There are no plans to either sack or retrench workers in Edo State, rather the ongoing reforms in the state’s civil and public service are aimed at improving productivity and service delivery to Edo people, Governor Godwin Obaseki reassured at the weekend.
Obaseki gave the assurance while addressing participants during a stakeholders’ engagement of the Edo State Transition Committee with Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Heads of Local Government Administration (HOLGA) and the Judiciary at the New Festival Hall, Government House, Benin City.
He said though other states across the country are retrenching workers and cutting down the minimum wage as a result of dwindling economic fortunes, his administration will train and strengthen the civil and public service, ensuring that the workforce is equipped with the right tools and skills to compete globally.
“We are not going to retrench workers or sack anyone, but you must follow the new trends and conform to the new rules and if you can’t cope, you should move out from the service yourself. I will train you to get the desired output from you; we are going to generate more revenue to run our state.”
The governor warned the workers against cutting corners to favour themselves, and urged them to be committed and stand upright to better the system.He continued: “I will see how your pay and allowance can be improved, but I don’t want to see or hear that any one of you is found corrupt, or engaged in corrupt practices; I will not accept that.
I have spoken to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to collaborate with us on this, and also organise training for you people.
“I will bring in experts to train you in your areas of specialization, and make sure that all leakages are blocked to enable us to move our state forward.
“My administration is determined to make things work the way it should be; the era of who you know is over, it is now the era of what you can offer the system.”
“As heads of MDAs, institutions and departments, you should not allow any file to stay in your offices beyond 48 hours. Anyone who flaunts the rule will get an automatic query and after three queries such a person leaves the system. As the governor of the state, no file stays in my office beyond 48 hours,” Obaseki noted.
On his part, Edo State Head of Service and Chairman, Transition Committee Chairman, Barr. Anthony Okungbowa said, “Obaseki is investing in creating e-governance platforms, reviewing rules of service, and developing performance management strategy scorecards to rate workers performance.”
Okungbowa said the Obaseki-led administration has embarked on training and retraining of Edo State public and civil Servants, ensuring that Edo people get the best out of them.
