ensure easy and expeditious passage in the House.

“The caucus thanked the leadership of the National Assembly, particularly the Senate President, Godswill Obot Akpabio and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas for their leadership and facilitation of the passage of the Bill.

“We note and thank all the National Assembly members (past and serving) from the zone who have made efforts at various times that have now culminated in the passage of this Bill in the 10th Assembly.

“As members of the 10th Senate, we are proud of this milestone.  We want to reassure stakeholders that the South-West Caucus in the National Assembly remains unwaveringly committed to the full realisation of the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ of President Bola Tinubu for the benefit of all Nigerians, including our beloved zone.”