A Lifetime of Meritorious Service

Henry Akubuiro

Many in his shoes would like to vegetate in a cozy ambience after retiring at the highest level as a permanent secretary in the Presidency. Not Bukar Usman. Since 1999 when he retired from the public service, Usman has continued to serve the nation, noticeably, on three critical panels of enquiry, and presenting a number of lectures and keynote addresses to federal agencies and tertiary institutions within and outside the country.

These and other papers have found themselves in a new book, My Public Service Journey: Issues in Public Policy Administration in Nigeria. This tome is a chronicle of the author’s decades of service to his fatherland, nay an appraisal of Nigeria’s public policy administration in practice and, above all, a primer on the evolution of the public service in our clime. It, in addition, puts us in the know on the fluctuating trajectory of governance in the country since independence.

A book in two parts, with Foreword written by Chief Philip Asiodu, former Federal Permanent Secretary/Secretary (Minister) for Petroleum and Mineral Resources, it revisits a public service steered by masters from its foundation, juxtaposing it with one with some anomalies.

Usman’s acquaintance with public administration was at his birth place, Biu, in present-day Borno State, as he recalled the District Officer, the Emir and the Chief Warder as the foremost symbols of public administration in the Biu Emirate then.

Sequel to his appointment as Director-General in 1988 and later Permanent Secretary, Usman details, in this book, how he embarked on a public policy advocacy with interest groups in the country to promote general peace.

“The interaction was quite a mutually rewarding experience in societal ‘crisis management’ and the promotion of harmonious relationships in such a complex environment as ours,” he writes (p.74).

Usman doesn’t leave us in doubt as a stickler for ethics in public service. Therefore, whenever he saw the opposite in his active days, he would flinch. This finds expression in the sixth chapter of Part 1 of this book where he wrote two memos to Ambassador Babagana Kingibe on public service in 2007, following the latter’s appointment as the Secretary to the Federal Government.

He, among others, in the first memo, criticised the unguarded utterances among government functionaries, their breach of protocol at public functions, the need to work out presidential engagements in advance, getting the electoral system right, efficient management of Nigeria’s oil business, while emphasising on rule of law and tackling labour issues promptly.

His second letter to Ambassador Kingibe on public service advances for expeditious disposal of some criminal cases that have assumed political dimension, including those of General Ishaya Bamayi, Maj. Hamza Mustapha, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, Alhaji Mujaheed Asari Dokubo and DSP Alameiyeseigha.

Writing on “50 Years of Nigeria’s Public Service”, the author examines how the service has fared in post-independent Nigeria, Usman hints on how he entered the Federal Civil Service as a Third Class Clerk (now known as Clerical Officer) on December 17, 1965, and grew through the ranks.

He recalls: “My posting to the Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Mines and Power between 1969 and 1972, and then to the Cabinet Office, afforded me the rare opportunity to observe and experience the service intensely and widely” (p. 92). Reading this chapter, one follows the evolution of Nigeria’s public service, from the era few expatriates were manning some essential positions to a period Nigerians were in total control of the wheel of the service.

Part B of My Public Service Journey: Issues in Public Policy Administration in Nigeria contains articles, interviews and the author’s closing thoughts. Some of these articles include those on local and international issues. Usman, in this section, goes beyond merely running his articles and interviews; he offers the readers tips on writing an article and another recipe for the public policy interviewee.

Through Usman’s articles on local issues, we learn how President Umaru Musa Yar’adua ended armed agitation in the Niger Delta via his Amnesty Initiative; the author’s perspective on Nigerian political economy; secrecy in government’s media relations; combating corruption in Nigeria; the traps in Sovereign Wealth Fund; the case for state police, etcetera.

He also examines “The New Scramble for Africa” in one of the articles on international issues, which he says has been a continuous project since the era of the slave trade. The author’s trips to Niger Republic, South Africa and Burkina Faso are chronicled to offer us fresh insights on these African countries.

In the interview section, conducted by different journalists with the author during his heydays in public service, we get to learn, from the voice of the master, how reforms precipitate periods of instability in civil service; how changes herald instability; how conflicts in civil service are resolved through information management, and what not.

In 2008, Usman established the Dr. Bukar Usman Foundation as a charity to assist the needy financially and in kind, in all manner of circumstances. The author admits on page 303: “So far, so good. The aims are modestly being realised, within available resources, and the Foundation is making the desired positive impact.”

There are as many photos as many historical facts in this book. My Public Service Journey… is not all about Usman; it is about Nigeria, its public administration through the years and, above all, a gift to posterity from a seasoned technocrat yet to “retire” from serving Nigeria.

