By Kingsley Agim
The Head of Service of the State, Mr. Timothy Akwaji has urged Permanent Secretaries in the State to play the critical role of reorienting staff towards ethical standards in the Service.
The Head of Service gave the charge, recently, when the Executive of the College of Permanent Secretaries paid a courtesy visit on him in Calabar.
Likening Permanent Secretaries to Generals who are supposed to lead from the battlefield, Mr. Akwaji said: “I want to use this opportunity to call on Permanent Secretaries to assist to orient staff to turn a new leaf. Now that the State Government is at the verge of rejigging the service for better productivity, you should be able to lead staff under your various offices aright.”
Stressing on the difficult financial situation in the State that has made it almost impossible to ask government for everything, the Head of Service called on the College of Permanent Secretaries to, as a matter of policy, begin to organize in-house training for staff.
“A lot of staff are retiring and the greenhorns need to learn the ropes from more senior technocrats, rather than hiring consultants amidst harsh financial conditions, every Permanent Secretary is groomed to drive positive attitudinal change in the service; so from time to time, we will call upon you to lead in that direction,” Mr. Akwaji beckoned.
Speaking further, Mr. Akwaji extolled the Governor Ben Ayade-led administration for demonstrating unprecedented commitment to the State workforce such that in seven years now salaries and pensions are paid as at when due in spite of the monetary predicament of Cross River State, reassuring that “even the gratuities that seem like a challenge, the monthly seed fund of 50 million Naira, effective January, 2022, as pronounced by Governor Ayade, will soon take care of the matter.
The Head of Service-cum-Journalist also charged Permanent Secretaries to lead advocacy on benefits of the soon-to-commence AYADECARE Health Insurance Scheme to elicit staff buy-in for a healthier and productive citizenry.
In his remarks, the Provost of the College of Permanent Secretaries, Dr. Innocent Eteng stated that the visit was a demonstration of the College’s support and resolve to work with the Head of Service in the advancement of the service of the State.
He further said it was also an avenue to introduce to the Head of Service the new executive members of the College, which he assured, are poised to strengthen and reposition the top brass unit of the Service, especially in the area of welfare and also present the Head of Service with an itinerary of the College’s activities aimed at bettering the lot of members.
Dr. Eteng also used the opportunity to commend the Head of Service for “taking deliberate steps to reposition the service” since since mounting the saddle as the number one civil servant in the State.
“Your interactive meetings with Permanent Secretaries and Directors of the Cross River State Civil Service, as well as the Organized Labour are indicative of your effort to move the State forward and ensure that the Service is revitalized.
The Provost also lauded the proactive innovation of the Head of Service in deploying a team to monitor the goings on in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government in the State.
The team leader, who appealed for the deployment of square pecks to man square positions in the Service, also prayed for sagacity upon Mr. Akwaji in his quest to create impact as the Head of Service of the State.
The team also commended the Ayade-led administration for the prompt payment of salaries since its inception and his renewed interest in strengthening the Service.
Also on the team of executives of the College on the visit were the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Registrar of the College, Elder Emmanuel Eke; the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Communication Technology and Bursar of the College, Mrs. Aniedi B. Ekpenyong; and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power and Public Relations Officer of the College, Sir Denis Utang.
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