Public Service Reforms Require Focus On People, Culture — Lawan

An information technology officer and a graduate of the Aig-Imoukhuede Public Leaders Programme (AIG PLP), Mr Taslim F. Lawan, has said successful public sector reforms must prioritise people, organisational culture and behavioural change rather than relying solely on policies and institutional frameworks.

Lawan made the remarks in Abuja yesterday when he reflected on his experience at the AIG PLP, a leadership development initiative designed to equip public servants across Africa with the skills, networks and practical tools needed to improve public service delivery.

According to him, the programme transformed his understanding of leadership and reform, helping him realise that public servants at all levels have the capacity to drive meaningful change within government institutions.

“I had quietly accepted that change was something that happened to institutions, not something people like me could actually drive. The programme corrected that assumption,” he said.

Lawan noted that one of the programme’s most impactful lessons came during a session on strengthening public organisations, where facilitators argued that many reforms fail not because they are poorly designed, but because institutions are not adequately prepared to sustain them.

Drawing from his experience in the public service, he observed that numerous government policies and technology projects often lose momentum shortly after implementation due to inadequate training, weak adoption and resistance to change.

“We had been diagnosing the wrong problem all along. We kept rewriting policies when the real issue was the people, the habits and the invisible culture running underneath every formal structure,” he said.

He explained that the programme reinforced the understanding that reform is not a one-time event but a continuous process that requires persistence, learning and adaptation.

“The programme was consistent in one message: change is not a destination; it is a process. You do not reform a system by launching an initiative and declaring victory. You reform it by making small, deliberate moves, learning from what works and staying in the game long enough for habits to shift,” he added.

As part of the programme, Lawan developed the CyberSafe Initiative, a project aimed at improving cybersecurity awareness and safe digital practices among his organisation’s staff.

The initiative was conceived in response to concerns about unsafe online behaviours, including password sharing, careless device handling, and employees’ tendency to click suspicious links.

To better understand the challenge, Lawan conducted a live phishing simulation involving 170 staff members via WhatsApp and email. The exercise revealed that the organisation’s cybersecurity vulnerabilities were largely behavioural rather than technical.

Based on the findings, the initiative focused on promoting safer digital habits through awareness surveys, simplified standard operating procedures, targeted training sessions, the establishment of a Cyber Desk and regular cybersecurity reminders through internal communication channels.

Lawan said the intervention has already begun yielding positive results.

“I started noticing it in small ways. A colleague forwarded a suspicious email to ask my opinion before opening it. Others began asking questions about website security indicators. These are conversations that would not have happened before. That is what behaviour change actually looks like—it is quiet, but it accumulates,” he said.

He further noted that the programme has influenced the way he approaches technology deployment within the organisation.

“When I roll out a system or process now, my first question is no longer whether it works technically. It is whether people will actually use it and why they would choose to do so,” he stated.

Lawan disclosed that the CyberSafe Initiative remains active and that efforts are underway to expand it beyond his zonal office to other parts of the agency.

While acknowledging that institutional reforms often progress slowly, he maintained that persistence is essential for achieving sustainable change and long-term impact.

He advised future participants of the AIG PLP to focus on solving practical challenges rather than pursuing theoretical knowledge alone.

“Bring a real problem, not a polished one. Start with what you have, build from what works, and trust that small things done consistently will eventually add up to something that matters,” he said.

Lawan concluded that despite the difficulties associated with reform efforts, remaining passive in the face of recurring challenges is not an option.

“Reform is hard. But so is staying still and watching the same problems repeat themselves year after year. Given the choice, I would rather be in the room trying,” he said