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Service gaps: SERVICOM advocates synergy among MDAs, private sector to enhance service delivery

Published

1 year ago

May 31, 2023

Service Compact with all Nigerians (SERVICOM) has advocated synergy among key public officers of government established agencies and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to enhance service delivery to Nigerians.

Mrs Nnenna Akajemeli, National Coordinator of SERVICOM, made the call at a-day stakeholders’ forum for stakeholders in Abuja, organised by the agency.

The workshop was also organised for directors of reforms, nodal officers, Public Relations Officers of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs)

It is recalled that SERVICOM is an initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria, established in 2004 to promote effective and efficient service delivery in MDAs.

NAN reports that SERVICOM is also to ensure customer satisfaction and to manage the performance-expectation gap between Government, citizens and other members of the public on issues of service delivery.

Speaking, Akajemeli said that the objective of the forum was to create synergy among agencies, especially media, PROs, CSOs to enhance/project SERVICOM services and to get feedbacks from the public.

“We are here to sensitise the forum on the activities of SERVICOM in all the MDAs.

“Since one stick of broom cannot sweep the floor well, that’s why we are here to synergise to drive service improvement in Nigeria.

“We want to network with PROs of the MDAs, network with different organisations to collaborate and spread the message to enhance our services.

“So having said that, we are here to create synergy between us and the MDAs,” she explained.

Also, Executive Vice-Chair of Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, Mrs Ofovwe Aig- Imoukhuede, said achieving mandates of SERVICOM needed synergy among citizens.

Represented by Chioma Njoku, Director of Programmes of the foundation, Aig- Imoukhuede said; “The mandate of SERVICOM is to ensure that MDAs continually deliver quality services to citizens.

“This is by making it a very strategic agency of government which should be closer to the people to feel their pulse and feedback on the services received. ”

Mrs Jummai Abdullahi, in her paper presentation, titled, ‘Citizens Focused Service Delivery for Good Governance’, said that the primary purpose of government was to improve quality of life of citizens.

She added that public service was the only contact that most people have with the government; hence the call for collaboration was imperative.

The theme of the forum is, ‘Strategic engagement of citizens, government and the media for optimal realisation of good governance’.

The forum attracted representatives from Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Correctional Service, VIO, FRSC, office of Head of Service, SGF, and media among others.

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NAPTIP Restates Commitment To Fighting Human Trafficking

Published

2 days ago

July 25, 2024

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

… decries corruption in law enforcement, weak legislation

The Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, has pledged the agency’s commitment to fight human trafficking.

Waziri-Azi gave the assurance during an anti-corruption radio program, PUBLIC CONSCIENCE, produced by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development, PRIMORG, in Abuja.

The commitment by NAPTIP follows an investigative report by Human Angle Media exposing how many Nigerians trafficked to Egypt are inhumanely treated and exploited by their sponsors.

Represented by the agency’s Director of Public Enlightenment, Mrs. Kehinde Akomolafe, decried the rising number of Nigerians who are victims of trafficking, pledging that “NAPTIP is fighting on all sides to curb human trafficking.”

Akomolafe disclosed that the agency is aware of the report of Nigerians trafficked to Egypt and has already commenced interventions to rescue them while warning citizens to be wary of “offers that are too good to be true.”

She identified weak legislation, lengthy judicial processes, and corrupt law enforcement officials as factors aiding and abetting trafficking in Nigeria and elsewhere in the world.

“Corruption is endemic and cuts across other countries of the world, and that’s why trafficking is easily perpetrated in Nigeria and around the globe. You find law enforcement officials aiding and abetting traffickers. Some of them know these traffickers from their operations either at the entry or exit point. They give them something or become too familiar with them.

“Apart from the bribery aspect, we also have officials turning a blind eye to trafficking activities, and that’s why for us at the agency (NAPTIP), we are not resting.”

According to her, the agency, from inception, secured 672 convictions, 67 in 2023, and 35 persons so far this year (2024). She added that “NAPTIP is winning the war against trafficking but still wants stiffer punishment for traffickers and the support of the judiciary in hastening cases.

“weak legislation is aiding trafficking. That’s why the agency continues pushing for amendments. Currently, NAPTIP is pushing for stiffer punishment against traffickers that will lead to confiscation of their monies and property.

“NAPTIP Director-General (Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi) is fighting on all sides against human trafficking.

“Where law enforcement officials are found complicit, NAPTIP Director-General does not take it lightly; she doesn’t compromise her anti-corruption stance even when a staff is involved,” Akomolafe stated.

According to the Editor of Southern Operations, Human Angle Media, Kabir Adejumo, many Nigerians trafficked to Egypt engage in forced labour. They are also living in fear as authorities go after illegal immigrants.

Adejumo said victims interviewed during the investigation are willing and interested in returning home, but their sponsors refuse to release their travel passports and threaten to implicate them.

He also revealed that the NAPTIP and Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) are aware of the plight of Nigerians trafficked in Egypt and have currently rescued one person.

On her part, the Programme Manager of the Human Angle Foundation, Angela Umoro-David, expressed satisfaction at NAPTIP’s response to trafficking cases while urging the agency to stay on course with their mandate.

Umoro-David called on Nigerians to use a Freedom of Information platform (foi.humananglemedia.com) to help citizens navigate requests for public records from different government parastatals and agencies.

She stressed that the platform “is a website where people can submit their FOI requests to us (Human Angle), and we’ll submit it on their behalf to the particular agency. So we act as middlemen, connecting these government parastatals to the citizens”.

Public Conscience is a syndicated weekly anti-corruption radio program PRIMORG uses to draw government and citizens’ attention to corruption and integrity issues in Nigeria.

The program has the support of the MacArthur Foundation

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