[OPINION]: Investment Comes with Responsibility: Buni’s Message to Civil Servants and Scholars

By Maji Bappa Maina


The strength of a government depends considerably on the quality of the people who serve within its institutions and the opportunities it creates for the next generation of professionals.

Policies require competent people to implement them, public institutions need experienced administrators to sustain their operations, and young graduates need opportunities to apply their knowledge.

For this reason, investment in human capital remains an important part of governance and long-term institutional development.

Two recent developments under Governor Mai Mala Buni bring this issue into focus: the upward review of salaries for permanent secretaries in Yobe State and the graduation of more than 400 government-sponsored students from universities in India.

Although the initiatives address different groups, they share a common purpose: strengthening the people whose knowledge, experience and professional commitment can contribute to the state’s future.

Their significance extends beyond the immediate benefits received by the individuals involved.

Together, they raise an important question about governance: how can investment in workers’ welfare, professional training and higher education translate into stronger institutions and better service delivery?

The recent engagement between Governor Buni and representatives of the permanent secretaries offers an important starting point.

According to the report issued by the Director-General of Press and Media Affairs to the Governor, Mamman Mohammed, the representatives visited the Governor to express appreciation following the upward review of their salaries.

During the meeting, Buni urged the senior civil servants to justify the confidence placed in them and the investment made in their professional development.

He reminded them of their responsibilities as role models to younger officers and emphasised the expectation that improved welfare should be accompanied by greater commitment to public service.

The state Head of Service, Abdullahi Musa, reportedly stated that the salary structure for permanent secretaries had remained unchanged since 2006, despite previous efforts to secure a review.

If maintained as reported, the structure had remained static for a considerable period before the recent decision.

The importance of the review goes beyond the financial adjustment itself.

Permanent secretaries occupy significant positions within the administrative system.

They help coordinate government activities, supervise departments, support policy implementation and preserve institutional continuity as officers retire and new personnel assume responsibility.

Their effectiveness can influence the quality of decisions, the speed of administrative processes and the ability of ministries to fulfil their mandates.

Recognising the responsibilities attached to these offices is therefore an important part of the wider discussion about civil-service performance.

However, improved remuneration alone cannot guarantee improved service delivery.

Its value depends on how it is matched with professional discipline, accountability, competence and measurable results.

The Governor’s message was significant in this regard: the benefit carries an expectation of stronger performance.

A well-functioning civil service requires a relationship between what government provides and what public officers are expected to deliver.

Workers’ welfare matters, but so does the responsibility to ensure that public institutions serve citizens effectively.

Another important dimension of Buni’s remarks concerned the training of civil servants to fill vacancies created by retirement.

This highlights an issue that often receives less public attention than salary adjustments: the need to prepare people before critical positions become vacant.

Every experienced officer carries institutional knowledge acquired through years of service.

This includes an understanding of administrative procedures, organisational challenges, professional relationships and the practical lessons that cannot always be captured in official documents.

When experienced officers retire without adequate preparation of their successors, institutions risk losing valuable knowledge and continuity.

Training and succession planning can help address this challenge.

They prepare younger officers for greater responsibilities, support the transfer of professional knowledge and reduce the disruption that may accompany changes in personnel.

For such an approach to succeed, training must be connected to actual institutional needs.

It should equip officers with relevant skills, strengthen their ability to manage responsibilities and encourage a culture in which knowledge is shared rather than confined to individuals.

Senior officers also have an important role to play by mentoring younger colleagues and helping them understand the demands of public service.

The graduation of more than 400 Buni Scholars from universities in India introduces another dimension to the same discussion.

According to the official report, the graduates completed studies in various health-related and engineering courses.

Their representatives visited the Governor to express appreciation for the opportunity, while Buni congratulated them and urged them to serve the state effectively and efficiently.

For the graduates, the completion of their studies marks the achievement of an important personal ambition.

For the state, it represents the development of a group of trained professionals whose knowledge could contribute to important areas of public service.

The significance of government-sponsored education lies not only in enabling individuals to obtain qualifications, but also in building professional capacity that might otherwise remain limited.

Specialised training can help develop the knowledge and expertise required to strengthen institutions, improve professional practice and address shortages in essential fields.

Health-related disciplines, for instance, are important to the availability and quality of healthcare services.

Engineering expertise can support technical operations, infrastructure management and other specialised responsibilities.

By sponsoring students in these fields, the state has created an opportunity to develop skills that may contribute to its long-term needs.

Yet graduation is only one stage of the process.

The full value of the scholarship programme will depend on how effectively the graduates can apply their knowledge after returning from their studies.

Appropriate placements, professional development, supportive working conditions and opportunities to use their qualifications will all influence the results.

This is why the Governor’s call for the graduates to give back to the state carries significance.

Their education was an opportunity provided through public investment, and their professional contributions can become part of the return on that investment.

At the same time, the responsibility does not rest on the graduates alone.

Government institutions must also create conditions in which trained professionals can contribute meaningfully.

Where skills are matched with relevant responsibilities, the benefits can extend beyond individual careers to the institutions and communities those professionals serve.

The relationship between the permanent secretaries and the Buni Scholars offers an interesting perspective on the development of human capital.

One group represents experience within the public service; the other represents a new generation entering professional life.

Both have different responsibilities, but each has a role in strengthening the state’s institutional capacity.

The permanent secretaries are expected to use their experience to improve administration, guide younger officers and maintain professional standards.

The graduates are expected to apply their newly acquired knowledge and contribute to the sectors for which they were trained.

In both cases, the wider public interest provides the basis for evaluating the value of the opportunity received.

There is also a lesson in continuity. Sustainable institutional development cannot depend entirely on the efforts of one generation.

Experienced officers must prepare their successors, while younger professionals must be given the opportunity to learn, contribute and grow.

When these processes work together, institutions become better positioned to retain knowledge and maintain performance over time.

The next important step is to assess the results of these investments.

For the civil service, this could involve examining administrative efficiency, professional competence, accountability and the quality of services delivered.

For the scholarship programme, relevant measures could include graduate employment, deployment to appropriate fields, professional retention and the practical contributions graduates make to their areas of specialisation.

Such assessments would help establish whether the opportunities created are achieving their intended objectives.

They would also provide useful information for future decisions on staff development, scholarship selection and workforce planning.

Ultimately, the salary review for permanent secretaries and the graduation of more than 400 Buni Scholars illustrate two complementary aspects of human-capital development: recognising the responsibilities of experienced public officers and preparing younger professionals for future contributions.

The Governor has made the expectation clear to both groups.

Permanent secretaries must justify the confidence placed in them, while the graduates are encouraged to use their education for the benefit of the state.

The lasting value of these initiatives will emerge through the quality of service, the competence of public institutions and the contributions of the people who have benefited from these opportunities.

Government investment in people reaches its greatest value when improved welfare, professional knowledge and individual opportunity translate into better service for the public.


Maji Bappa Maina is an agent of Voice of Development, Leadership and public Insight