REMARKS BY DELIVERED ON THE OCCASION OF THE INAUGURATION OF NATIONAL COUNCIL ON ESTABLISHMENT (NCE)

REMARKS BY DELIVERED ON THE OCCASION OF THE INAUGURATION OF NATIONAL COUNCIL ON ESTABLISHMENT (NCE)

Author: HEAD OF THE CIVIL SERVICE OF THE FEDERATION, DR. FOLASADE YEMI-ESAN
FRIDAY 21ST FEBRUARY, 2020

PROTOCOL 

It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the inauguration of the National Council on Establishment (NCE) Committee on the Assessment of the Relevance of Professional Qualification in the Schemes of Service and other issues relating to enhanced entry point and Internship programme in the Civil/Public Service of the Federation. 
 2. I am delighted that my distinguished colleagues from the state civil service have honoured this call to national service by accepting to serve as members of this very strategic committee. It would be recalled that events at the 41st Meeting of the National Council on Establishments (NCE) held in Asaba, Delta State  from 4th – 8th November, 2019 led to the composition of this Committee. Council had observed the proliferation of requests from  professional bodies over the years agitating for the inclusion of their respective professional qualifications in the Schemes of Service, and other requests on internship programme and enhanced entry point from stakeholders which featured frequently in the agenda of Council’s meeting. 
 3. Albeit Council had reiterated severally that aside the few professional qualifications already domiciled in the Schemes of Service of some Cadres, others seeking recognition in the Schemes of Service shall serve solely for proficiency. Though this position was communicated it has not stemmed the inflow of requests as desired. It is therefore imperative that these incessant requests should be addressed and the matter resolved once and for all. Our desire to sustain a professionalised Civil/Public Service to meet the yearnings of the Citizenry cannot be over emphasized, however the Organisations to drive this must be seen to have the capacity. 
 
4. Therefore, we need to assess the content value and relevance of the professional qualifications already in the Schemes of Service to decide their continuous use or otherwise as well as other matters that the Committee may consider capable of adding value to improve productivity in the Service in line with its Terms of Reference. Accordingly, the Committee has the following membership: i.   Head of Service, Niger State – Chairman ii.  Head of Service, Adamawa State – Member iii.  Head of Service, Kaduna State – Member iv.  Head of Service, Anambra State – Member
  v.    Head of Service, Ondo State – Member vi.   Head of Service, Delta State – Member vii. Director, Organizational Design & Development         (ODD) - Secretary
 
5. Therefore, I wish to state that your appointment to serve on this committee is based on the conviction that you are individuals who possess sound judgement, integrity and the requisite experience and who can be relied upon to advise objectively on national issues. Hence, it is expected that you will bring your wealth of experience to bear while carrying out the task before you. 
 
6. Consequently, the Committee has the following Terms of Reference (ToR):
 
i. Assess the content values of professional bodies already in the Schemes of Service with the view to ascertaining the suitability or otherwise of the continued use of their professional Certificates in the Service;
 
ii. Review the enhanced entry points already approved for certain Cadres in the Schemes of Service; and iii. Recommend guidelines for granting enhanced entry points and internship status to Cadres in the Service to stem incessant requests;  iv. Assess the role of Government regulatory Agencies and their relevance in the professionalization of Cadres with a view to replacing the professional bodies in the Schemes of Service; and
 v.     Address any other issues ancillary to the professionalization of Cadres in the Public/Civil Service workforce.      

7. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, I am fully persuaded that you will come up with implementable recommendations which will guide Council in taking informed decisions on the matters before you. I urge you to be conscious of the fact that  the next meeting of Council is scheduled for 6th -10th April, 2020 in Lagos, and  going by this  date, this  Committee has less than one and half months to  conclude its assignment and be ready to submit its  report to Council at the next meeting. 
 
8. It is on this note that I have the honour of inaugurating the National Council on Establishment (NCE) Committee on the Assessment of the Relevance of Professional Certificates in the Schemes of Service and Other Related Matters in the Civil/Public Service of the Federation.
 
9. I wish you all a successful and speedy conclusion of your assignment.  God bless you. 

F