In celebration of the 2024 Public Service Day, former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has emphasised the importance of integrity and efficiency in Nigeria’s public service.
In a post on his official X account, @PeterObi said Nigeria needs to fight the challenges of corruption and inefficiency in public service to improve governance and service delivery.
He said: “Today, I like to join the global community in commemorating the United Nations Public Service Day which serves to celebrate the inestimable values of the public service to the nation.
“On this day, we recognise the priceless contributions of our public servants to the nation, while we are fashioning out ways to achieve a more effective and committed public service.
“In our dear nation, burdened by corruption, abuse of office, high cost of governance, inefficiency and other bottlenecks holding down our public service, we must rethink our public service delivery and make it more people-oriented while focusing on improving the quality of policy making and execution.
“With a ranking of 145th out of 180 countries measured by Transparency International on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), our dear nation still battles a high level of systemic corruption in governance.
“The MO Ibrahim Index of African Governance shows that Nigeria scores 47.7 out of 100.0 in overall governance, ranking 30th out of 54 in Africa.
“Those who hold public offices at all levels must understand that their actions and inactions have far-reaching impacts on governance, and thus, must put on the garments of integrity, hard work, productivity and efficiency in service delivery.
“May we therefore, on this day, rededicate ourselves to the three pillars of public service: Merit, Integrity, innovation and through our offices, contribute to the unity, peace, and progress of our nation. Together, we will build a New Nigeria for all.”
