Tag: Civil Servants

No amount of pressure will stop us from ‘rightsizing’ civil servants in Kaduna, El-Rufai insists

Kaduna state governor, Mallam Nasir El-rufai has insisted that his government will not be pressurised by Labour or any other group to suspend the sack of civil servants which her termed as an act of rightsizing the state’s workforce.

The governor disclosed this in a state-wide broadcast on Friday.

According to governor El-rufai, the state cannot continue to use 84% to 96% of its revenues to pay salaries of less than 1% of the population.

The governor who gave himself a pass mark on his handling of workers’ welfare condemned the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) shutting down of the state who he described as criminal and an act of economic sabotage.

“Persons on strike can withdraw from the facilities where they are working, but they are not allowed to stop those facilities from functioning….As your government, we will pursue accountability for the crimes that have been committed and seek remedies for our people.” The governor said.

“We cannot continue to use 84% to 96% of our revenues to pay salaries of less than 1% of the population. The rest of our people, all 99% of them, need better schools, hospitals, water supply, roads, markets and support for agriculture to make a living outside government.”

“We will uphold our oath of office to promote the welfare and progress of 10m citizens and we will not spend all or most government resources on the less than 100,000 persons that are public servants. Everyone can see how our urban renewal programme is changing Kaduna, Zaria and Kafanchan for the better. Even our adversaries admit that our social services have improved, and jobs are being created by the private sector due to a conducive economic environment.”

“Therefore, we will rightsize the public service in the interest of the state. In shrinking the public service, we will reduce the number of political appointees and civil servants. We are verifying personnel records to remove staff without the required qualifications or with fake qualifications. While we exit unqualified and poorly skilled people, we continue to recruit more teachers, health workers and other professionals for our agencies.”

“In 2017, we offered land for farming to the unqualified teachers that were disengaged. Not many took up the offer, but it is still available, along with access to concessionary funding for SMEs….”

May 21, 2021
#ThePlatform: Civil servants, not politicians are biggest obstacles to Nigeria’s development – Omole

Charles Omole an international legal scholar and consultant on Saturday said contrary to public perception, civil servants not politicians are biggest obstacles to Nigeria’s development.

Omole said this on Saturday during The Platform, a programme facilitated and hosted by the Senior Pastor of Covenant Christian Centre, Poju Oyemade.

He noted that civil servants play a huge role in bringing about change in the country and wield power even more than a Federal Minister.

“Many people in Nigeria feel the biggest problem we have is the politicians. What if I tell you that is not true? Do you know what the biggest problem we in Nigeria? The biggest challenge we have to change this country is in our civil service.

“Those who know how Civil Service works know that they can grind any system to a halt,” Omole said.

He lamented that many Civil servants are against innovation and modernisation.

“Many of them oppose modernisation. They oppose innovation. They like things being done manually. I wonder why? How many of you know that constitutionally, no Federal Minister in this country can sign a contract to give you job? How many of you understand that? It is the Permanent Secretary that do that.

“So how can a Minister steal without the Civil Service? In fact many times, it is the Civil Servants that teach the novice Minster how to do it,” he said.

The 2021 edition of The Platform is currently being held in Iganmu, Lagos, is themed ‘Is Devolution Of Powers The Solution To Nigeria’s Problem?’

May 1, 2021
COVID-19: Kano directs civil servants to stay at home untill further notice

The Kano state government has directed all civil servants to stay at home from Tuesday, until further notice, following the increase in cases of COVID-19 in the country.

The directive is contained in a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information, Mr Muhammad Garba.

The state government also imposed a fresh ban on the activities of viewing and event centres across the state.
Garba however, explained that workers on essential services such as healthcare service providers, fire service, water board, teaching staff, security guards and the media were exempted from the order.

The commissioner reaffirmed government’s commitment to work with relevant stakeholders, including Islamic scholars and traditional rulers to ensure compliance with the COVID-19 Protocols.

The state government further warned that security agents would not hesitate to take stern measures to ensure compliance with the directive.

The Centre for Disease Control [NCDC] said that Kano recorded 26 new cases on Monday, bringing the total to 2,617. The centre also said that Kano reported 70 deaths while 2,214 cases were discharged.

January 19, 2021
COVID-19: Lagos gives new resumption directives to civil servants

Following the increase in the number of recorded cases of coronavirus in Lagos State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has extended the work-from-home directive to all state public servants on Grade Levels 14 and below to Monday, February 1, 2021.

