Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development yesterday launched the maiden edition of its Service Charter, in Abuja
In his remarks at the launch, the minister of housing and urban development, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, said the initiative was part of a wider civil service transformation programme aimed at promoting greater commitment, productivity, innovation, and accountability across ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Emphasising on the importance of the Civil Service in driving government policies, the Minister stated that the success or failure of the policies ultimately rests on the shoulders of the civil servants who are tasked with the implementation, further pointing out the need for a competent, efficient, and forward-thinking Civil Service.
He informed that Charter details the standards of service that every department, unit, and staff of the ministry must uphold, to ensure transparency, responsiveness and accountability in the discharge of duties.
Dangiwa appealed to all staff to see their roles not just as jobs, but as national service; “We are building a Ministry that is efficient, responsive, and people oriented. We cannot do this without your full cooperation, professionalism, and integrity”.
“As we launch this Service Charter today, let it be a symbol of a new beginning, a Ministry where transparency is standard, service is timely, responsibilities are clear, and performance is measured”, he charged.
Dangiwa further Highlighted the importance of timely service delivery, with a commitment on behalf of the Ministry, to respond to emails within 14 days of receipt and maintain a 72-hour waiting time for feedback.
Earlier in her keynote address, the national coordinator of SERVICOM, Nnenna Akajemeli, informed that a Service Charter is an MDA’s operational and performance enhancement tool that enshrines the trust between service providers and service takers, containing realistic and measurable standards in specific key services and standards of the MDA.
She highlighted some benefits of the Charter to include; indication of commitment at highest level, raising of expectations among customers and staff, guiding of the activities of service provision and delivery, among others.
To achieve implementation of the Service Charter, the Akajemeli spoke on the importance of ensuring wide publicity of the Charter amongst staff and different customer groups, training and sensitising members of the SERVICOM Unit and frontline staff at all levels, on the concept and on their roles and responsibilities in the implementation of the Charter; to mention a few.
The SERVICOM coordinator, further advised that Management of the ministry gives more support to the SERVICOM Unit by ensuring that service delivery gaps are rectified, recommendations are implemented, reported upon, published and reviewed for continuous improvement of services.
Also in her remarks, the Director in charge of the department of Reform Coordination and Service Improvement, O.I. Philips, described the Service Charter as a comprehensive guide that details the roles and services of the ministry’s departments, units, and agencies; “This maiden edition is aimed at educating staff, customers, and stakeholders on the ministry’s operations and commitment to service excellence,” she said.
She emphasised on the role of SERVICOM, as a bridge between the ministry and the public, ensuring that services are people-centered and continuously improved upon; “It will coordinate the development, review, and dissemination of service charters across the ministry and its agencies,” she added.
The launch of the Service Charter marks a significant milestone in the Ministry’s reform agenda, and is expected to drive a new era of service delivery and excellence across the housing sector.
Highlight of the event was the official unveiling of the maiden edition of the Service Charter for the ministry, by the Servicom national coordinator and the top management of the Ministry.