This review of Bukar Usman’s book: My Public Service Journey: Issues in Public Policy Administration in Nigeria by Henry Akubuiro was published in the Sun of December 20, 2019, Page 29 and online at https://www.sunnewsonline.com/a-lifetime-of-meritorious-service/

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Bukar Usman and salient issues in Nigeria’s public policy administration

Bayo Ogunmupe

A voluminous book of 458 pages, Dr. Bukar Usman’s My Public Service Journey: Issues in Public Policy Administration in Nigeria (Klamidas Communications Ltd, Abuja; 2019) is an expository memoir on the Nigerian public service. The book is the perspective of a civil servant who rose through the ranks, climbing to the pinnacle of a career in the public service of Nigeria. He was permanent secretary for 11 years in a career spanning 34 years. Usman, the author, retired in 1999 and since then he has been globetrotting, thrust into the forefront of public discourse through his numerous books and monographs. Usman’s creative endeavors include short stories, folktales, an autobiography; his many books in Hausa and his interventions on leadership, security, and national development issues.

The book is in two parts, with three sections in each part. This volume is Usman’s counterpoise to his earlier work My Literary Journey. My Public Service Journey is the judgment of an insider rather than one peeping into the public service of the federation from outside, though now in retirement. Though guarded, there is no mistaking the author’s desire to bequeath to history the service operated by a retinue of conscientious servants of the people. In his five-page foreword to the memoir, the former super Permanent Secretary and Minister of Petroleum Resources, Chief Philip Asiodu, called the book a primer for the study of the Nigerian Public Service and the state of the public service today.

Usman starts each chapter by defining the concepts and issues to be discussed. This gives the reader the necessary background and the gist of his message, enabling the reader to “appreciate the issues and the era being discussed.” This book has to be autobiographical because Usman became enamoured with the public service from childhood. Work in the private sector never appealed to him. In section one, the author identified four categories of public policy: Substantive Public Policy, Regulatory Public Policy, Distributive Public Policy, and Capitalisation Public Policy. There is a basic assumption in his definition of public policy.

Accordingly, Usman’s definition of public policy states: “The prime goal of all policy instruments is to solve problems efficiently, effectively and in fairness to all.” This was true of the service inherited from colonial rule and the immediate post-Independence Nigeria. This was the service of the prime minister, the regional premiers, the other leaders of the First Republic and which prevailed beyond the Civil War of 1967-70. However, that old type civil service had to be adapted to the needs of U.S.-type presidential system, which Nigeria adopted with the 1979 Constitution. My Public Service Journey contains the essential characteristics of the legacy of the British Civil Service document signed by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Malam Aminu Kano. and Professor Eyo Ita at the 1954 Constitutional Conference.

That document required non-partisan, non-political officials who are never removed after change of government. The service was one that was objective, merit-driven, professional and permanent as it was under British parliamentary system. The new system after the adoption of the American-style presidential system has only 12 departments. Over there, those who depart with their appointees are the secretaries of state, deputy secretaries and assistant secretaries. In the parliamentary system, ministers, ministers of state, parliamentary secretaries and parliamentary under-secretaries alone depart after a change of government. But these days, presidential advisers, ministers, think-tanks are appointed from outside the civil service.

In his memorandum to President Umaru Yar’Adua’s Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Babagana Kingibe, now a member of President Buhari’s think-tank, the author deals with problems which are still current. Among these problems are the degraded state of the civil service as regards competence, training, honesty, integrity, insecurity, corruption, law and order and conflict of interest. At section III, Usman’s lectures on ethics and accountability heralded his thoughts on accountability between politicians, the public service and the general public. He describes corruption as embracing a wide range of deviations from correct conduct.

Usman decries nepotism, bribery, looting of pubic funds, contract fixing, conflict of interest, police brutality, manipulation of electoral process and various due process violations. He says the main problem in Nigeria is the weak enforcement of anti-corruption law. In part B comprising sections 1V, V and VI, Usman deals with many issues of great concern to the public. Among his recommendations is the need for local government police as it was in the First Republic. He discusses the demand for the creation of more states, the restructuring of the country and the people’s desire to acquire greater share of oil revenue, which some call resource control. He opposes the creation of more states because the majority of the existing states are unviable.

In a speech before the 2011 elections, the author demanded free and fair elections which he considered very important. He said: “It is an understatement to say that although Nigerians yearn for democracy, we have not been fortunate to have a settled political structure in the last 50 years which Nigerians and well wishers will be proud of. Instead, we continue to tinker with the Constitution while electoral transparency eludes Nigeria.” Though the country has survived the elections of 2011, 2015 and 2019, the author argues, the country still has a long way to go to ensure “free, fair and universally accepted election results.” But Dr. Usman insists that there is still need for political campaigns to be issue-oriented, campaigns proffering ideas on the Nigeria’s dreams and the future greatness of Nigeria.

