The Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Information, Folasade Yemi-Esan in an interactive session with Federal Civil Servants in the Government House, Kogi State recently said that reform in the civil service is germane to the actualisation of the Transformation Agenda.
This, she observed is in regards to the critical position of federal civil servants for the success of governance; stating that the interaction emanated through the directive of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Bukar Goni Aji that all Permanent Secretaries in the Federal Civil Service should visit their home states and interact with the State-based Federal Civil Servants.
During her courtesy visit to the Governor of Kogi State, Idris Wada, the Permanent Secretary expressed the appreciation of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to the Governor for the cooperation, support and assistance accorded the federal staff in the State.
She informed the Governor that her presence in the state was to interact with Federal Civil Servants on the directive of the Head of Service as well as brief them accordingly on the activities and programmes of the federal government. She also thanked the Governor for assisting them establish a nursery and primary school for their children in the state capital.
Idris Wada in his response emphasised that this initiative by the Head of Service is the first of its kind and would go a long way in improving the federal civil service. He also said that it will create within the service a sense of belonging, oneness and ownership. Adding, the Head of Service has shown unusual concern to the plight and well being of the federal civil servants in the state by this singular act.
The Governor further promised to ensure that all the Federal Civil Servants both at the central and in the states of the federation are on the same page.
Folasade Yemi-Esan during her interaction with the federal civil servants in the state mentioned that their welfare has been considered first rate by the present administration. “Pension reform activity has experienced the establishment of a Pension Transformation Arrangement Department, headed by a Director-General,” she added.
On the ongoing reform in the public service, the Permanent Secretary indicted that the six offices under the Head of Service have been reduced to three with three Permanent Secretaries, while the former twenty-eight departments have been reduced to twelve. The aim of the exercise, she said was to bring professionalism to the service.
Speaking further, Folasade Esan enumerated the progress of the ongoing reform in the Agricultural Sector which has boosted cassava and rice production, while calling on the Civil Servants to key into the reform. She pointed out that the social sector has witnessed the establishment of more schools and health institutions to improve the social well-being of the populace. She mentioned that virtually all the sectors of the economy are undergoing appreciable improvements.
The Permanent Secretary explained that in the area of capacity building and development, the Head of Service is handling the issue of mentoring and succession plan with seriousness.
She however encouraged all the civil servants in the state to live up to expectation, saying policies and programmes have been instituted to uplift the living standard of Nigerians. She added that the government expects its workforce to perform their obligations by being punctual, disciplined and loyal to the constituted authority as well as show zero tolerance to corruption.
“Public servants are to abhor rumour-mongering and show due diligence in their dealings with the public,” she warned. The workers expressed their appreciation to what they described as kind gesture from the Head of Service represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Information.
Support InfoStride News' Credible Journalism: Only credible journalism can guarantee a fair, accountable and transparent society, including democracy and government. It involves a lot of efforts and money. We need your support. Click here to Donate