Obasanjo okays restructuring of finance ministry
From Mathias Okwe, Abuja
A RESTRUCTURING of the Ministry of Finance has been approved by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The President specifically directed the Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to start the reform without further delay.
The target is to make the ministry the most professionalised in the Civil Service for the effective implementation of the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategies (NEEDS).
A statement yesterday by the Special Assistant on Information to the Minister, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu, hinted that the President had approved the recommendations of a reform committee headed by the Minister of State for Finance, Mrs. Esther Musa Nenadi that the ministry be professionalised.
It read: "The committee on re-professionalising the ministry had made many recommendations on various aspects of its operations. These recommendations have been presented to the President, the Head of the Service and the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, among other individuals and groups. They will soon be presented to the Federal Civil Service in details."
Nwabuikwu listed some of the recommendations as professionalising the ministry through re-training and hiring of the right quality of staff to realise its vision of being the number one service ministry and the de-pooling of the ministry, a policy that will give it the right to hire and fire instead of recruiting workers through the office of the Head of Service.
"The implication is that members of staff can now build their careers within the ministry. The proposal to restructure departments of the ministry in line with NEEDS has also been given the go-ahead," he added.
As a prelude to the implementation of the reform, the ministry will next week embark on a pay parade to ascertain its staff strength.
The exercise will be repeated in August to verify staff claims on credential.
About 124 employees, representing eight per cent of the ministry's total workforce of 1,560, are believed to be professionals, the Nenadi panel said.
It also revealed that another eight per cent of the personnel are 'generalists', five per cent are 'support workers' while an overwhelming 79 per cent are categorised as 'others'.
The panel added that of the 1,560 workers on the ministry's payroll (including the Budget Office), only 13 per cent have university degrees or higher qualifications, four per cent have Higher National Diplomas,13 per cent (Ordinary National Diplomas or equivalent); 44 per cent (secondary school certificates or equivalent) and 26 per cent have primary school certificates.
It, therefore, recommended to the President various measures to professionalise the operations of the ministry.
