500 civil servants in Rivers get promotion

By George Onah
Port Harcourt—No fewer than 500 civil servants who have been stagnated in the River State Civil Service have been elevated to the next rank as concessional promotion and as part of efforts to boost the morale of the workers.

Also, after years of inability to fill its slots, the state government has earmarked 56 civil servants for deployment to the federal civil service in the government’s quest to meet the state’s quota at the central level, while about 1500 civil servants have also been sent for certificate training to remedy their qualifications as a necessary basis towards enhancing their chances for promotion in their career.

Chairman of Rivers State Civil Service Commission, Chief A.E. Egobueze, disclosed at the celebration of the 2009 civil servants week in Port Harcourt , that promotion for staff, though a privilege, would be availed for “hard working and conscientious workers”.

Egobueze praised the current administration for “recording some achievements in the service, including fostering staff welfare, remuneration, improvement of facilities and training for civil servants.

According to him,  “the commission has, over the years carried out its functions in strengthening the state civil service, therefore all departments and ministries should partner to bring about sustainable development in the state”.

In a paper presentation, Director of the State’s Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA), Mr. Bolaji Ogunseye, said institutions were developed when gradually planned and managed for achievements.

Speaking on the topic, ‘repositioning state institutions and forging partnership for challenges of sustainable development’, Bolaji was of the view that “attitude and values of people are very important in building institutions that would stand the test of time”.

He then recommended “paradigm shift in perception and attitude of civil servants as part of the measures to reposition the civil service, since good governance does not result in a vacuum”.