March 9, 2018

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, has called on the top management staff of the ministry to embrace team work to ensure effective service delivery to Nigerians.

Fashola made the call on Friday in Kano at the opening ceremony of the third Top Management Retreat of the ministry with the theme: “Planning for Teamwork Delivery’’.

He said the retreat was organised to strengthen friendship among the top management staff of the ministry to ensure efficient service delivery.

According to the minister, making new friends within the three sectors of the ministry will enhance service delivery to Nigerians.

“People who learn to function in a team ultimately are good performers because they are not loners, they learn how to consult and take responsibilities.

“This is because, units of a team can fail but a well manned team doesn’t collapse as a whole even if one unit fails because somebody fills the gap as in football teams.

“Within every team like a department, when there is delay in movement of file, a good team member crosses the line from his unit to ask what is responsible.

“That does not mean you are interfering, it is intervention to ensure that the ultimate goal of the team is achieved,’’ he said.

Fashola urged the participants to focus on quality service delivery to the people as that was the primary mandate of the public service.

According to him, the distinction between private and public service is that while the private sector focuses on how to make profit, the public service concentrates on quality service delivery.

Mr Mohammed Bukar, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Works and Housing said the retreat was for the participants to brainstorm on how the mandate of the ministry can be best achieved.

He said the idea was to strategise on how to provide sustainable energy, good, functional and accessible roads as well as affordable housing for Nigerians.

Bukar urged the participants to see the retreat as a forum for individual and collective reappraisal.