By Bridget Tikyaa
The civil service, in all climes is the engine room of governance. It articulates government policies, design and implement. It doesn’t matter which government is in power, the task of the civil service is to drive the government policies and programmes to fruition. Thus, for the civil service to perform optimally it must be insulated from party polititics. This will give civil servants the freedom to run the service and guide political appointees on all aspects of civil service and financial rules, so as not to run foul of the law.
In Benue State, Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia, has since assumption of office initiated a reform of the state civil service, to restore confidence and energise the workers to put in 100% of their efforts to the service of the state.
His directive on January 14 to the 13 newly sworn-in Permanent Secretaries to be non-partisan and act responsibly in the discharge of their duties is the tonic every civil servant in the state require to step on the pedal. Majority of civil servants have integrity and track record of service they want to jealously guard, and this directive will help to insulate them from the undue influence of political office holders.
The governor directed them to ensure that staff under them adhere to the codes of the civil service, and instill in them the culture of discipline and respect for constituted authorities.
The appointment of the 13 Permanent Secretaries is therefore another decisive step to strengthen the state’s civil service as part of the ongoing reforms of rejuvenating the service to make it more responsive and responsible in delivering good governance in the state.
Some of the key reforms undertaken by the state government to boost service delivery include among others, the prompt payment of salaries, on the 25th of each month. This was a huge leap for the civil servants who were hitherto denied that by the previous administration.
The governor has also after assessing the discrepancies in promotions and appointments in the civil service, took bold steps to rejig the system, normalise the process and ensure strict compliance with civil service rules and regulations, thus ending the era of impunity when junior staff were promoted above their seniors.
Apart from the digitisation of civil service operations, the governor has renovated the state Secretariat and ensured regular supply of electricity and water. There has also being a real time tracking of the performance of every civil servant, such that no one will benefit from what he did not sow, when it comes to promotion and posting.
It is therefore imperative for the new permanent secretaries to take every step necessary to support the governor in his efforts to bolster Benue State civil service, enhance governance and facilitate transformative outcomes.
As they assume their new roles, the government and people of Benue state expect that they will deploy administrative astuteness and moral integrity to bring about innovative direction for efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of good governance for the benefit of all.
The task before the 13 new permanent secretaries, therefore, is to actualise the ongoing reforms, make the civil service an efficient vehicle of delivering government programmes and policies, ensure quality service delivery, and collectively work to actualize the vision of Governor Hyacinth Alia of making Benue State great.
Bridget Tikyaa
Is the Principal Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Publicity and Communications Strategy
