Teniola: Gradual killing of public service

SINCE the Civilians took over Government in 1999, we have had eight Inspector Generals of Police till date. They are: Musiliu Smith (1999-2002); Mustapha Adebayo Balogun. March 2002- January 2005; Sunday Ehindero, 2005-2007; Mike Mbama Okiro, 2007-2009; Ogbonna Okechukwu Onovo. 2009-2010; Hafiz Ringim,  January 2010-2012; Muhammed  D. Abubakar, 2012-2014 and Mr. Suleiman Abba 2014- till date. A keen observer will note that in some cases, some Inspector Generals of Police even introduced new uniforms, during their tenure.

   From 1999 till now, we have had seven Chiefs of the Air Staff. They are Air Marshall Isaac Alfa (1999-2001), Air Marshall Jonah Wuyep (2001-2006), Air Marshall Paul Dike 2006-2008, Air Marshall Michael Oluseyi Petinrin (2008-2010), Air Marshall Mohammed Diko Umar (2010-2012), Air Marshall Alex  Sabundu Badeh (2012-2014) and Air Marshall Adesola Nunayon Amosu  from January 2014 till date.
  From 1999, we have had nine Heads of Service of the Federation. The post is a creation by the constitution. They are Mr. Abu Obe, 1999-2000, Mahmmud Yayale, Ahmed 2000-2007, Ms. Obele Okeke 2007-2008, Ms, Ammal Pepple, June 16, 2008 – June 15, 2009, Mr. Steve Oronsanye, June 16, 2009 – November 15, 2010, Prof. Oladapo Afolabi, November 16 2010 – September 2011, Alhaji Isa Bello Sali September 30, 2011 to March 2013, Alhaji  Bukar Goni Aji March 25, 2013 to August 2014 and  Mallam Danladi Kifasi August 19, 2014 till date.
   All things being equal, Alhaji Kifasi will retire in December next year when he clocks 60. He has served as a member of the governing board of the Central Bank of Nigeria. I am told that Alhaji Kifasi is highly imaginative and hardworking. Poor soul. According to the pioneer Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms established in February 2004, Dr. Goke Adegoroye who retired as permanent secretary of FCT two years ago, there are over 150,000 Federal Civil Servants (Mainstream) as at now.
   The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was established on April 1, 1977 as a merger of the Nigerian National Oil Corporation and the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel.
   It also supervises the upstream and downstream oil development and it is charged with regulating and supervising the oil industry in Nigeria. It has nine directorates. They are exploration and production, Refining and Petrochemicals, Commercial and Investment, Finance and Accounts, Corporate Services, Gas and Power, Engineering and Technology, Business Development.
  The Corporation also has various subsidiaries. They include Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), National Engineering and Technical Company (NETCO), Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, Nigerian Gas Company (NGC), Integrated Data Services Ltd. (IDSL), Warri Refining and Petrochemicals Company Ltd. (WRPC), Kaduna Refining and Petrochemicals Company Ltd. (KRPC), Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC), NNPC Retail Ltd., Nigeria-Gazprom Ltd.(NiGaz), NIKORMA Transport Ltd. (NIKORMA), NIDAS Marine Ltd., Hydrocarbon Services Company Ltd (HYSON), NNPC Pension Fund Ltd., Duke Oil Services Ltd. (UK), Calson Bermuda Ltd., NNPC Properties Ltd and Brass LNG Limited.
   From 1999 to date, we have had eight Group Managing Directors for the Corporation. Five Managing Directors of the NNPC have served under the current President from March 17, 2010 when he became acting President till he was finally sworn in as President, on May 6, 2010 following the death of his predecessor. Likewise, the present Minister of Petroleum Resources has appointed four group Managing Directors for NNPC since she came to the Ministry on April 16, 2010. They are Dr. Jackson Gaius Obaseki May 1999- November 2003, Engr. Funso Kupolokun November 2003- July 2007, Engr. Abubakar  Yaradua August 2007- January 2009, Dr. Muhammed  Sanusi Barkindo  January 2009- May 2010, Barrister  Ladan Shehu,  April 2010 to May 2010, Engr. Austen Olusegun Oniwon, May 2010- June 2012, Engr. Andrew Leah Yakubu, June 2012- August 2014 and now Dr. Joseph Thlama  Dawha from August 2014 to date. Dr. Dawha joined the NNPC in 1988. All things been equal, he has less than five months to serve. The NNPC has a board of Directors of which the Minister of Petroleum is the head. The board was constituted on July 17, 2012. It was again reconstituted with the same membership last week.  From 2012 till now, the board has met only once. Other members of the board are Abdullahi Bukar, Steve Oronsaye, Professor Olusegun Okunnu, Daniel Wadzani, Bernard Otti and Peter Nmadu.
