The federal government is set to initiate the planned worker’s productivity audit, commencing from the Ministry of Interior. Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo revealed this during the fifth National Productivity Summit held in Abuja on Tuesday.
Highlighting the imperative to address the country’s low productivity levels, particularly within the civil service, the Minister emphasized the government’s commitment to formulating an innovative wage system based on employee productivity.
Addressing Dr. Nasir Raji-Mustapha, Director-General of the National Productivity Centre, Tunji-Ojo charged him to promptly deploy his team to conduct productivity audits and gap analyses for workers under his jurisdiction.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the Centre’s performance, the Minister criticized its alleged failure to fulfill its mandate and constitutional responsibilities, suggesting it had yet to reach even 10 percent of its potential in enhancing business operations and workforce productivity.
Tunji-Ojo underscored the role of technology in enhancing productivity, citing the Ministry’s successful clearance of a backlog of 204,000 international passports through automated processes implemented since his assumption of office in 2023.
He explained, “We brought in what I call the hybrid approach. What is the hybrid approach? For you to be efficient, for you to be productive, you have to use a combination of technology and human factors.”
He observed that developing the human factor and neglecting technology would keep one moving around the vicious circle, saying that bringing in technology without a motivated workforce, technology will not work.
According to him, motivating the workforce and bringing in innovation and technology needed to automate the process will give a higher yield and a higher return on investment.
