Otti coming with good incentives for Abia workers – HoS
…Reveals how Otti picked new Perm Secs
From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia
With the Abia State civil service running in full steam with Permanent Secretaries now in place and verification of workers almost coming to an end, the state’s Acting Head of Service (HOS), Lady Joy Maduka, has declared that this was the best time to be a civil servant in Abia, revealing that the administration of Dr. Alex Otti, has many good packages in the offing for civil servants.
Acting Head of Service, Lady Joy Maduka, made this known in Umuahia during an interview with newsmen after the swearing-in of the first set of Permanent Secretaries under the leadership of Governor Alex Otti.
Lady Maduka said that the Governor was currently removing ghost workers and those illegally taking salaries without doing anything for the state. According to her, on completion of the verification exercise, the Governor would remove the so-called ‘Abia formula’ and ensure that civil servants receive that which is due to them.
“The best time to be a civil servant is now because he (the Governor) has a lot of packages. By the time we are done with verification, he would go back to, what am I supposed to pay these people? Is this thing the right thing to pay these people?,” the HOS said.
The acting Head of Service emphasised that by the time a civil servant receives what is due to him or her, including payment of salaries as at and when due, releasing of promotions and other welfare packages, there would not be anything else the civil servants would be looking for again as they would have no other reason not to be satisfied with the civil service.
On the recent appointment of Permanent Secretaries, she said that it was done purely on merit as the Governor took time to examine the candidates himself without any influence or interference from anywhere.
Lady Maduka said that the Governor set the questions for the examination of the then prospective Permanent Secretaries and marked them himself and described him as a humble public servant and father of all, who did not consider tribal sentiment, State or LGA leanings in the appointments.
“These Permanent Secretaries are not Permanent Secretaries that lobbied their way. They passed through testing, a series of interviews and they are going to be placed in their areas of specialization,” she said.
“You could just imagine when an Edo man was appointed as a Permanent Secretary. It has never been done. So, what he did was just perfect. I pray that God will continue giving him more wisdom,” she added.
The Number One Civil Servant in the State enjoined other civil servants to endeavour to cue into the ongoing reform agenda of Governor Otti and cautioned that they would find it difficult if they failed to conform to his agenda.
“I also pray that these civil servants fall in line with his agenda for us. We will find it difficult if we don’t fall in line with his agenda,” she warned.