Usman believes there is need to get to the situation observed by the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mr. Justice Alfa Belgore, when he said at a summit meeting at Asaba, Delta State, in 2010 which he refers: “The electoral system had failed, due to the lack of fundamental acceptance of the rules of electoral process by all stakeholders, including the citizens, the candidates and the umpires,” hoping that a day would arrive when such a situation will no longer apply.

For his ‘Closing Thoughts,’ Usman looks back on 57 years since independence in 1960, assessing Nigeria’s place among the comity of nations. In his assessment, he rates Nigeria low, having been outpaced by nations like Malaysia, Brazil and India.

He assesses Nigeria’s living standards, arriving at the damning and true verdict that the country’s scorecard is not impressive. He stresses two issues: Nigeria’s inability to conduct free, fair and credible elections and the grossly inadequate power supply. That assessment is as valid today more than ever before, especially with no available power in sight in the foreseeable future. Usman opines that it is critically necessary to give the two issues top priority. And the response of Buhari’s Attorney-General, Abubakar Malami, to the vexed gubernatorial election in Kogi State, where the women leader of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state was burned to death means Usman might be getting a hearing. In the said Kogi election, Malami disagreed with the Inspector-General of Police on the ignoble role of the police in the election.

Of great interest are two books given to Usman in October 2011. The first, Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles by a journalist, Richard Dowden and the second Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by a spy and former operative of the U.S. National Security Agency, John Perkins. Dowden’s book has a section on Nigeria where he highlights issues dealing with tourism, corruption and elections. From Perkins’ book, Usman got the disturbing role of economic hit men who apply devious economic methods as directed by the U.S. Government to ensnare or overthrow nationalist presidents, thereby causing regime changes in target countries of particular interest to the United States.

The countries targeted include Iran, Indonesia, Guatemala, Panama, Colombia, Iraq, Venezuela and Libya. The Halliburton Bribery Scandal was the means through which Angola and Nigeria were targeted at that time. And that scandal and the Malabu Oil deal are still hanging afire on the necks of the administrations of Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar Adua, and Goodluck Jonathan. The books are lucid and thought-provoking portraits of corruption in high places for the author to digest. They constituted part of the public service experience of the author that enables him to bring forth issues concerning progress and development in Nigeria in this invaluable book.

Usman was born in Biu in State of Borno, Northeastern Nigeria in 1942. After his primary school in Biu, he proceeded to the state capital of Maiduguri for his secondary education. He did his Higher School Certificate at King’s College, Lagos. Thereafter, he obtained a degree in Public Administration at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Then, he joined the federal civil service as a clerical officer, rising to become a super permanent secretary. This paperback volume has 32 pages of pictures, showcasing the author as the recipient of many awards: doctorate degrees and national honours. His round-the-world cruises on the ship ‘Queen Elizabeth,’ where he visited the Moorish Minaret, Cadiz, Spain are shown. The book has 14 appendices and 21 pages of index to make it easy reading for students, politicians, and civil servants alike.

(Courtesy: The Guardian, December 25, 2019)

Towards Enduring Nigerian Public Service

By Yemi Adebisi

My Public Service Journey: Issues in Public Policy Administration in Nigeria is an autobiography by Dr. Bukar Usman, who started his career in 1965 as a Clerical Officer in the Nigerian public service and rose through the ranks to the pinnacle of the service retiring as a Permanent Secretary in the Presidency in 1999.

The book is similar to his earlier work, My Literary Journey which in itself is a continuation of his autobiography, Hatching Hopes. In effect, the book is a study in Nigerian Public Policy Administration; it is a synthesis of his ideas, administrative issues and practices spanning over 34 years of meritorious service in the public service of Nigeria with a view to contributing to the advancement of knowledge and practice to uplift the service and restore it to an enviable standard that it used to be.

As the author himself puts it, “‘Public policy and public service are wide subject matters. I have, however, focused more on my practical experience in over three decades as a civil servant, and my views on the realities of life after my retirement from the federal civil service.

“I have in a modest way encouraged my fellow civil servants to attempt to write down their experiences for the guidance of others, bearing in mind that the practice differs in many respects from the principles. It is only by setting personal experiences would others benefit or emulate the good deeds of their predecessors and avoid the pitfalls that could hamper excellence in performance. Indeed, one cannot underrate the benefit of such literature since official documents on administrative practices are limited in circulation and scope.”

One unique feature of this book is the definition of terms and contexts of issues at the beginning of each chapter to aid understanding by the average reader.

The book is divided into Parts A and B. While Part A deals with Expositions on Public Service Administration, Part B is flooded with articles, interviews and closing thoughts.

