Reforms must outlive political tenures to deliver lasting impact – Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation

Résumé détaillé

Public sector reforms must be sustained beyond the tenure of individual political officeholders to deliver lasting impact, the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation has said, emphasising the…

Public sector reforms must be sustained beyond the tenure of individual political officeholders to deliver lasting impact, the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation has said, emphasising the need for continuity across successive administrations.

The foundation said real transformation takes between 10 and 20 years, making it essential for governments to build on existing reforms rather than abandon them when political leadership changes.

Chioma Njoku , head of programmes at the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation speaking at a press briefing on Thursday in Abuja, ahead of the launch of the foundation’s Public Sector Reform Playbook said Nigeria did not lack reform ideas, noting that ministries, departments and agencies already had strategies, frameworks and committee reports, but had struggled to translate them into lasting improvements in public service delivery.

“Real transformation takes 10 to 20 years. And that is longer than anybody’s election cycle. And that is why the work has to be handed on carefully from one president to another, from one set of reformers to the next,” she said.

According to her, several government reforms have started successfully but failed to endure because of weak institutional continuity and the influence of informal political networks.

She cited the Oronsaye Report, submitted in 2012, which recommended reducing the number of government agencies and eliminating duplication, but whose implementation was not approved by the Federal Executive Council until 2024.

Njoku said the foundation’s independent review of public sector reforms, commissioned in 2023 and completed in 2024, where citizens identified political patronage, corruption and weak public participation as major obstacles to sustainable reforms.

“Nigeria does not have reform ideas, as we well know. The public service has repeatedly promised reform, and unfortunately repeatedly struggled to deliver it in a way that lasts. They aren’t about missing technical knowledge.

She said 89 percent of citizens and…

Début de l'article, extrait de BusinessDay. Pour lire la suite, ouvrez l'article chez le média.