Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State has charged participants of the Senior Executive Course (SEC) of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) to conduct a research on the security and economic challenges of the country.
Tambuwal, according to a statement by Mr Muhammad Bello, his Special Adviser Media and Publicity, gave the task when he received the participants of the SEC Course 43 of the NIPSS on a study tour in Sokoto on Wednesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the participants, led by Prof. Dung Pam-Sha, were on a study tour to Sokoto state as part of Course 43.
The governor said being a think-tank with vast experience in issues of governance, the institute needs to conduct a research on the economic and security challenges of the country in order to find lasting solution to the problems.
He tasked the institute and the participants to find ways of making the private sector more attractive than the public service due to the economic situation of the country.
“As a team, the participants have a role to play by looking at what is happening around the public service in Nigeria and how best they can make it more productive.
“Moreover, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has weakened the civil service structure, as such the need to give more emphasis to private sector than the public services,” he said.
On restructuring, the governor said the country does not need any physical or geographical reconfiguration, but what will make life better for the people.
Tambuwal also charged the federal government on recruitment, welfare, training andcequipping of security agencies to enable them perform their duty effectively.
He enumerated some of the achievements of his administration as preparing youths in the state, especially girls for the future through Science, Technology and Engineering.
Others were Mathematics (STEM) education, social investment targeting the indigent, economic support for youths, prompt payment of salary and pensions.
He said that the state government is doing its best in addressing the challenges of gratuity as well as other allowances to civil servants “even at the government is managing its funds in order to meet the needs in other sectors”.
The governor added that despite the economic challenges in the country, the state government does not intend to sack workers.
“Instead an agreement would be brokered, when the need arises, to source for funds by taxing elected officials and political appointees to pay the civil servants pending when the situation improves and the deductions made would be repaid,” he said
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He further said the state government is collaborating with the state chapter of the Alumni Association of the National Institute (AANI) in order to promote good governance in the state.
He assured that the collaboration would continue, as he appreciated the immense contribution of the local chapter which has the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, and other prominent indigenes as members.
The leader of the delegation, Prof. Dung Pam-Sha, had earlier informed the governor that they were in the state to conduct a study tour.
He said they have visited so many sites of the state government projects and were impressed with the huge investment on education and health, among others.
He also commended Tambuwal for being gender sensitive in the appointment of cabinet members and other top jobs in the state workforce. (NAN)
