
…reassures of commitment to working for people
President Bola Tinibu has charged civil and public servants in the country to take their tasks seriously for a successful implementation of national goals.
This came as he gave the reassurance of the commitment of his administration to working for the benefit of the people.
Tinubu said this at an Award and Gala Night commemorating the 2024 Civil Service Week, in Abuja.
Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, the President commended the dedication of Folasade Yemi-Esan in prioritising some reforms, such as Capacity Building and Talent Management with a well-structured mandatory training Programme (SMAT-P), as well as innovation.
According to a press release issued by the Director of Communication in the OHCSF, M.A. Ahmed, the President however, assured of his administration’s unwavering commitment to cultivating, empowering and professionalising human capital within the Civil Service without undermining welfare and development, so that Civil Servants could optimally perform for the growth of our nation.
“I have provided all the necessary support to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to ensure the continued stability of the Service and to implement far-reaching policies and reforms capable of improving efficiency and service delivery.
“I urged for the swift implementation of these reforms within your respective Ministries. Our commitment to delivering on the Renewed Hope Agenda demands urgency, without compromising due process,” he stated.
On the revelations shared by the Head of the Civil Service regarding employees who had relocated abroad while drawing salaries without formally resigning, President called for the culprits to be brought to book, including those that aided and abetted, insisting that the monies these persons collected must be refunded
While extolling the Awardees, whose exemplary service of integrity, efficiency, and dedication pointed to a collective commitment to a better Nigeria, the President enjoined them to be continually dedicated to their duties, as they strive for excellence in the service to the nation. He added that “with recognition comes more responsibility.”
In her Welcome Address, the Head of the Service of the Federation, underscored the importance of instituting an incentive system that rewards high performance and innovation, while addressing underperformance, insisting that “The Service must not be seen as a dumping ground for job seekers but must attract the best and the brightest, who will contribute fresh ideas and demonstrate the determination and capability to drive national plans toward solving our socio-economic problems.”
She reiterated that the Office took decisive steps to develop a sustainable framework for the implementation of an annual Reward and Recognition System (R&RS) integrated into the sixth pillar of FCSSIP25, Enhancing Value Proposition for Civil Servants (Staff Welfare).
While appreciating the President for the zeal in improving the welfare of the workforce through the N35,000 provisional wage award for all treasury-paid Federal Government workers for six months and ongoing efforts to review the national minimum wage, Yemi-Esan revealed that the Office of the Head of Service has not been working alone in the area of enhancing the value proposition for Civil Servants.
She further disclosed that the Office leveraged on collaboration with stakeholders and private partners in driving its reform processes.
According to her, with the partnerships in place, the level of intervention on R&RS have been scaled up, which include; An Endowment Fund of N500,000 for each of the best performing Civil Servants from the MDAs facilitated by the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation;
The Federal Public Service Entrepreneurship Programme in collaboration with the Bank of Agriculture; Annual Provision of Group Life Assurance (GLA) Cover for Federal Governm