SUSTAIN-ABILITY: A STUDY OF THE NEWLY EMPLOYED IN THE PUBLIC SECTORS IN AFRICA, A FOCUS ON NIGERIAN CIVIL SERVICE By David Olumati Nwanguma: In celebration of my one year plus day.

 Sustain-ability:

The term sustainability has to do with maintaining at a consistent rate or level, it is the ability to archive our desires without compromising the future of the societal needs to reach her goals.

There are manners at which an institution should operate to instigate a successful sustainable character to better develop an economy.

There is no way we can separate society from the economy they can actually be different institutions but none can exist without each other.  

The economy cannot be separated from society, it is an integral part of it, but the fact that the economy is just one part of a society has been largely forgotten. The economy and economic thinking should not drive society but rather, support society in its aims.

University Experience:

As a student between 2011 to 2016 there were so much we wished to have been in place or ways our lectures should have been coordinated by the faculties through the various departments.

We met as undergraduates, discussed amongst ourselves changes that should be made in the university community at the faculty or departmental levels.

When we discuss sustainability, the fact that we were trained by very polished lecturers whom became so proud and comfortable to an extent that they recommended lots of us to work with them as co lecturers is very comforting and promote a sustainable growth system.

The only challenge I have which I strongly believe is a general problem is that idea of letting things remain exactly the way they’ve always been.

Sometime in 2008 my father retired from the civil services commission as a lecturer from the Rivers State College of Health Science and Technology, I remembered visiting offices with him to sort out his retirement benefits which was another struggle after a long time of service to the commission. One of the days, we visited the federal secretariat in the state and we met hundreds of retirees probably in the same struggle all with an A4 sized paper boldly encrypted ‘GIVE US OUR RIGHTS’ and some will sing in pain ‘ all we are saying, give us our right’

And in the midst of the crowd I stood at a corner and asked my Dad: why did you all wait for this long? Why until now? What did you do in service for almost 30 years? for those years you were in service, these offices existed right?  Why didn’t you all try to make these changes at that time?

And you know, the few people left in services at the said office will join hands together to frustrate these old tired Men and women, keeping them waiting without proper information or even letting them know whatever the situation might be. What a setting::::

All we are saying, give us our right: 

give you what right? You had 25 to 30 years to effect these changes, to contribute positively to grow the economy into a sustainable standard, but here you are singing to people who came into office ten to fifteen years after you joined the commission. 

What are we doing when we are allowed to create changes and impact the economy sustainably?

In recent times there have been opportunities created from our local to federal government levels and vibrant innovative individuals have been employed to carry out responsibilities either on a contract basis or permanently employed by the government some as office workers and a lot of other teachers in high schools or universities. 

It is a time to allow some changes. I can remember my course mates who have successfully taken up roles at some universities in Nigeria as lecturers: I’ll name a few

Mr. Abiakw Chima

Mr. Erhiegueke Alexander Walsh

Mr. Gerald Maduabuchi Eze

Ms Chinazor okpokwasili

We were all course mates from the same faculty at the great Nnamdi Azikiwe University. As students, we had concerns, there were so much we needed to correct, I remembered how we would all do our very best to coordinate ensembles rehearsals and exams even though I would only attend the final rehearsals😍, but we all knew our individual responsibilities and contributions and I’m sure we won’t forget the changes we wished to have effected so quickly.

Guys 💜 , Now we have been given that opportunity, let us make those changes happen, it doesn’t matter if you have to become controversial as long as the changes will impact and create a sustainable environment, make it happen. Do not wait until retirement to shed tears and discuss regrets. 

There are numerous ideas that we fail to implement due to fears of godfathers and so-called seniors in the field.

Getting employed alone bestows on each employee that responsibility, it creates an opportunity to impact, innovate, and enable an environment that allows or instills the ability to sustain a growing economy: what we do with this opportunity is completely up to us.  

 If we refuse to create an enabling environment for Sustain – Ability, then we have failed continually to activate a sustainable sense of duty which would bring about a failed economy.

Summary

It’s a call to duty, a call to every innovative mind, a call to remember that the ability to sustain is a driving force for economic growth, individual development, and stability of the society. Sustain-ability makes it possible for us to have an effective transition into an innovative future.   

human society should support the environment which it is part of. Economics has not valued natural capital properly, if at all. Natural capital is the natural resources that humans need to meet their fundamental needs; they are things like fresh water, soil, fisheries, forests, air, etc. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, human economies everywhere have spent our natural capital as if was income. Humanity, particularly the rich industrial part of humanity, has done irreparable damage to the environment removing resources that can never be replaced. (https://www.econation.co.nz/sustainable-economy)