Seed Council bags BPSR Silver certificate management, governance practice

Dr. Philip Olusegun Ojo, Director General, National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC), ...

The National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) has bagged the Silver Level certificate in management and governance practice administered by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR).

This followed a self-assessment exercise conducted by BPSR to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of NASC in the discharge of its responsibilities to Nigerians.

The Acting Director-General of BPSR, Mr. Dasuki Arabi, presented the certificate to the Director-General of NASC, Dr Philip Ojo, at a brief ceremony in Abuja.

Arabi said NASC’s Silver Level performance meant that the council met expectations in all essential areas of responsibility, at times exceeding expectations, while the quality of its work is generally good.

The exercise, according to him, also showed that the council met its most critical organizational goals.

He explained that the entire management, operational and bureaucratic processes of NASC were examined based on the nine main domain areas under the Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) employed by BPSR.

Arabi listed the areas as strategic governance, strategic planning and operational leadership, financial management, procurement processes, operational and service delivery processes, human resource management and planning, partnerships and resource mobilization, and change management.

He said ``BPSR deployed SAT in NASC between July 6 and Aug. 29 at the council’s corporate headquarters in Abuja and its zonal offices.

``Under governance, we have found out that the NASC governing board provides the level arm, policy framework and direction for the council to function.

``Indirectly, we have found a functioning board that is maintaining an active and wonderful relationship between them, management and staff of the organization.

``The governing board has ensured the establishment of anti-corruption policy. You are doing fantastically well in the seed companies we visited at Kano. You need every support of the Federal Government.’’

The BPSR, however, said some challenges and weaknesses in the course of the exercise that would be discussed with the council going forward.

He added that a policy brief would be forwarded to the Federal Executive Council through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, with the hope that government would have another look at NASC.

Responding, the NASC DG, Dr Philip Ojo, said the rating underscored the achievements of the council within the short period of its associating with BPSR and its partners.

``To a large extent, it shows the way stakeholders appreciate the effort of the council in sanitizing the agricultural space in Nigeria through deployment of good quality seed by seed entrepreneurs.The information gap between BPSR, the council and farmers have been closed within a short period.Today, we have every reason to celebrate as we open our doors for BPSR to administer their Self-Assessment Tool (SAT).We want SAT to be done on yearly basis, and I recommend it to other agencies that are yet to key into it,’’ Ojo said.

The NASC DG said he saw the Silver Level rating as a call to do more in terms of improved service to Nigerian farmers and other stakeholders.

Ojo expressed the commitment of the NASC management under his leadership to implementing the recommendations from BPSR. The National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) has bagged the Silver Level certificate in management and governance practice administered by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR).