To unlock the full potential of Nigeria’s civil service, it is imperative that the government undertakes a comprehensive review of existing salary structures and associated benefits. This exercise should be aimed at harmonizing the deeply entrenched disparities across the public service, especially those between mainstream civil servants and employees in privileged government institutions, such as the National Assembly and select agencies like the NNPC, NPA, and CBN.
Currently, the disproportionate and inequitable pay system is undermining morale, weakening productivity, and fostering a sense of injustice within the civil service. Productivity, as universally acknowledged, is closely tied to employee motivation and satisfaction. No workforce can be expected to give its best under a system where pay and benefits are arbitrarily allocated, and where merit is often secondary to favouritism.
When I began my career in the civil service in the early 1980s as a fresh graduate, my modest salary of less than N300 per month was sufficient to meet my family’s basic needs. I was able to maintain my wife and two children comfortably, take them on holiday trips to places like Baga and Lake Chad, or visit Yankari Game Reserve for sightseeing and relaxation. I could even afford a ram during Eid celebrations without stress.
Fast forward to today, where even a salary of N300,000 cannot guarantee the same dignity or quality of life. A single ram now costs between N500,000 and N800,000—far beyond the reach of many civil servants. In fact, this year, a significant number of them could not afford to fulfill that important religious obligation.
It is unjust that professionals with identical qualifications—engineers, accountants, medical doctors, and lawyers—receive vastly different remunerations depending on where they serve. In some government agencies, they earn several times more than their counterparts in the core civil service. Yet, many of them face similar conditions, challenges, and responsibilities. This kind of disparity, without any objective justification, is detrimental to national morale and cohesion within the public sector.
In the past, the government encouraged civil servants by providing institutional support. Graduates could aspire to live in government quarters and be assigned official vehicles, which were symbols of authority and duty. Standards were high, and accountability was taken seriously. Living beyond one’s earnings was frowned upon and could attract disciplinary actions or social disapproval. The fear of God and the moral expectations of society served as strong deterrents against corruption, even before the existence of modern anti-graft agencies like ICPC and EFCC. Today, however, the situation is disheartening.
Public servants openly acquire luxury assets—mansions, plazas, hotels—without credible sources of income. Corruption has become normalised. Employment opportunities are auctioned to the highest bidder, and promotion exams are sometimes influenced by underhand dealings. This culture of impunity has eroded the foundations of accountability and ethical conduct in the service.
One of the most defining features of the Nigerian civil service in its earlier years was its strong culture of probity, accountability, and transparency. In comparison, today’s approach to public service delivery falls short on many fronts.
In those days, when officers were granted duty tour allowances (DTA) or traveling advances, every kobo spent had to be accounted for in detail. Upon completion of an official assignment, civil servants were required to retire the funds by submitting proper receipts and justifications for all expenditures. Any unspent balance was returned to the government treasury, and a receipt had to be obtained before another assignment or tour could be approved. This wasn’t merely an administrative formality; it was a binding ethical and procedural requirement.
Moreover, strict standards governed where officers could stay during official assignments. Lodging in substandard hotels was strongly discouraged—indeed, almost forbidden—because of the risks it posed to sensitive government documents and records. Security and confidentiality were paramount. Any officer found flouting this rule could be issued a formal query, not only for breaching protocol but also for putting official materials at risk of theft or damage.
These controls were not excessive; they were necessary. They were designed to instill discipline and safeguard the integrity of government operations. During the accounting process, submitted receipts were subject to rigorous audit reviews. Any inconsistencies or inflated claims would be flagged and investigated. There was little room for abuse or manipulation.
Today, however, these standards have deteriorated significantly. The culture of submitting detailed retirement of funds has become relaxed, and in many cases, is entirely ignored. Receipts are sometimes manufactured, inflated, or left unchecked. The discipline that once characterised public financial management has largely eroded.
This decline is not merely procedural—it strikes at the very heart of service ethics. If accountability is compromised, then efficiency, trust, and professionalism are inevitably lost.
To restore the credibility of the public service, a deliberate return to those foundational values of accountability and transparency is essential. Civil servants must once again be guided by the principle that public resources are a trust, not a privilege, and must be managed with the utmost responsibility.
Despite Nigeria’s current struggles—mass youth unemployment, endemic poverty, collapsing infrastructure, pervasive insecurity, and economic instability inherited from previous administrations—the civil service remains the most viable institution to drive recovery. As the engine room of government, it holds the key to formulating and implementing the policy solutions that the nation so urgently needs.
However, for the civil service to play this role effectively, it must be reformed, revitalised, and repositioned. A critical part of this reform is reducing the bloated cost of governance across MDAs, the legislature, and the executive. Streamlining these structures is essential for achieving efficiency, reducing waste, and promoting sustainable national development.
The Nigerian civil service must be restored to its rightful place as a respected, accountable, and productive institution. This cannot be achieved without addressing wage disparities, rooting out corruption, and instilling a renewed culture of service, ethics, and professionalism. Only then can we begin to rebuild a public sector capable of delivering true value to the Nigerian people.
Engineer Fatoma can be reached via [email protected]
