The Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, says there is an urgent need to reposition the Justice sector for optimal performance and enhanced productivity.
Fagbemi said this at the Retreat of Heads of Agencies and Parastatals under the supervision of the Ministry and selected Directors organised by the Ministry on Thursday in Abuja.
“In line with the Renewed Hope Agenda and in order to facilitate the delivery of our mandates, the federal government is committed to building a Civil Service that is focused on Improved Staff Competencies and skills.
“Improved Productivity and Human Resource Administration; Result-based performance and meritocratic environment; and a value-driven and digitally transformed Civil Service.
“At this retreat, we shall examine two pillars of the Reform Initiatives of Government under the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP25) namely, the Performance Management System and Digitization.
“These two pillars form the bedrock for the successful performance of the Justice Sector Plan and must therefore be given priority in all our operations”.
He noted that it is also pertinent that the stakeholders take a cursory look at the Monitoring & Evaluation Policy of Nigeria.
“These government priorities and reform initiates exist to ensure good governance, effective service delivery and the optimal performance of Sectoral Plans in accordance with laid down processes and in synergy with the National Development Plan 2021 – 2025”.
He assured that the retreat will offer stakeholders a valuable break from routine official engagements, providing a platform to relate as a sector, with a view to apprising their respective roles; as well as to brainstorm on strategies needed to achieve their mandates.
“On November 3, 2023, the President signed a Performance Bond with Cabinet Ministers and Permanent Secretaries, which will serve as a scorecard for Ministries.
“The Solicitor General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary and myself, signed a Performance Contract with the President, promising to ensure the performance of the Ministerial Deliverables assigned to the Ministry.
“The Sector Plan contain 15 Ministerial Deliverables; 49 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Baselines and Targets”.
He noted that this Performance Bond came with initiatives, deliverables, key performance indicators, timelines and targets, which the sector must unconditionally achieve.
“One of the key performance indicators of this meeting is to cascade the signed bond to the ministry’s management and chief executive officers of the agencies.
“Therefore, it is imperative that we all come together to critically understand this performance bond and the variables and be well apprised of what is expected of us to achieve as a ministry or agency.
“It is worthy of note that the Justice sector is pivotal to the attainment of the objectives of other sectors, as well as attaining the universal role of the law as a veritable enabler for development.
“Particularly, the sector is a key catalyst or stimulator for economic growth, investment drive, and revenue generation, among others”, he added.