Works Ministry moves to tighten staff discipline, customer service

By Onu Okorie

Federal Ministry of Works has moved to strengthen staff discipline and accountability, warning that poor attitude to work, lateness and unfriendly treatment of members of the public could undermine the impact of government’s infrastructure investments.
The ministry said Nigerians would judge the administration not only by the quality of roads and other infrastructure delivered, but also by how effectively and courteously government officials attend to them.
The Minister of Works, Sen. Engr. David Umahi, represented by the Director Overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Mohammed Aminu Ahmed, FCNA, stated this during a sensitisation session organised by the Department of Reform Coordination and Service Improvement (RC&SI) to mark the 2026 Customer Service Week.
The session, themed “Going the Extra Mile in Satisfying Customers,” focused on changing the perception of public service from a bureaucratic obligation to a results-driven responsibility to citizens, contractors and other stakeholders.
Umahi said quality infrastructure delivery could not be regarded as complete where members of the public were subjected to delays, discourtesy or indifference when interacting with the ministry.
According to him, “Nigerians judge this administration not only by the roads we build, but also by how we serve them.”
He consequently directed staff to prioritise speed, professionalism, courtesy and empathy in dealing with the public.
The minister expressed concern over the attitude of some workers, particularly lateness, poor treatment of members of the public and inadequate commitment to official responsibilities.
He described such conduct as unacceptable in a ministry whose activities have a direct impact on Nigerians and whose performance contributes significantly to the public perception of the Federal Government.
Umahi disclosed that the Ministerial Service Delivery Committee, comprising representatives of departments and relevant stakeholders, would continue to provide management with information on challenges affecting effective and timely service delivery.
He also said the Department of Reform Coordination and Service Improvement had been directed to intensify sensitisation across all cadres of staff to drive behavioural change and improve efficiency.
The ministry is also introducing closer monitoring of service delivery points, with the RC&SI Department directed to submit regular reports to management on its findings.
The department was further tasked with monitoring compliance with official working hours and daily activities across offices.
Earlier, the Director of Reform Coordination and Service Improvement, Sharifat Joke Raji, said Customer Service Week offered the ministry an opportunity to evaluate its service culture and identify areas requiring improvement.
She said the responsibility for effective customer service extended beyond officers at reception desks or other frontline positions, stressing that every employee of the ministry had a role to play.
“Service is not just the responsibility of the frontline officer; it is the responsibility of all of us,” Raji said.
She urged staff to be responsive, prompt, courteous, empathetic and professional in their dealings with Nigerians, contractors and other stakeholders.
In a goodwill message, the Director of Human Resource Management, Ahmad Muhammad Tukur, said the public assessed the ministry not only through completed roads and other infrastructure but also through the experience of interacting with its personnel.
Tukur raised concerns over lateness and failure by some staff to observe official working hours, urging management and senior officers to lead by example.
He said staff must be prepared to make necessary sacrifices for effective public service despite prevailing economic difficulties.
The Human Resource Director, however, disclosed that employees who demonstrated exceptional commitment to service delivery would be recognised and rewarded, while those who failed to improve their attitude to work would face appropriate sanctions in line with existing rules and regulations.
The development signals a broader attempt by the Works Ministry to link infrastructure delivery with institutional performance, as the government seeks to translate its massive road construction programme into improved public confidence.
For the ministry, the emphasis is that building better roads must be matched by building a better public-service culture—one in which responsiveness, discipline and accountability become part of the infrastructure delivery process itself.