Joy Maduka, the Abia State Acting Head of Service, has said that the best time to be a civil servant in the state was now that the administration of the Governor Alex Otti has many good incentives in the offing for the civil servants.
Maduka stated in an interview with newsmen in Umuahia after the recent appointments and swearing-in of the first set of Permanent Secretaries under Governor Otti’s administration.
She said that the Governor was currently removing ghost workers and those who hitherto had illegally been collecting salaries without doing anything for the state.
According to her, on completion of the verification exercise, the Governor would expunge the so-called ‘Abia formula’ and ensure that civil servants receive that which are due to them.
She said: “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, then he would go back to what am I supposed to pay these people? Is this thing the right thing to pay these people?”
The Acting number one Abia Civil servant emphasized that, by the time a civil servant receives what is due to him, including payment of salaries as 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 noted that it was done purely on merit as the Governor took time to examine the candidates himself without any influence or interference from anywhere.
Maduka revealed 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 linings in the appointments.
“These Permanent Secretaries are not Permanent Secretaries that lobbied their ways. They passed through testing, series of interviews and they are going to be placed in their areas of specialisation
“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,” he said.
She enjoined Civil servants to endeavour to que into the ongoing reform agenda of Governor Alex Otti and cautioned that they would find it difficult if they fail to fall in line with 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 said.
Businessday