The Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Dr Dasuki Arabi, on Tuesday warned that poor service delivery could deepen citizens’ distrust in democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Arabi said the survival of democracy depended not only on elections but also on the ability of public institutions to translate government policies into tangible improvements in the lives of citizens.
He spoke at the second international conference organised by the Department of Public Administration, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Gombe State University, Gombe, with the theme, “Democracy, Public Service and Service Delivery in Nigeria: Setting the Agenda for the 2027 General Elections.”
According to him, the widening gap between democratic expectations and citizens’ experiences could undermine confidence in government institutions.
“When delivery fails, the gap widens between democratic expectations and life experiences. I don’t know whether democracy has failed in Nigeria, and a government worker will probably not say that, because government may be able to say otherwise,” he said.
The BPSR boss urged governments to strengthen citizen engagement and create mechanisms through which Nigerians could understand government policies and hold public officials accountable.
“We need to do more to bring the people closer so that they understand what democracy is, why we are there and what we are doing for them. They should also understand that they have the right to question us if they are facing problems and challenges,” Arabi said.
He expressed concern over declining voter participation, particularly at the state and local government levels, saying many Nigerians were increasingly questioning the value of elections.
“Ask them why they are not going for elections. They say, ‘What is the use of going for elections?’ Are they losing interest in it? Are they losing confidence in us? What do we need to do to improve that appetite so that there will be more involvement in the selection and election process?” he asked.
Arabi said Nigerians expected governments to provide basic services, improve education and security, and demonstrate accountability and transparency.
He also criticised weak implementation of government policies, noting that Nigeria had developed policies and frameworks that had attracted interest from other countries but had struggled to implement them effectively.
“We are having some of the best policies in Nigeria. I have gone and seen countries that came to Nigeria to my desk. Rwanda copied our national strategy on public service reforms and came back after 10 years and said, ‘We have done it 100 per cent.’ Nigeria, we have not done 60 per cent,” he said.
The DG said poor data, weak monitoring and evaluation, frequent transfer of trained personnel and inadequate institutional capacity had continued to undermine public sector reforms.
He also called for stronger use of development funds, saying international partners were reluctant to provide resources where governments could not provide evidence of effective implementation.
“There are funds flying around that can help improve federal and state institutions, but because there is no evidence and justification, they will not give you,” he said.
Arabi said public servants must recognise that they were paid with taxpayers’ money and therefore had a responsibility to deliver.
He disclosed that about 5.5 million people were employed across the federal, state and local government public services, stressing that the cost of maintaining the public sector placed a huge responsibility on workers to deliver value.
“If 75 or 80 per cent of the national budget is spent on us, then we need to do more. The more we work, the better the outcomes will be. There will be increased revenue generation by government and more money to spend,” he said.
The DG also called for the professionalisation of the public service and warned civil servants against politicisation, corruption and poor work ethics.
He said public servants should be “apolitical, neutral, transparent and honest,” adding that government workers must put citizens at the centre of their activities.
Arabi further warned that artificial intelligence and digitalisation would disrupt the public service, urging workers to acquire new skills or risk becoming irrelevant.
“The challenge is learn, learn, learn, learn. Those of us that are able to be trained and reskilled will remain relevant. If not, a number of us will have to lose our jobs,” he said.
He urged governments and universities to review curricula and equip young people with technological skills needed for the emerging digital economy.
The DG also called for stronger collaboration between government agencies, universities, civil society organisations and the media to monitor government performance and improve service delivery.
He said the 2027 elections should be treated as an opportunity for political parties to make public service reform a central component of their manifestos.
“2027 will be a referendum on service delivery and governance quality. People are now more enlightened and more educated. TikTok is connecting every part of the world without us controlling it. They can see and feel what is happening,” Arabi said.
He urged political leaders to prioritise agriculture and food security, national security, health, education, social investment, infrastructure, energy, transportation and inclusive economic growth.
Earlier, the Gombe State Head of Civil Service, Prof Muazu Shehu, said strengthening democracy required responsive public institutions anchored on evidence-based policymaking and citizen participation.
Shehu said Gombe State had, since 2019, pursued evidence-based governance through initiatives including the state’s Needs Assessment Study, DEVAGOM and the Gombe Goes Green environmental restoration programme.
He said the reforms were designed to ensure that government policies reflected citizens’ needs and were sustained beyond electoral cycles.
“Democracy is sustained not only by elections but by the capacity of governments to deliver services in ways that are equitable, transparent and responsive to citizen priorities,” Shehu said.
According to him, the state had also strengthened its Directorate of Research and Documentation, transforming it into a knowledge hub responsible for needs assessments, programme evaluation, tracking of manifesto promises and public opinion surveys.
Shehu said the modernisation of the civil service, including training policies, manpower audits, skills-gap analysis and digitalisation of administrative processes, was aimed at improving service delivery.
He argued that integrating research evidence, citizen inputs and sustainability into governance would strengthen democratic legitimacy.
In his remarks, the Head of the Department of Public Administration, Gombe State University, Prof Matthew Bello, said the conference was organised to interrogate Nigeria’s democratic journey and propose practical solutions ahead of the 2027 elections.
Bello said, “Democracy, at its core, is about the people. It is about responsive governance, accountable leadership and the delivery of tangible services that improve the quality of life of citizens.”
He, however, noted that the gap between democratic ideals and public service delivery remained wide, citing electoral concerns, policy inconsistency, bureaucratic inefficiency, corruption and weak accountability.
The chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Prof Lawal Oladimeji, said the conference was designed to examine whether the public service had effectively translated politicians’ electoral promises into improved living conditions for Nigerians.
Oladimeji said elections should not be regarded as an end in themselves but as a means of improving citizens’ welfare.
“The end is actually the well-being of the people, improving the living conditions of the people. And this, of course, is not attained overnight,” he said.
He said the conference would seek to awaken the consciousness of politicians and civil servants to failures recorded over the years and encourage them to develop a practical post-2027 agenda for improved governance.
Oladimeji added, “We need to sensitise them about what we need to do going forward after the 2027 general election.”
He said the conference would also provide evidence-based recommendations that could guide political parties, policymakers, civil society organisations, the media and other stakeholders in strengthening democratic governance and service delivery in Nigeria.