The Director-General, Bu
reau of Public Service Reforms, Dr Joe Abah, has urged staff of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to  adhere strictly to public service rules and procedures in the discharge of their duties.
Abah said this in a paper titled, “Reforming the Nigerian Public Sector: Focus on NDDC’’, he presented at the ongoing one-week NDDC board and management retreat.
He said at the retreat with the theme, “Refocusing the NDDC For Better Service Delivery” that virtually everything that could be wrong with an organisation was wrong with NDDC.
The director-general, however, noted that the commission had a large number of competent personnel, constrained by poor leadership, weak systems and an organisational culture of impunity.
“A critical look at NDDC’s operating model reveals a misalignment between the purpose and structure as the mandates of a number of directorates are not clear.
“Developing clear and unambiguous mandates for each directorate is critical to aligning the organisational structure with the corporate objectives successfully, and developing an effective performance management framework,” he said.
Abah said that the NDDC boards had traditionally operated outside the usual norms and practices for similar boards in the public sector for no defensible developmental reasons.
He said that the advisory committee did not fulfil its functions under the Act, adding that the recommendations of the Presidential Monitoring Committee on NDDC were ignored.
Abah, therefore, urged the NDDC board and its management to implement a revised organisational structure for the commission and to implement all appropriate recommendations on this and previous reviews.
“Also ensure that the state offices have appropriate authority and accountability for project supervision and payment up to an agreed threshold,” he said.
The director general suggested that management committee made up of the Managing Director, Executive Directors, Directors of Directorates and directors in the state should meet at least fortnightly.
He said that the commission should adhere strictly to Public Service rules, Financial Regulation, the Procurement Act and other extant rules and procedures in the conduct of government businesses.