The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoCSF), Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, has said that it is wrong to continue to refer to the nation’s civil service as being corrupt.
She said this on Tuesday in Abuja after being conferred with a Fellowship Award by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).
The event was held alongside a lecture marking the International Public Relations Day, themed ‘The Future of Public Relations in a Changing World: Journey in the Nigerian Federal Civil Service’.
She said she was embarrassed by such comments and that the experiences shared were from years back thus, it is crucial to investigate and ask questions instead of living in the past.
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“Last week, a notable Nigerian also came out to talk about the civil service being the most corrupt institution. I was embarrassed because all the things that the notable Nigerian was saying, especially his experience, were things that occurred years ago.
“I thought that for us to talk about the civil service today, we need to do some investigation. Ask questions instead of living in the past and thinking that the civil service of today is still where it was two years ago. So, I had to seize the opportunity since I have been inducted as PR manager on behalf of the civil service to say that the civil service has moved from where it was years ago,” Yemi-Esan said.
She also emphasised the importance of effective communication in the public service, urging a shift from outdated perceptions of the civil service.
She countered claims made by the founder of The Albino Foundation (TAF), Jake Epelle, regarding the most senior person living with a disability being on level 14.
She said, “Today, we have more than one person as director and they are persons living with disabilities. In fact, one of them is the Director HRM in the commission currently.”
Yemi-Esan also acknowledged the ongoing collaboration between the Service Welfare Office (SWO) and the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) to gather data on the number of people living with disabilities, assuring that the work would be completed within a month, with the commission being part of the process.
Emphasising the importance of information and image management in corporate governance, Yemi-Esan said, “If you don’t tell your story, someone else will”
She commended the leadership of NIPR, particularly the proactive actions of the NIPR president, Dr Ike Neliaku, in presenting an innovative memo to the National Council on Establishment (NCE) to transform the nomenclature of information officers in the federal civil service to information and public relations officers.
Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Obiora Okonkwo, was also honoured by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) with a Diamond Certificate and Plaque for Excellence in Public Service.
The President of NIPR, Neliaku, lauded the United Nigeria Airlines owner for his patriotism in nation building.
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