Governor Sanwo-Olu’s directive was contained in a circular to members of the State Executive Council and all heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies issued and signed by the Head of Service, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola, on Saturday.

According to the governor, the directive on the extension of the resumption date for Grade Level 14 and below from January 18 to February 1 is part of efforts to curtail the spread of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in the state.

The directive, however, excludes essential duty staff, as well as first responders.

All public servants and residents of the state have, therefore, been urged to keep adhering to COVID-19 protocols in order to rid the state of the pandemic in the shortest possible time.

Public and private schools are, however, still scheduled to resume on January 18.

As of Friday, Nigeria had recorded 1,867 new cases of COVID-19, making it the highest daily record in the country ever.

Of the new cases, Lagos recorded its highest ever with 713 new infections followed by Plateau and the FCT with 273 and 199 cases respectively.

The total caseload of the country now stands at 107,345.

However, of the total cases, 84,535 persons have recovered and have been discharged from isolation centers.

1,413 have died from the virus.

January 16, 2021
Lagos raises alarm as many civil servants test positive for COVID-19

The Lagos State Government has raised the alarm over increasing rate at which civil servants test positive for COVID-19.

Head of Service, Hakeem Muri-Okunola, in a statement said the government was concerned at the increasing rate of COVID-19 positivity among civil servants.

The memo addressed to all Accounting Officers, said they should come up with duty rosters to stem the outbreak of COVID-19 in their respective Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs.

He said the roster should be prepared with an officer having to report for duty at most twice a month.

The memo reads: “I wish to note with deep concern the spate at which Officers are testing positive to COVID 19 and hereby enjoins all Accounting Officers to come up with Duty Rosters to stem the outbreak in your respective MDAs.

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“The roster should be prepared with an Officer having to report for duty at most (one week) twice a month.

“Please note that this directive is without prejudice to existing directives and only reinforces same which are in effect and compliance abysmal. Be Responsible. Be Responsive. Be Safe.”

January 12, 2021
Lagos directs civil servants to work from home till January 18

The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has directed all civil servants from Grade Level 14 and below to continue working from home till January 18, 2021.

This is an extension of the directive issued by the state which required the civil servants of Grade Level 14 and below to work from home for 14 days starting from December 21, 2020.

The new directive is contained in a statement signed by the Lagos State Head of Service, Hakeem Muri-Okunola, and titled, ‘Re: stemming The Tide Of The Second Wave Of COVID-19 Pandemic.’

The statement reads partly: “Sequel to Head of Service Circular Ref. No: CIR/HOS/20/Vol.1/139 of 18th December 2020 on stemming the tide of the second wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the State, it is hereby notified for general information that Mr. Governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has further directed all State Public Servants on Grade Levels 14 and below to continue working from home till Monday, 18th January 2021. Expectedly, the directive excludes Essential Duty Staff, as well as First Responders.

“Furthermore, while wishing all staff a prosperous and fulfilling year, please be informed that the Y2021 First Work Day Prayer Session for all Public Servants in Lagos State shall be held in line with tradition on Monday 4th January 2020. However, in keeping with COVID-19 Protocols, the session shall be held via Zoom and live-streamed on Facebook from 7.45am prompt.

“In addition, all Public Servants are enjoined to stay safe and to keep adhering to all COVID-19 Protocols in order to rid the State of the pandemic in the shortest possible time.

“All Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies are urged to note the contents of this circular for compliance and give it the deserved Service-wide publicity.

January 3, 2021
FG scraps APER, introduces PMS for civil servants

The Federal Government has scrapped the Annual Performance Evaluation Report (APER), as a tool for assessing civil servants.

Instead, government has introduced Performance Management System (PMS) as a new evaluation tool.

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, made this known on Monday in Abuja.

She spoke at the opening of a three-day workshop on Service-Wide Training.

According to her, the PMS will create a digitally-driven culture of performance management in the civil service.

Permanent secretaries, selected federal public servants from ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and other stakeholders were participants at the training.

The training was organised in collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM).

Yemi-Esan said her office had been working with its development partners, to implement flagship programmes and policy initiatives to evolve a competent workforce in the country.

She said that the training was aimed at acquainting participants with the requisite knowledge and skills in job objectives, setting, performance appraisal and reward system.

All these, according to her, are vital parts of the PMS that will eventually replace the APER currently being used.

“In 2016, the Harvard Business Review reported a rising performance management revolution. It stated that traditional performance appraisals had been abandoned by more than a third of US companies,’’ she said.

