Returning Abia Civil Service to its former glory, irreversible – Wamah

From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia

Abia State Head of Service, Sir Onyii Wamah, says his resolve to return the Service to its former glory when the culture of punctuality to work, productivity, discipline and respect for seniority were the hallmarks of a virile Public Service, is irreversible.

Wamah has therefore warned that there would be no sacred cow in government that would constitute a stumbling block to his irrevocable commitment to achieving his goal of returning the present service to its previous enviable status.

A statement by the Press/Public Relations Officer in the Office of the Head of Service, Mrs. Adaeze Ralph Igbokwe, Wamah spoke at a mini-seminar organized by the Public Service Examination Board held at the at the Kanu Nwankwo Indoor Sports Hall of Umuahia Township Stadium, which heralded the commencement of the on-going 2021 written promotion examination for civil servants in the state.

According to the statement, the Head of Service maintained that the challenge of galvanizing and ensuring an egalitarian public service,  as well as raising the Service to the 21st century standard required a collective effort of all public servants and stakeholders.

He expressed annoyance over the nonchalance, general laissez-faire, and insensitivity exhibited in the service and commended members of the Public Service Examination Board, for their effort in organizing the  training which, according to him, would contribute a lot to the desired outcome of the ongoing re-orientation exercise aimed at building the ideal Public Service.

Speaking on the theme of the seminar: “Public Service Ethics,” the Permanent Secretary, Bureau of Administration and Career Management, Mr. Benson Enyioko, called on public servants  to shun all forms of indiscipline, corruption and other acts inimical to the growth of the Service.

Mr. Enyioko who admonished the participants to exhibit high level of responsibility in the discharge of their duties, advised them to be disciplined and demonstrate maturity as well as decorum in the promotion examinations.

Also, the Permanent Secretary, Bureau of Establishment and Pensions, Mrs. Clare Onyegbu, described capacity building as a vital tool in equipping the workforce to confront future challenges of the office. She also urged public servants to cultivate the habit of reading voraciously to enhance their performance within and outside the Service.

Mrs Onyegbu who expressed regrets that some Public Servants, particularly, the newly employed, were ignorant of the norms and operations of the public service, requested the management staff of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to critically look into the causes of the decay in the public service and device strategies to address them in order to check further standard decline in the service.

Meanwhile, the state government has declared as unacceptable, the non-compliance of the wearing of Native/Traditional/Made-in-Abia clothes as official dress on Wednesdays for the Abia work force.

The State Head of Service, Sir Onyii Wamah, made the declaration during an unscheduled visit to the Umuahia Township Stadium, venue of the 2021 written promotion examination, to assess the conduct of the examination and physical appearance of officers sitting for the promotion, confirmation and conversion examinations.

Sir Wamah, who directed Permanent Secretaries and Heads of MDAs, to ensure strict adherence to the Wednesday official attire, warned that government would henceforth  sanction public servants who violate the Public Service Code of Conduct and Service rules.

The Chief Servant of the State Civil/Public Service wondered why some public servants, even after the distribution of government circulars, repeated radio and television announcements, still indulge in flagrant disobedience to government policies and programmes and implored the workforce to desist forthwith as further violation would earn such officer(s) disastrous consequences in line with the stipulated Public Service rule.

Sir Wamah who also charged civil/public servants  to embrace a positive general change of  attitude to work, however, wished them good luck in their exams.

 While appreciating the State Head of Service for the visit, the Permanent Secretaries,  Ministry of Basic and Post Basic Education, Mr Eze Ajuzie and that of Bureau of Training, Mrs Victoria Alaribe, expressed satisfaction with the Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu  administration doggedness and reforms so far in making the  Public Service better.

Highlight of the visit was the automatic confirmation, granted by the State Head of Service, Sir Onyii Wamah, to a female civil servant sitting for the examination, and whose pregnancy is at the maturity stage.