Corruption would drop by 30 percent without Buhari lifting a finger – Bello Sali

What was your experience like the 35 years you were in the service?Fortunately we started when things were good in this country. In the civil service in particular, I was quite effective. We had a good tutelage from the beginning and I wanted to make a career in the service and that is what I […]

What was your experience like the 35 years you were in the service?
Fortunately we started when things were good in this country. In the civil service in particular, I was quite effective. We had a good tutelage from the beginning and I wanted to make a career in the service and that is what I did those 35 years. I can say that things were good, up to the time when I exited. To the best of one’s ability, one had served with relish, having chosen the profession.
A major thing plaguing the service till date is ghost workers. As Head of Service how did you contend with this?
Every Head of Service had to contend with the issue of ghost workers. It is a phenomenon that has always been part of the service. It’s a cankerworm that has crept into the service as a result of some Nigerians, not necessarily civil servants. I can tell you that the people who will have today, who encourage or offer employment letters on behalf of the agencies of government are not necessarily civil servants. Even the recent advertisement … all sorts of people have established offices to say they are recruiting people and that if you bring some amount of money, you will be recruited.
In my 35 years of service, I have never heard of any post called ‘Director of Replacement’. How would an office have a director of replacement?
These are extraneous issues brought into the Service by people who don’t mean well for this country.
The civil service is perceived as an agent of corruption, what’s your take on this?
I totally disagree with it. I was head of service and I cannot call myself corrupt. I know that most of the corruption being alluded to the service are done by people outside the service.
Even with projects and their executions and budgets?
Anybody who tells you so is telling you cock and bull story. Projects are conceived and executed at the very top to that of the minister. And that is a minute section of the service.
Are you saying that, this minute section that has affiliation to such do not engage in any malpractices?
You can’t say they don’t engage in any malpractices. A malpractice is an outcome of a drained way of looking at things. In every organisation, you have the left and the right. You have the right and the wrong. What matters is which one overrides the other? Society is made of the good and the bad. In the civil service the good has overtaken the bad.
How do you think the incoming government can deal with corruption in the civil service?
Perhaps what I would want you to say is corruption in the society. Fortunately enough for Buhari and for the country, his antecedents are very well known. I can tell you without him lifting a finger, over 30 percent of those things Nigerians complain about will go. The public services must be made to sit up. We have enough laws … having an EFCC and ICPC will not arise at all. What will be done, will be for the civil service to work within the parameters set up for it.
What suggestions would you give the president-elect on reconstruction of the civil service?
I don’t want you to limit it to the civil service; I want you to extend it to the entire public service. As I said, the services don’t do their jobs as they should. The public service is supposed to be made up of people who are impartial, apolitical and neutral. They should give total, unalloyed support to the government of the day. But that doesn’t mean they should take directives, hook, line and sinker. Within the parameters set by law, you should follow the dictates of the government of the day but not take directives that are against the public service if the president makes the public service work for Nigerians,
Should the Head of Service direct remuneration of National Assembly staff?
All of the Services are supposed to provide service to Nigerians. Superiority does not arise at all. All public services if they are to answer that name, public service are answerable to Nigerians. We are equal stakeholders. But more importantly, all of us who work in the public service work for Nigerians.
In your view, is the civil service overstaffed?
I agree entirely that a reform is urgently needed to address the actual staffing needs of the various government departments. But until you do a personnel audit of the various departments and their staff requirements, it’s too premature to say if it is overstaffed or not.
How did you receive the message, when General Buhari said, there’s no more ruling party but a governing one?
Public service at whatever level is aimed at promoting the public good. The first premise is to realise that that job whether as president or school principal is to provide service for Nigerians.