By Angela Atabo

The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has inaugurated a Service Charter in its commitment to deliver quality and affordable housing to Nigerians.

The charter was inaugurated by Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa on Wednesday in Abuja.

Dangiwa said that it was a bold statement of the ministry’s collective commitment to excellence, transparency, responsiveness and accountability in the discharge of duties to Nigerians.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the document outlines the ministry’s vision, mission, and deliverables in providing quality and affordable housing, aligning with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government.

“As we all know, the civil service is the engine that drives the machinery of government headed by our Permanent Secretary.

“No matter how bold or visionary a government’s policies and programmes may be, their success or failure ultimately rests on the shoulders of the civil servants who are tasked with the implementation.

“When the civil service is competent, efficient and forward-thinking it becomes an invaluable asset, guiding political leaders and ensuring the continuity and success of government’s policies.

“A weak, unmotivated and inefficient civil service becomes a drag on progress, frustrating implementation and slowing down reforms and undermining the best intentions of the government,” he said.

Dangiwa said that the service charter outlined the standards of service that every department, unit and staff of the ministry should uphold.

According to him, it also gives citizens a clear picture of what they should expect from the ministry and how to hold it accountable to those expectations.

He urged members of staff to recommit themselves to giving their best in service and upholding the values of discipline, diligence and patriotism that define the Nigerian civil service.

The minister encouraged them to become enablers of change and not obstacles to progress.

“Let us embrace this charter, not just as a document, but as a culture.

“Let it guide our daily operations, shape our interactions with citizens and shareholders and inspire us to build a ministry that we can all be proud of,” he said

The minister said that the ministry would dedicate a special day during the SERVICOM week to recognise outstanding staff, customers, contractors, and consultants of the ministry.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Shuiab Belgore, said that the ministry was working to change the narrative of the housing sector.

Belgore said that to make this happen, the ministry innovated some reforms to drive internal productivity, and created a reward system for best staff of the month and the overall best for the year.

“That way, the members of staff will give their best in effective service delivery to the nation.

“I guarantee to Nigerians that the service we will provide will be exemplary,”he said

Also speaking, Mrs Nnenna Akajemeli, National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer, SERVICOM, presiding office, said that the inauguration of the service charter marked a significant step toward service improvement in the ministry.

Akajemeli said that its implementation would determine how well the ministry is positioned to really improve on the services provided to stakeholders.

She said that SERVICOM was an initiative of the Federal Government conceived to promote effective and efficient service delivery in the civil service.

“The concept was initiated by the government to ensure customer satisfaction and manage the performance and expectation gap between government and citizens.

“A service charter, therefore, is a document that describes the service experience that can be expected from the ministry to coordinate all matters concerning lands, housing and urban development,” she said.

Akajemeli,further described the service charter as an operational and performance enhancement tool that enshrined the trust between service providers and service takers containing realistic and measurable standards in specific key services of the ministry. (NAN)

Edited by Modupe Adeloye/Kadiri Abdulrahman