Mr Dasuki Arabi, the Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) has pledged government’s support to collaborate with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in enhancing accountability and transparency in government.
Arabi made the pledge when he received a delegation from Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) led by its Deputy Director, Mr Kolawole Oludare in Abuja.
He said that the BPSR had set a foundation for good working relationships between government, state actors, and non-state actors, unlike the belief that government did not open its doors to CSOs.
“Our mandate says we must provide information on government activities.
“ We must work with the civil society groups and ensure that they have been given that right place that they deserve to ensure compliance with rules, regulations and guidance.
“This is how we should manage the human resources we have and the financial resources that have been entrusted to us as government workers.
“ We have worked with several civil society groups on a number of initiatives, which were created in our attempts to improve transparency, stop corruption and make sure that there is no space for it to happen. “
Arabi assured SERAP of government’s support and commitment to tackle irregularities and further strengthen its Open Government Partnership(OGP) .
“We are assuring you that this relationship will lead to better things in the sight of the citizens of this country to enhance the quality of life. “
SERAP’s Deputy Director, Mr Kolawole Oludare said that the group was seeking partnership with BPSR to promote and build the culture of transparency and accountability in public service.
Oludare said that this stemmed from the background of the recent announcement of corruption in the service by the Auditor-General of the Federation.
“Our request is to ensure that members and officers of public institutions are aware of the roles they need to play to ensure that those things have been reported by the auditor-general should not be that way.
“It is called corrective or preventive measures; the figures that the auditor general throws out every year that could not be accounted for.
“ So we are here to engage to this very important institution who has that oversight over all officers of public institutions in Nigeria. “
Oludare said that SERAP was not just critical as people think but it also proffered solutions to ensure that Nigeria was better for everyone.
He said that as part of that advocacy for transparency and accountability, SERAP was seeking partnership with BPSR to ensure that public officers understood the statutory law to drive the transparency and accountability.(NAN)
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