Governor Okpebholo has directed Permanent Secretaries in Edo State to prioritise accountability and performance to ensure that government policies result in tangible benefits for residents. The Governor’s instruction comes as part of a push to reform the state’s administrative processes and improve service delivery across various ministries.
In a meeting with the top civil servants, Okpebholo urged the officials to resist corruption and eliminate the unnecessary bureaucracy that often hampers the implementation of state projects. He stated that the state’s administration must move away from inefficient processes toward more modern, effective methods of governance.
The directive, as detailed in Okpebholo charges Permanent Secretaries on accountability, performance, places the responsibility for effective governance squarely on the shoulders of the state’s highest-ranking career civil servants.
Strengthening the Edo State Civil Service
Permanent Secretaries serve as the accounting officers of their respective ministries, making them central to the management of state resources and the execution of the Governor’s mandate. By demanding higher standards of performance, Okpebholo is targeting the core of the state’s executive arm to ensure that budgetary allocations translate into infrastructure, healthcare, and education.
The Governor specifically called for the embrace of innovation within the civil service. This call is intended to encourage the adoption of digital tools and streamlined workflows to reduce the time taken to process government transactions and public requests. Reducing bureaucracy is a critical step in improving the ease of doing business within Edo State, which is essential for attracting private sector investment.
Corruption and administrative bottlenecks have long been cited as significant hurdles to development in many Nigerian states. By explicitly instructing officials to resist these pressures, the Governor is signaling a zero-tolerance approach to the mismanagement of public funds and the slowing of government programmes.
The emphasis on “measurable benefits” suggests that the administration may introduce more rigorous monitoring and evaluation frameworks. This would likely involve setting specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each ministry, ensuring that officials are held responsible for both their spending and their physical output on the ground.
The implementation of these reforms will require a shift in the traditional mindset of the civil service, moving from routine administrative tasks to a results-oriented culture. The administration is expected to follow up this directive with a review of existing departmental processes to identify where delays and leakages occur within the state’s ministries.
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