Just In : President Buhari announces plan to increase Workers’ Salaries
President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to evaluate the pay of worthy civil servants after the work of the Presidential Committee on Harmonization of Salaries Service-wide is finished,
He made this announcement at the Nigeria Civil Service Day Celebration held on Thursday at the Banquet Hall of the State House in Abuja.
Buhari while being represented by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Musa Bello revealed that his administration has previously established the Presidential Committee on Harmonisation of Civil Servants’ Salaries Service-wide.
He said: “This administration is working towards improving the value proposition of the Civil Service.
“Accordingly, I have set up the Presidential Committee on Salaries to harmonise salaries service-wide.
“It is my hope that the outcome of the Committee’s work will provide the impetus for an upward review of the salaries of deserving civil servants, having recently increased the Duty Tour Allowance of all Civil Servants as a starting point.
As this process is still going on, I want to encourage you to be patient with us as you continue to give your best services to enable us sustain the good working relationship between the political office holders and the Civil Servants.
“With the sustained understanding and cooperation, we will together contribute our quota to the development of our country, and our efforts will not be in vain.”
However, he emphasized that in response to the gradual decline in the civil servants’ ability to deliver efficient services, he had instructed the Head of the Federal Civil Service to implement radical and extensive reforms in the Service, and that these changes are now gradually beginning to bear the anticipated fruit.
In addition, he praised the workers’ tenacity, devotion, and dedication in carrying out policies and programs that aimed to advance the nation, despite the challenging economic conditions they were currently facing.
Permit me to state that government would be delighted to have a Civil Service desirous of improving its ability to drive national development through the recommendation of appropriate policies that would enhance the implementation of government programmes.
“At this juncture, I must commend the present crop of civil servants who have fared well in driving the implementation of government programmes as the engine room of government activities.
“In spite of the difficult economic situation the country is passing through at the moment, you have continued to support the government in our efforts to bring dividends of democracy to the populace,” he said.
In order to keep up with the ever-changing needs of Nigerian administration, the President further exhorted employees and public servants to be visionary, innovative, creative, technologically driven, purposeful, and result-oriented.
Buhari also announced a number of awards for some deserving and diligent officers who have shown a high degree of devotion and dedication to duty in their fields of endeavor.
The recognition and awards given to the most deserving officers in the various Ministries, Extra-Ministerial Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of Government last week were continued by this action, he said.
“This is to appreciate the contributions of the Civil Service to national development and challenge you to do more,” he said.
In order to enhance the delivery of services to citizens, the President also unveiled the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 and the Culture Change Video.
Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, in her welcome address explained that the first Pan-African Conference of Ministers of Public/Civil Service which held in Tangier, Morocco in 1994, proclaimed that the 23rd of June each year be commemorated as Africa Day for the Civil Service.
Yemi-Esan, who said Nigeria has been commemorating this day annually from 1999 with week-long activities, said this initiative has given the opportunity to showcase current developments in the Service and reward outstanding Civil Servants.
While commenting on the theme for this year’s celebration which is, “Performance Management System (PMS): Impact on Productivity in the Nigerian Public Service,” She said globally, PMS is adopted as an innovative way of not only getting more work done efficiently and effectively but also ensuring an objective way of measuring performance.
“This is why far-reaching efforts are being made in the Nigeria Civil Service to replace the subjective Annual Performance Evaluation Report (APER) with PMS.
“Hence, the choice of the theme is informed by the need for us to highlight the importance of Performance Management System and galvanise action towards its emplacement in the service.”
The Head of Service thanked the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for its determination and dedication to making sure that no civil servant was owed or laid off as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on the economy.
The awards given to 10 deserving civil servants from various MDAs who distinguished themselves in service were the highlight of the 2022 Civil Service Day celebration.
One of the awardees won a GAC Jeep after the conduct of a ballot, while AIG-Imoukhuede Foundation pledged to give each awardee N500,000.