Under Part A, he organises the issues in three sections of nine chapters with such topics as Understanding Public Policy Administration. He identifies five types of public policy – Substantive, Regulatory, Distributive and Capitalisation Public Policy. He states that public policy is generally associated with government or its agencies and formulated by government officials as a lawful guide to their responses to identified public problems whether real or potential problems. The Executive, Legislature and the judicial arms of government can initiate or formulate policies through laid down processes in a constitution or other laws. Although most policies as permitted by constitution and extant laws are formulated by the executive, the legislature continually initiates new laws and makes necessary regulations. The judiciary too guides the polity by adjudicating on the letter and spirit of the law. He, however, adds that policy idea could be initiated by an officer at any level.

Dr. Usman notes that public policies exist to solve public problems which could be socio-economic or political in nature. He says that a public policy is required to set standards of behaviour and promote peaceful coexistence; serve the cause of justice; control development initiatives to safeguard public order and the common good; establish necessary rules in the conduct of public business, manage the issuance of required permissions.

Others are to regulate budgetary spending; strengthen government and social institutions; compel transparency and accountability, enhance popular participation in the democratic process and promote the creation of conducive environment for responsible and responsive exercise of civil liberties. He explains that public policy is generally associated with policy formulated by government. He observes that operational rules, no matter how stringent, will largely be breached unless the public is retitudinous in character and action.

Dr. Usman examines Public Policy Formulation in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects under which he looks at Executive-Legislative Relations: Gaps, Challenges and Prospects. Here he focuses on public policy formulation in Nigeria with primary focus on constitution making as the major framework for public policy formulation for the country. He says though eight constitutions have been fashioned for the country since inception, efforts are still ongoing to fashion a more lasting one which is indicative of the enormity of public policy formulation in a country of great diversity as Nigeria.

He notes that except for the creation of the Midwest Region in 1963, civilian governments were not able to create more states or local governments in Nigeria under operative constitutions, adding that constitution making or reviews under civilian administrations are acrimonious and dissipate a lot of energy and resources. He says that ensuring the widest consultation, though important, appears not to guarantee the success of the major policy initiatives, as evidenced by the 1979 Constitution, the abandonment of Vision 20:2020 and the report of the 2014 Constructional Conference organised by the Goodluck Jonathan civilian government.

Dr. Usman notes that executive legislative processes under civilian democratic systems of checks and balances among the principal organs of government have their inherent delays which affect the enactment of such important bills as the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which has been in the National Assembly (NASS) for many years. Much as the formulation of good policies and rules of conduct is important, he says it must be implemented by good leadership at all levels to be able to meet societal aspirations on a progressive and sustainable basis.

In Section II, he treats ‘Topics in Public Policy Administration.’

On the 50 years of Nigeria’s Public Service in Nigeria, Dr. Usman writes about documents that guide the service such as the General Orders (GO) which contains guidance on matters of appointment, promotion and discipline. It specifies infractions which may lead to suspension, interdiction, dismissal or mere warning, verbal or written.

Financial Instructions (FI) guides the officer on how to use public funds prudently; contains salary scales and annual increments and other perks including travel allowances and vehicle advance.

“All these documents were updated from time to time and supplemented by circulars to take care of new policies. Outside that an officer is left to his professional ethics, religious precepts and conscience… I had long concluded that any officer who abided by the rules as set out is guaranteed the much desired security of tenure in the public service and could hold his head high at the end of it all.” (91)

Dr. Usman wishes that some political office holders undergo similar tutelage in their calling, noting that some were hoisted raw on the public service and had been somewhat difficult to relate, observing that those who had had previous public service experience tended to appreciate better the public service culture which in turn promotes cordiality and minimise propensity to engage in abuse of office and arbitrariness.

He writes that since the financial control in the civil service was taken away apparently with financial discipline, a return of that control is highly desirable and it behoves the political leadership to be on the vanguard of that role model. The financial leakage in the cabal organisations especially needs to be more seriously addressed by infusion of higher degree of financial transparency, accountability, and ensuring equitable and defensible financial reward system at all levels.

He however observes that the public service in Nigeria cannot stabilise unless the political system itself is firmly entrenched and stabilised.

Lectures in ethics, accountability and the public service are treated in Section III. He concludes this section by saying that there is a lot the officer could do with or without optimal resources, to put up a proper conduct in discharging his or her functions. He recommends that government and civil society organisations have significant roles in stabilizing the polity towards the sustenance of a good national image.

The book could not have come at a better time than now when the public service has turned into something else – what one writer describes as “Come And Eat” Public Service.

The book is recommended to every public servant who aims at making it to the top to tap from the wealth of experience from one who has seen it all in the Nigerian Public Service.

It is also a must-read for government policy formulators, teachers, students and researchers who are interested to turning around the poor state of affairs in the nation’s public service and general readers for it is written in the author’s usual lucid style.

Dr. Usman is an accomplished and prolific writer with many books of international standard to his credit.

(Courtesy: The Independent, December 7, 2019)