Mr, Reginald Bayoko, the Head of Delta State Civil Service (HoS), has called on the state workers to redouble their efforts to ensure increased productivity in the wake of the new minimum wage.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that the state governor, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa had pledged his administration’s to resolve to pay the N30, 000 minimum wage as approved by the Federal Government.
Bayoko made the call while speaking with newsmen on Friday in Asaba,
He disclosed that following the state adopted workers verification, the current workforce of the state civil service was in the region of 51,000, after the exercise.
“The state civil service workforce stands in the region of 51,000, being the final outcome of the state verification which took place in the first tenure of this government.
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“However, on minimum wage, the civil servants need to rededicate themselves to the core ideals of public service which is selflessness and wholesome devotion to duty.
“They must come to work at the right time, execute their duties efficiently and effectively which will at the end increase productivity and service delivery.
“Though the workers verification is over, it gave the state government platform to know its valid workforce while new entrants into the state civil service will undergo biometrics registration, ” Bayoko said.
According to him, workers verification process has enabled the state government to determine its true workforce and identified its valid workers.
“There is not going to be a repeat of verification but what will happen going forward is, that new employees of the government will be required to undergo biometric registration and not verification.
“The exercise has helped to put things in their proper perspectives, straightened all irregularities and fished out redundant and ghost workers in the state public service.”
He said that the state government has adopted the resolutions reached on the BSc/HND dichotomy, adding that it would implement as resolved.
The HoS further disclosed that the committee assigned to review the report on those whose appointments were terminated in 2015 in the first tenure of the Okowa administration had submitted the report to his office.
“I just finished reviewing the report of the committee set up to screen the exercise and I am finalising the report for submission to the governor. I want to assure you that the governor will give the issues the required attention.”
He, however, debunked the rumour making round that the last recruitment of 1,000 science teachers in the state was shared as slots to government officials and their cohorts.
“The rumour is part of the people’s deep rooted mindset, though they are seeing the reality but they are thinking otherwise.
“The employment was computerised and applications done online and there was a computer-based test which automatically produces the result from the interviews, so, those who passed know their fate instantly.
“The exercise gave no room for slot sharing, even me, I have no slot and the governor could not interject the process.
“There was no slot sharing in the recently conducted teachers recruitment in the state.”
Bayoko said that discipline remained the hallmark of the state civil service and lauded the State Civil Service Commission (SCSC) for its role in ensuring discipline state public service.
He said that quite a number of staff were punished for various offenses, adding that SCSC had been very strict in enforcing discipline for lateness, negligence of duty, fraud and gross misconducts.
The HoS said though the challenges in the public service could not be addressed overnight, the various reforms in the system had provided platform for civil servants to become effective in the delivery of services.
“The Public service plays a strategic role in the programmes and policies of any administration.
“This present administration, under the leadership of Okowa, has provided the platform for the civil servants to deliver and become productive.
“Therefore, the reforms in the system provide opportunities for the state civil servants to do what is expected of them, that is to deliver service, efficiently and effectively.
“Overtime, civil servants have mindset, so, our reforms are to instill a change of attitude-be punctual at work, be on your desk and execute your duty timely and effectively.
“At the end, productivity increases and service delivery improves.
“In terms of challenges which we are still confronting, there is still room for improvement, bio-metric process has been instituted and disciplinary actions have been handed out.
“However, there are still some persons who find it difficult to adjust and that is giving me concern.
NAN
