Dr. Joe Abah: The Public Service In A Time Of Recession

Blecyn
Blecyn
Jul 10, 2017 · 5 min read

The Director General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Dr. Joe Abah was a guest on HotTalkWithBlecyn tweetchat on Thursday June 29th. For those who doesn’t follow up the chat session on twitter, here is a good way to catch up my interview with him on the topic; The Public Service In A Time of Recession…

Continue below to read up the full conversation with him.

Blecyn George Monsi: A long pending desire has been fulfilled today with the presence of @DrJoeAbah on #HotTalkWithBlecyn I welcome you, Sir.

Dr. Joe Abah: Thank you. #HotTalkWithBlecyn

BGM: At the end of this conversation, what would you love for the audience to hold dear in regards to our topic?

Dr. Joe: I would hope for a better understanding of the role of the public service in growing or salvaging the economy. #HotTalkWithBlecyn

Blecyn George Monsi: Please briefly explain to the audience what exactly the Bureau of Public Service Reforms in Nigeria is about

Dr. Joe: The job of The Public Service Reforms @bpsr_ng is simply to try to ensure that government does its job better.

Blecyn George Monsi: During recession, are public sector jobs loss a recession proof? @DrJoeAbah

Dr. Joe Abah: No it’s not. However, public sector has an important role to play in digging the country out of recession.

During a recession, it would be prudent to look again at the size of the wage bill, while balancing it with increased unemployment.

BGM: So far, to what measure would you say BPSR has helped the government & in what sectors are the impact most visible?

Dr. Joe: We have computerised the payroll, saving govt N200 billion and exposing more than 65,000 ghost workers. #HotTalkWithBlecyn

We have made it easier to obtain drivers licenses. We have improved the functioning of various agencies.

We are leading by example. 1st electronic FOI portal. I’m the 1st Govt appointee to publicly declare his assets

We’re the ONLY govt agency that practices proactive disclosure. Most transparent agency in terms of procure.

Dr. Joe: We have made it easier to obtain drivers licenses. We have improved the functioning of various agencies

BGM: What are the factors that leads to job loss and job security during a time of recession in the public sector? @DrJoeAbah

Dr. Joe: I’ll start with job security. The more wealth the public sector can grow, the more secure their jobs are.

One of the ways to grow wealth is for the public sector to facilitate the ease of doing business. Remove bottlenecks.

Jobs are always at risk when there’s a recession. Those that are not seen as absolutely essential are at the most risk.

BGM: What impact does recession have on public hospitals and what role does the public service play at such time? @DrJoeAbah #HotTalkWithBlecyn

Dr. Joe: In a recession, there is less money to pay for private healthcare. This means more people rely on public healthcare.

BGM: To what percentage or measure has the new reforms helped ease the process of seeing doctors in govt hospitals? @DrJoeAbah

Dr. Joe: We are starting this work on Monday 3rd July.

BGM: What impact does recession have on Federal/State Universities & what role does the public service play? @DrJoeAbah

Dr. Joe: It reduces the funds that can be appropriated and released to them.

BGM: In a time of recession, does financial crisis affect the public service & her approach to achieving set goals @DrJoeAbah

Dr. Joe: Of course it does. It shifts the focus from being simply a cost centre to bring an engine and facilitator of growth.

BGM: If yes to the above, how has the BPSR been able to achieve the new reforms without diverging from its goal @DrJoeAbah

Dr. Joe: By focusing on its core mandate: making Government work better.

BGM: @DrJoeAbah I’m so grateful for your generosity this evening, thank you Sir for chatting & sharing your insight on our topic.

Dr. Joe: It’s been my pleasure. Sorry I couldn’t spare more time. I’m in an event with the Acting President.

Below are some of the unanswered questions, if you ever run into Dr. Joe someday, you could quickly ask him the below questions (smiles).

Question: Apart from online quiz or questionnaires, do you @DrJoeAbah visit the state public service branches for monitoring #HotTalkWithBlecyn

Question: Was there a negative or positive shift in the number. of Nigerians sorting after International Passport during the recession @DrJoeAbah #HotTalkWithBlecyn

See screenshots of the over conversation in the attached photos.

Dr. Joe Abah On HotTalkWithBlecyn

Blecyn

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Blecyn

Tech Enthusiast | Screenwriter | Millennial Marketer | Host of a weekly Topical tweetchat #HotTalkWithBlecyn @HotTalkWithB | IG👉Ff @Blecyn1| ❤Travel & Cooking

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