By Samuel Oyadongha
Yenagoa— Following agitations for the implementation of the N18,000 minimum wage by workers across the country, Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa State, yesterday, decried the attitude of the state civil servants to work.

He said the services offered by workers in the state were not commensurate with wages paid them by the government.

Though the governor had shown commitment to implementing the new minimum wage for its workforce with the setting up of a committee to work out  modalities for the payment, he said the service rendered must be commensurate with the salaries paid by government.

Speaking at the swearing in of Mrs. Gloria Izonfo, the first female Head of Service in the state and six new Permanent Secretaries, Sylva urged the new Head of Service to initiate reforms that would instill discipline in the state workforce.

The governor said: “The civil servants in the state do not report early to duty. Services rendered must be commensurate to the salaries paid by government.

“As Head of Service, you are going to head a civil service I consider not very functional. People don’t perform the job they are employed and paid to do. You must ensure that you make this civil service work. The civil service remains the engine room of any government that wants to succeed. I called on all the senior civil servants to use their positions to improve the standards.”

The new permanent secretaries sworn-in include the Solicitor-General, Mrs. Biobelemoye Onye, Dr. Boumokumo Kpokiri, Dr. Martha Akpana, Mr. Durban Whyte, Mr. Okpoi Ebimotimi and Dr. Henry Simeni.
Mrs. Izonfo takes over from the retired Head of Service, Mr. Obeha Oworibo.

Until her appointment, she was the Permanent Secretary in charge of General Services in the office of the Secretary to the State Government.

Governor Sylva said the civil service in the state was yet to live up to expectations. He charged the new appointee to make it functional to drive the vision of the government.