“The most important thing is the integration of ideas and translation of visions into reality, and without an efficient civil service structure, you can’t achieve anything.
By Olawale Lamina
Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake has highlighted the pivotal role of the Civil Service, noting that nothing can be achieved without the efficient civil service in the country.
Dr. Alake dropped his observation at the ministry in Abuja on Tuesday when Heads of Civil Service from the 36 states and the FCT converged on his ministry on a study tour.
The tour was part of the activities marking the 2025 Civil Service Week that commenced in Abuja since Friday 20th June 2025.
The minister noted that since assuming office in August 2023, he had discovered a Civil Service in the ministry ready to work once a directive is given.
He remarked that even with the best of intention by any individual, in terms of vision, without the necessary machinery to aid implementation, nothing meaningful can be achieved.
To this end, Dr. Alake stressed the need for symbiotic relationship between political authority and the Civil Service for efficient implementation of policies.
He emphasized that over the years, he had observed through hypothetical studies that part of the problem had to do with the style of leadership.
He commended the Performance Management System (PMS), already in place in the ministry, as a critical reform under the Federal Civil Service Strategy.
The Minister said: “The most important thing is the integration of ideas and translation of visions into reality, and without an efficient civil service structure, you can’t achieve anything.
“I cannot really imagine a leader at any level that will not want to succeed as we have leadership in the political structure, you have leadership in the civil service structure, and you have leadership at all levels, all strata of society.
“So there is no leader in my own estimation, that will not want to succeed. So the submission of all of this is we are all, individually and collectively, leaders at our own various spheres of operation,” he added
Reeling out some of the achievements recorded in the ministry under his stewardship, Alake alluded to the introduction of the 7-point Agenda, which included the establishment of security structure in the mining sector, putting in place policies against illegal mining, and encouraging the inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the sector.
Welcoming the Heads of Civil Service from the 36 states of the federation into the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, Prince Alake stressed that the Civil Service in country had nowhere to go than moving forward.
“Together, we are going to achieve more successes for our nation,” the minister concluded
Also welcoming the gathering of the Heads of Civil Service across the country to the ministry, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Engr. Faruk Yusuf Yabo, said that the compass for the Federal Civil servants included the strategic plan of six pillars terminating this year,
Engr. Faruk stated that one of the pillars, is the performance management system, that made the Ministry of Solid Minerals one of the leading ministries in ensuring that the vision is achieved.
“It is not by chance that we are all gathered here. The heads of the Civil Service of the Federation have, over the last few years, put in place very strategic and visionary policies, programs and actions that are meant to reposition the service in particular.”
Apart from highlighting the Ministry:s Performance Management System, the Permanent Secretary added that the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development will also share its insight into what the leadership had been able to accomplish, including digital transformation of the ministry.
“We are aware that Mr. President has placed the emphasis on us to be one of the leading ministers that will help the country achieve its $1 trillion targets in terms of GDP by the year 2030,” he said
On her part, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, thanked the ministry for information garnered from the study tour embarked on.
The HCSF, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of Service Welfare Office, Mrs. Patience Oyekunle said that, “The Reporter of the Ministry, we thank you very much, on behalf of everybody here.
“Some of us just came with the mindset of PMS, and you have done more than PMS.
“In addition to PMS, we now have a very good understanding of Solid Minerals Development,” she stated.
During the visit, the state Heads of Civil Service also watched presentation by the Technical Assistant to the Permanent Secretary, on Performance Management System as practiced within the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.
State Heads of Civil Service that visited the ministry included those from Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo Ekiti, Taraba, Benue.
Others states represented include Gombe, Lagos, Plateau, Ondo, Osun, Niger, Kogi, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Kaduna and Jigawa states.
The meeting also had in attendance the Permanent Secretary, Steel Development Ministry, Dr. Chris Osa Isokpunwu, Directors and other top government officials of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.
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