The Civil Service
THE word civil commonly means belonging to the general public and not the army. Literally, therefore, Civil Service connotes Public or Government Service.
The Civil Service is thus an ancient institution which no government in the world has been able to dispense with.
All over the world, the Civil Service is a permanent body of officials employed to implement the plans and decisions of government.
Augustus Adebayo, the well-known writer on Public Administration states that Civil Service is the “entire service of government which is divided into department and in which Civil servants work”.
On the other hand, the Civil Service Handbook sees the Civil Service as a “body or organ which enjoys continuity of existence” and whose members, unlike elected political office holders are “not limited to a short term of office at the end of which they may not be returned to office.”
The Civil Service or Bureaucracy as it is commonly referred to in the United States of America (USA) has progressed beyond a more “set of arrangements, procedures, and people for implementing and administering public policy.” The Civil Service now also plays a significant role in initiating new programme and policies. In times of political crises, the Civil Service provides stability and continuity.
It is necessary to state at the beginning of this paper that appointment into the Civil Service requires that new entrants should be aware of some elements in the Public Service as distinct from private sector employment. The Civil Service refers mainly to public employment and not the army.
Schemes of Service
In the service, there are various schemes of service for officers. The schemes of service provide and make conditions or qualifications for entry and advancement in the various cadres and posts of officers.
For example, there are various schemes of service for Administrative officers and professional officers like Engineers, Architects, Doctors, Lawyers, Accountants, Auditors, etc. Once you are appointed into a particular post, the appropriate scheme of service would stipulate the necessary entry conditions and requirements for advancement and progression in your career.
For example, the qualifications, necessary examinations to be passed in the course of your career and membership of professional associations before you can earn promotion or progression beyond certain grades are stipulated for compulsory adherence and compliance.
The conditions laid down in the schemes of service are scrupulously complied with. ‘this is done to protect the employee and the employer i.e. the Government. Once the provision and conditions of the schemes of service are known and fully applied, the service is better for it.
Schedule of Duties and Responsibilities
On the other hand, there are schedules of duties and responsibilities. Such schedules of duties stipulate the duties and responsibilities attached to the various posts and positions. The duties and responsibilities are stated in very clear and specific terms to avoid ambiguity and overlapping. Each officer at a glance knows clearly his assigned duties and responsibilities.
Usually, at the end of schedule of duties, is added that any officer can be assigned any other duty not specified in the list of’ schedule of duties. This is necessary to make the officer fully responsible and not. refuse to perform any other legitimate duty or responsibility not specifically identified in his list of responsibilities.
Transfers (Inter—cadre and Inter—Service)
After some years in the service in a particular cadre, a civil servant may want to transfer to another cadre following the acquisition of additional qualifications or new skills to the new cadre.
It often happens that the original qualifications and skills of the officer are relevant to the preferred cadre in which there has been no vacancy at the time he first took up the current post. The approved movement of officers from one cadre to another distinct cadre for whatever reasons is known as inter cadre transfer.
In the literature, this term is sometimes used interchangeably with the word conversion. However, conversion is usually more appropriately applied to describe the approved change in position within a single cadre in which there are two subcadres of officers and assistant officers such as Education officer and Assistant Education officer. Graduates enter the officer subcadre while non-graduates enter the assistant subcadre.
Examples of inter-cadre transfer include such position movements as messenger to typist, typist to confidential secretary and so on.
Those of conversion include movement from Assistant Education officer to Education officer after NCE holder, say, acquires a degree; Executive officer to Administrative officer, e.t.c. Inter—cadre transfers and conversions are usually initiated by individual officers on the acquisition of approved additional qualifications or skills or by their Ministries especially when exigencies of service so demand.
These forms of transfers arc lateral, unaccompanied by change in salary grade level, or they are approved together with promotion prior to inter- cadre transfer or conversion. From experience, inter-cadre transfer and conversions usually are for hardworking officers who are highly interested in developing themselves.
Hence such officers are normally actively encouraged by their superiors. On the hand, inter-service transfers are transfers from one service to the other. It can be from the State Civil Service to the Federal Civil Service or vice-versa. In all cases of transfer, it has to be initiated by the officer concerned through his head of department to the Civil Service Commission. |
