NASS ‘ll enact legislation backing BPSR’s reforms–Gbajabiamila

NASS ‘ll enact legislation backing BPSR’s reforms–Gbajabiamila

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has assured that the ninth National Assembly (NASS) will enact a legislation that will give constitutional and legal backings to critical reforms been initiated and championed by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR).

Hon. Gbajabiamila, gave the assurance while receiving a delegation of BPSR’s management staff led by the Director General (DG), Mr. Dasuki Ibrahim Arabi, at NASS Complex, on Wednesday.

The Speaker expressed delight that the streams of reforms articulately designed for various Federal Government’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) by the Bureau have helped to enhance the efficiency and quality of service delivery in the public service.

He however bemoaned the situation whereby most of the critical reforms lack constitutional backing and legislative approval to enforce their implementation by various MDAs.

Gbajabiamila, who noted that the Bureau has silently achieved tremendous successes in terms of formulating quality policy reforms that have helped to restructure the public service, described the government agency as the ‘unsung hero of Nigeria’s democracy’.

“The National Assembly is highly appreciative of the good work BPSR has been doing, especially in driving critical reforms for our public service. The awesome reforms of the Bureau in the areas of pension administration, taxation, electoral system, fiscal governance, e-governance and several others, have already started yielding bumper harvests,” he said.

The Speaker, who assured that the ‘Green Chamber’ will soon enact a legislation that will automatically make reforms formulated by the Bureau to henceforth become laws, called on BPSR’s management to work closely with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) so as to educate the public on the importance of their various reforms, programmes, activities and achievements.

While disclosing that the ninth House will soon launch its own legislative agenda and reforms, Hon. Gbajabiamila, stated that a ‘Transition Bill’ on how to conduct a smooth transfer of power between an outgoing and incoming administrations has been sponsored and already tabled on the floor of the House for passage.

He promised that the House, under his leadership, will not condone shunning of summons by some Heads of MDAs, saying: “We have evolved stringent punitive measures and would heavily sanction MDAs who disregard our summons or refuse to cooperate with our House Committees’ during oversight activities.”

Earlier in his address, BPSR’s Director General, disclosed that the Bureau has served as the engine of reforms in the public service since it was created in 2004, saying their mandate is not only to initiate, but to also monitor and report the implementation level of their various reforms by MDAs.

Mr. Arabi, while thanking the Speaker for receiving them, asserted that most of the reforms championed by the Bureau have helped in curbing corruption in the public service, while also enhancing service delivery to teeming Nigerians.

By PRNigeria