The Vice-President of CIPM, Mrs Titi Akinsanya, said the partnership between CIPM and the office of the HOCSF was borne out of the desire to achieve the objectives of a better civil service in the country.

She emphasised that the CIPM initiative was about the total transformation of the federal civil service.

“PMS is about making yourself accountable to what you have to deliver on a day-to-day basis, to ensure that you succeed, your team succeeds and the entire federal service system succeeds,” Akinsanya said.

The Permanent Secretary in the office of the HOCSF, Mr Mammam Mahmuda, said that the objectives of PMS is to strengthen civil servants to be more responsible and accountable in the discharge of their duties.

November 16, 2020
Federal civil servants wait in vain for October salary as FG maintains scary silence

A week after the Office of Head of Civil Service to the Federation,( HoCSF) promised to pay October salaries, civil servants are yet to receive alerts.

TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports this unusual development which has generated fears that the Federal Government must be broke.

Recall that TNG had barely two weeks ago reported how civil servants besieged office of the HoS demanding for their October salaries.

The HoS had quickly promised via a memo that October salaries will be paid before weekend of same week.

A probe into the issue by TNG revealed that as at 3pm on Friday (today) no civil servant has received an alert.

Some of the civil servants who spoke to TNG under the condition of anonymity simply said “we Don wait tire this is an unusual development and it’s scary.

Another civil servant told TNG that” I have served for 23years there has been no time our salaries were delayed for so long.

A third source said”all we are hearing is that some Ministries over employed and their names were smuggled into the pay roll system hence this long delay.

“We are equally scared because FG has delibetely refused to address the situation as it’s and my brother you know there’s hunger in this country.

“If this trend continues we maybe forced to remain at home and we’ll see how this government will drive this economy without us.

November 13, 2020
Federal Civil Servants groan, moan in wait for October pay alert

…departments and agencies still waiting for two months backlog

Federal Civil Servants on Friday are groaning and moaning as they patiently await October pay alerts to no avail.

TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the inability of Federal Government to pay October salaries amid fears that government maybe broke.

Recall that TNG had reported last week Monday that civil servants had stormed the office of the Head of Civil Service demanding to know why their October salaries had remained unpaid.

TNG reliably gathered that after an appeal to the civil servants, they were promised that before Friday their salaries must have been paid.

As at 4pm on Friday, most Civil Servants are yet to receive any alert as promised.

Multiple sources confirmed to TNG at the Federal Secretariat said as at 4pm no signal of payment.

One of the sources told TNG that”this has not happened for a long time and we are beginning to feel that this has gone beyond the ordinary.

“My brother I have checked for alert all day long no alert ringing tone wetin man go chop for weekend.

“We were made to fill various forms on Tuesday and Wednesday and we were promised heaven and Earth that our October salaries must show by Friday.

Another top officer of one of the major ministries also spoke in the same vein threatening that”after Monday if no see alert I will work from home for good oh.

“Our colleagues in agencies are worst hit as they have not received a backlog of two months now.

Also, recall that it was speculated last Monday that the Federal Government maybe broke.

November 6, 2020
BREAKING: Federal Civil Servants storm HoS office for salaries amid speculation FG is broke

Aggrieved Federal Civil Servants on Monday stormed the office of the Head of Civil Service to the Federation, (HoCSF) demanding for their salaries amid speculation that the Federal Government is broke.

TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the aggrieved civil servants of core Ministries, Departments, Agencies of Government (MDAs) had stormed the office of the HoCSF demanding for their salaries.

Multiple sources privy to this development told TNG that “the core Ministries are even lucky as they are owing their workers only October salaries.

“Some of us in the agencies are suffering because they claimed we over employed so they are owing us a backlog of two to three months.

“It’s a sad development because we are equally hearing that the FG is even broke and that we have exhausted our 2020 budget on personnel.

Another source also confirmed that “what they’re owing us is about two months but fears are the stories that FG maybe broke.

“As for those of us in the core ministries it’s just October but our colleagues in the Agencies are going through hell”.

At the weekend speculations were rife that some Ministries, Departments and Agencies MDAs in the Federal Civil Service have reportedly exhausted their 2020 personnel costs and therefore unable to pay the salaries of their staff.

Impeccable sources said that funds meant for personnel costs are domiciled in accounts overseen by the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System IPPIS department in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation OAGF.

The situation is such that the morale of officers and men of the Federal Fire Service for instance is now at an all-time low following the inability of the Ibrahim Alhaji Liman-led management of the service to pay salaries of the operatives for the past two months.

More details soon…

November 2, 2020