The Executive Secretary of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria, ARCN, Dr. Abubakar Dabban Adamu, has issued a strong call for consistent and sufficient funding to empower SERVICOM and enhance its service delivery mandate across public institutions.
Funding Shortfall Hinders Critical SERVICOM Meetings
This urgent demand was made during an advocacy visit by SERVICOM officials to the ARCN headquarters in Abuja. According to a press release signed by Khadijat Ameen, Head of Public Relations at ARCN, Dr. Dabban described the meeting as timely, revealing that SERVICOM's activities had been stalled due to financial constraints.
Dr. Dabban emphasized that SERVICOM is pivotal to achieving 100% service delivery in all sectors. He stated that unlocking the agency's full potential is directly tied to securing adequate resources. "We are coming out to demand adequate and constant funding to enable us to do what we couldn't do before," he declared.
Strengthening Collaboration for Agricultural Reforms
The ARCN boss reaffirmed the Council's dedication to fostering a deeper partnership with SERVICOM to improve service delivery within Nigeria's agricultural research framework. He acknowledged SERVICOM's crucial role in boosting public service efficiency and expressed openness to stronger collaborations that support the Council's goals.
Dr. Dabban also took responsibility for a prior rescheduling of the meeting, attributing it to the Council's packed schedule and engagements outside Abuja. He expressed optimism that the discussions would yield productive outcomes.
Government Agencies and Reporting Channels Explained
In his remarks, Udoh Effik, Director of Reforms Coordination, Service Improvement and Innovation at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, commended ARCN for hosting a previous impactful meeting of focal officers.
Effik clarified the distinct reporting lines for government agencies: reforms are reported to the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), service delivery to SERVICOM, and innovation to the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation. These offices monitor progress through quarterly reports submitted via supervising ministries.
The quarterly review meetings are designed to share best practices, assess progress, and allow agencies to discuss successes and hurdles. The ultimate aim is to collectively strengthen service delivery in alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, with a particular focus on food security.
Effik noted that many agencies face manpower shortages and plan to use the SERVICOM platform to drive necessary reforms and innovation, as creating new dedicated units may not be feasible. He affirmed that SERVICOM remains a viable channel for promoting innovation alongside service improvement across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
SERVICOM Champions Customer-Centric Service
Also speaking, Assistant Director and Team Leader of the SERVICOM Office in the Presidency, Kikelomo Aina, praised Dr. Dabban as a SERVICOM champion and requested continued support from the Council.
"We advocate for whatever will translate to excellent service delivery. ARCN is key because 16 Research Institutes are under the purview of the Council," Aina stated. She reinforced the core SERVICOM philosophy, urging that "every customer should be crowned as king" in all ministries and departments.
