he Ag. Director General Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Mr D.I Arabi presented the report of the Rapid Institutional Assessment studies recently carried out by the Bureau on the National Human Rights Commission to the Executive Secretary of the Commission Mr Tony Ojukwu.
While making the presentation the Ag.DG said that the objective of the Study is to identify the various challenges that have hindered the effectiveness of the Commission, and to proffer practical recommendations to the problems, and ultimately strengthen the Commission to effectively execute its constitutional and statutory mandate.
He also disclosed that the Bureau undertook the assignment from October, 2017 to February, 2018 at the NHRC Headquarters, Abuja and in three other zonal offices of the Commission located in Lagos, Enugu and Borno States.
The Ag.DG added that the assessments were independently conducted by different BPSR assessment teams and each team generated an independent assessment report and the four reports were synthesized and consolidated in a book form.
Arabi opined that Institutional Assessment Studies are central to democracy as well as any government which is genuinely desirous of success.
He further revealed that some of the major findings made during the assessment are cases of shortage of Offices in some States of the Federation and non-inclusiveness of most officers in some vital official assignments.
The Ag.DG in addition stated that about three key BPSR staff and Partners of the Bureau will work with the Commission on the recommendations made from the findings after which the final memo will be drawn from it and presented to Federal Executive Council.
He said that if the recommendations are faithfully implemented, it will contribute to making NHRC more effective and efficient. “In addition to putting in place appropriate systems, it would also strengthen basic management capacity within NHRC” he said.
Arabi also reiterated the need for government institutions to embrace digitalization, and reassured on the merits of the recent Score Card ranking for government websites which he said is aimed at facilitating better service delivery.
The Ag. DG applauded the doggedness of the Commission amidst insecurity and violations of human rights all over the Nation. He further expressed his delight on the recent appointment of Tony Ojukwu as the Executive Secretary of the Commission.
In his response, Ojukwu thanked the Ag. DG and said that he knew the Bureau would perform well on the assessment due to its antecedence. He also disclosed that he is always open to any opportunity that could bring reform and changes that would improve the organization.
He however, expressed his regrets that government has not really provided an enabling environment for some of its Institutions to thrive, saying that offices are not enough, and vehicles for easy movements are also not available.
He reiterated that the Commission is facing enormous challenges, and needs to establish physical presence in all the States of the nation in order to function effectively. He also disclosed that he sees BPSR as a strategic partner and will appreciate more support from the Bureau.