  From 1999 till date, we have had seven Chiefs of Naval Staff. They are Vice Admiral Victor Kare Ombu (1999-2001), Vice Admiral Samuel Olajide Afolayan 2001-2005), Vice Admiral Ganiyu T.A. Adekeye (2005-2008), Vice Admiral Ishayalko Ibrahim 2008-2010, Vice Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim 2010-2012, Vice Admiral Dele Joseph Ezeoba 2012-2014 and Vice Admiral Usman Oyibe Jibrin January 2014-till date.
   From 1999 till date, we have had eight Chiefs of Army Staff. They are Lt. Gen. Victor Malu, May 1999- April 2001, Lt. Gen. Alexander Ogomudia, April 2001- June 2003, Lt. Gen. Martin Luther Agwai June 2003- June 2006, Lt. Gen. Owoye Andrew Azazi, June 2006-May 2007, Lt. Gen. Luka Nyeh Yusuf, June 2007- August 2008, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau, August 2008- September 2010, Lt. General Onyeabo Azubuike Ihejirika, September 2010-2014 and now Lt. Gen. Kenneth Tobiah Jacob Minimah, January 2014 till date.
   The post of Chief of Defence of Staff is the highest Military officer in the Nigerian Armed Forces. The position was established for the first time under 1979 Nigerian Constitution with General Julius Alani Ipoola Akinrinade (75) as the first Chief of Defence Staff. Gen. Akinrinade a war hero, is from Yakoyo near Ile-Ife in Osun State.
  From 1999 till date we have had seven Chiefs of Defence Staff.  They are Admiral Ibrahim Ogohi 1999-2003, General Alexander Ogomudia 2003-2006, General Martin Luther Agwai January 2006-May 2007, General Andrew Owoeye Azazi, May 2007-August 2008, Air Marshall Paul Dike August 2008-September 2010, Air Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin September 2010-October 2012, Admiral Ola Ibrahim October 2012- January 16, 2014 and now Air Marshall Alex Sabundu Badeh January 16, 2014 to date.
  From 1999 to date, we have had six Chief Justices of the Federation. They are Muhammed Lawal Uwais 1999-2006, Salihu Modibo Alfa Belgore 2006-2007, Idris Legbo Kutigi 2007-2009, Aloysius Iyorgyer Katsina-Alu 2009-2011, Dahiru Musdapher 2011-2012, Aloma Mariam Muktar 2012 to date. All these appointments clearly define who really we are.
  These career appointments made in the last 15 years alone, have ceiling on the number of years one has to spend in the service before you retire or you are kicked out. In case of judiciary, seniority takes precedence.
  All the appointments were made by the President.
In some cases, he made the appointments, in consultations with the National Assembly or the National Council of States. He does not need consultation before appointing anyone as Group Managing Director of NNPC neither does he need to consult anyone before appointing anyone as Head of Service, once he is a Permanent Secretary.
  But there is nothing in the law or in the procedure of appointments, which says anyone less than two years left to serve, must be appointed head or anyone who is the most senior.
   And there is no law that says the President cannot appoint someone that has at least four to six years to serve before retirement, so that he or she could carry out the necessary reforms before he or she retires.  Changing service chiefs constantly, like we change police uniforms, is amazing.
    Why must a new President distrust serving Service chiefs to the extent that he has to appoint his own, bearing in mind that since 1999 till date, only one political party has been in power in the centre.
   We all know that in the military tradition once you appoint a junior officer as service chiefs all his seniors automatically retire. Let us imagine how many trained and experienced officers that have suddenly left the service in the last 15 years – their careers suddenly cut short and their families in total penury, in a country of their own which they once served proudly.
   Human nature being human, someone who has less than a year to spend in the office, however, competent or patriotic he or she could be, will be more concerned or worried about his retirement plans than bringing any tangible inputs into  the service, moreso  when pensioners in Nigeria are treated like endangered species – neglected and humiliated. A service is not a laboratory where you perform annual experiments with new reforms and with different headships.
   The problem is that we don’t allow the system to grow. And a system does not grow over night. It has to be systematic and gradual. If we don’t allow the system to grow, then we must expect all kinds of corruption, misconduct, irregularities within the system, hence the numerous gigantic and difficult problems that have now plagued us.
    I have limited myself to the civilian government and the appointments made from 1999 to date because a civilian government is supposed to get things right.
By limiting the tenure of a service chief or a chief executive to less than two years, we are promoting job insecurity. We are at the same time killing the service.
And of what use is a dead service to the growth of a nation.
• Teniola, a former Director at the Presidency, stays in Lagos.