Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State has emphasized that his administration has accorded appropriate importance to the welfare and capacity building of the workforce.
He stated this Thursday at the closing ceremony of eight weeks induction course for administrative officers and official launching of a website for the office of the Head of Service jointly organised by the latter in collaboration with Umaru Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic, Sokoto.
He said the efforts were because of the administration’s firm belief that the
transformation of any society or system depends largely on the effectiveness and efficiency of its workforce.
He explained that the present administration, in recognition of the pivotal role of the Civil Service as an agent of development, is taking every possible step to ensure adequate professional training and capacity building for all categories of workers in the State.
”We must provide enabling environment, training and retraining of the personnel either, in the civil service, the teaching profession or in the medical profession among others,” he said.
According to him, no government can be run effectively without strong institutional structures, well trained and well numerated civil servants.
”We must have an efficient well renumerated bureaucrats either at the local government , state or federal level for us to achieve effective service delivery to the people,” Tambuwal added.
He said one of the best way to fight against corruption is to ensure that civil servants are well renumerated because they are the gate keepers who evaluate contractors performance and government relies on their reports, “so if they compromise what will happen?,” the governor asked.
On the just concluded induction course, the governor expressed optimism on the nature of its delivery, saying that it would inspire and acquaint the participants with the rudiments of their duties as Administrative Officers for greater efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery.
He said the state government will continue with the verification exercise it has started and extend it to local government staff, teachers, among other personnel in order to plough what will be realized into provision of rural roads, water, electricity, security among others.
On the new website, the governor maintained that the role of Information and Communication Technology in entrenching good governance by simplifying
stakeholder participation and engagement in the development process is not in doubt.
He said establishing a website to facilitate seamless dissemination of information on service matters, as well as making such available in digital form, is not only timely but long overdue.
He higlighted some of the notable achievements of his administration assponsorship of workshops, conducting of seminars, in house trainings, retreats and induction courses,
He also said the state government has also consented to partnerships with various professional institutions, such National the Institute of Management (NIM) and Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM); organized Special Computer Training for all civil servants with minimum qualification of secondary school education, and; prompt payment of salaries, allowances and pension.
The governor also said state government has also ensured swift implementation of the new national minimum wage with consequential adjustments, while implementing the revised Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) for the benefit of our medical doctors as well as the implementation of Consolidated Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Academic Salary Structure (CONPCASS) and Consolidated Tertiary Education Institutions Salary Structure (CONTEDISS) for academic and non-academic staff of tertiary institutions.
Others according to governor were the renovation and equipping of the Civil Service Club and provision of a functional gymnasium at the club and the reintroduction of the State Merit Award under which hardworking workers were rewarded.
He also said the present administration has completed and allocated the Kalambaina Housing Estate to Civil Servants on owner occupier basis and sold all non-essential Government quarters to their occupants, who are predominantly Civil Servants, at a subsidized rate.
He also said recently, the state government entered into partnership with Family Homes Funds to construct over 5000 houses for Civil Servants in both the state capital and local governments areas.
The governor further explained that state government is also facilitating the supply and delivery of 9000 motorcycles to civil servants on loan.
He emphasized that while Government is striving to meet its own obligations, the civil servants are also duty bound to reciprocate the gesture by rededicating yourselves to the core values of the service, anchored on transparency, accountability, humility, neutrality, loyalty and incorruptibility in the delivery of service to state and the country at large.
Earlier in his address the head of civil service in the state Alhaji Abubakar Muhammad (mni), said for the past two decades the civil service did not get the opportunity to sustain training and re-training of civil servants as the present administration have been doing.
He said by this effort by the governor brings back the lost glory of the civil service
