How Poor Staff Attitude Undermines Effective Service Delivery At NIMC

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A couple of visits to the Lagos State Regional Office of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), at Alausa, Ikeja has revealed how poor staff attitude to work and lack of professionalism can hamper efficient service delivery.

Since the mandatory NIN process began in 2020. Most of the NIMC offices across the country have become very busy as people are seen trouping in as early as 5am on daily basis. 

This huge patronage has now become an opportunity for the staff of NIMC to "misbehave" at the slightest chance.

They ask for bribe from applicants in order to prioritise their applications. Some of the male staff members ask female applicants for dates just to render a service which they now see as doing the public favours.

It's no longer news that their "system" is largely prone to errors and delays, their staff have also resulted to throwing tantrums and verbal abuse on applicants.

Earlier today, I witnessed a scenario where a security man in uniform at the Alausa office would not only let people who offered to reward him handsomely through but he would talk harshly and rudely to anyone else trying to get guidance or direction. 

Worst of all, his superiors would step out to defend his actions claiming he is acting on instruction. According to Mrs. Funmilola Opesanwo, NIMC Lagos East Cordinator; whose attention was drawn to the rancor between the security and applicants, the security man is only answerable to those who pay his salary and is not obligated to respect anyone else.

For an agency that is being managed by a ministry which touts itself as forward-thinking,-highly-skilled- tech-driven institution of government, the mess at NIMC on the NIN enrollment is distasteful  and very embarrassing.

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It is bad enough that people leave their homes, abandon their respective duties et al to go get the NIN sorted but to be greeted by uncouth staff and ineffectient system makes it even more horrible.

Many government workers do not understand that they are "called to serve". Isnt that why they are called "civil servants" in the first place?

Perhaps their leaders/management need to constantly remind them through trainings that government as an institution is NOT a building neither is it just the President and his cabinet but alot more (and especially) about those at the grassroots level and public offices who interface with the common man and run the minute-to-minute operations of "government business".

The state Cordinator needs to keep an eye at Alausa to ensure that the efforts of the Minister and all those who put together brilliant thoughts and ideas that should make positive impact and bring about development are in no way being undermined by the very people who should be seeing to the successful execution.

Every staff of any organisation is a brand ambassador. 

There are expectations whether in private or public institutions. 

The workers must know this and live up to it!