President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

Muhammad Bello 
Barring speculations over the purpose and directions the Performance Contracting System (PCS) proposed by the federal government will be like, it is now clear that it will focus on people-oriented representation in all levels of government in the country.
A relatively new concept, the PCS is aimed at upgrading contract performance by improving quality and accelerated delivery of services to the citizenry through enhanced productivity, accountability and effective service delivery.

This is to engender accountability, productivity, transparency and focused adherence to service delivery to all manner of people in the country.

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, who presided over the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, stated this Wednesday at the performance contract signing ceremony between him and the members of his cabinet, shortly before he departed the country for a one day visit to Senegal.

According to him, the exercise will affect every office holder, from himself to the all senior civil servants, advisers and other ancillary staff attached to these office holders.

While noting that his administration has no intention of witch-hunting anyone for any reason, President Jonathan said all the side-talks about the exercise has no basis, as government’s intention is to upgrade the quality and quantity of service that Nigerians get from the entire government machinery.

The president indicated that those that will be responsible for the execution of the Key Performance Indicators will be Ministers, their Permanent Secretary and other Directors in the respective ministries and parastatals.

They are expected to identify the key benefits to be delivered to the citizens, the results of such benefits and the physical projects that will be put in place to make the realisation of the goals possible.

He explained that several teams from disparate   Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) will give impetus to the formulation of the KPIs and the various targets for 2012 and beyond.

The MDAs, under the general arrangement will develop detailed and documented strategies and operational plans to guide the implementation of the KPIs in the next three years.

They will also facilitate Monitoring and Evaluation units “to support the implementation of the plans and tracking and reporting performance on the agreed indicators.”

This, he added, has increased the knowledge of the Ministers to the process of forming the KPIs, a development he said will make the ministers have  “clear understanding of the mandate of their respective Ministries, strategic and operational planning and the need to focus on results delivery, rather than on inputs, activities and processes, for development to be of relevance and benefit to the citizens.”

While stressing the need for the relevance of monitoring and evaluation of performance, President Jonathan urged all the signatories to the PCS, including himself to work collectively to “deliver on our mandate to Nigerian citizens.”

His words: “Already, we have spelt out the goals in the Government’s Transformation Agenda to which every Minister was given an opportunity to contribute.”

“The citizenry expects Government to be more proactive and effective in its actions. Nigerians expect to be provided with the basic necessities of life to function more effectively in a competitive environment,” the president reminded.

He also stated: “The majority voted for us because they believe this Administration will ensure an improved standard of living. Since our assumption of office last year we have strived to ensure improved quality service delivery in all the key areas identified for putting our nation on a solid path of development.”

Reiterating that he expects the system to be replicated  everywhere in the system, he expressed appreciation that Ministers were signing “similar agreements with their Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Agencies and Parastatals.”

“I am pleased to know that discussions have been initiated between the Honourable Minister of National Planning and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to work out the modalities for translating the process into the individual staff performance evaluation process,” he reflected.

He also said that he expects that “the process will serve as an instrument towards the realisation of the objectives of Government as enumerated in the Vision 20:2020 document as well as our Administration’s Transformation Agenda.”

The purpose of this, he pointed out will be to improve physical infrastructure, human capital, the real sector and good governance for Nigerians by the year 2015.

“It is my earnest expectation that this process will provide the missing link between planning and budgetary allocation to MDAs by providing a basis for performance - based budgeting, that will tie their allocation to their capacity to deliver on the agreed mandate based on clear, concrete and objective results for the citizens of Nigeria.  It will also strongly support evidence-based decision making, by policy makers and implementers.”

He explained that “at the heart of our objective is the Nigerian citizen with whom we have a pact. Let me therefore reiterate this Administration’s commitment to delivering on those promises of a better present and a greater future.”

“We have set for ourselves a tough task and there is no going back. Nigerians expect a better deal from Government and that is what they shall get, under my watch. And that is what each and every one of you must see as your primary goal.”