Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed on Friday evening, said to reposition the civil service towards reclaiming its lost glory and make it more efficient and result-oriented, his administration took the decision of cleansing the nominal and pay-roll to strengthen the salary administration of the state.
Speaking shortly after the official handover of the vehicles to the permanent secretaries at the government house in Bauchi, Bala Mohammed said upon his assumption of office in 2019, he inherited a highly demoralized and disorganized civil service which was a result of the non-payment of salaries and pension, ghost workers syndrome and other challenges bedevilling the service.
He said the state government is making concerted efforts to ensure that the backlog of gratuities inherited from previous administrations is settled in a holistic manner which will positively affect the socio-economic well-being of the state.
“To this end, I have assented to a law enacted by the state House of Assembly to allow for migration from the defined benefit pension scheme to the contributory pension schemes”
“I want to assure the people of the state and the civil service that I am not unaware of a large number of our youths who have graduated from higher institutions of learning and are roaming the streets aimlessly, saying because of lack of resources, we have not been able to do it for a long time,” he said
Governor Bala further said his administration will free resources to employ other graduates as there has not been employment for so many years, adding that a strong and motivated civil service is the bedrock for the implementation of the policies and programmes of the government for the socio-economic development of the state.
In his welcome address, the state Head of Civil Service, Yahuza Adamu commended the governor for the gesture to motivate civil servants in the state.
He added that despite the limited resources in the state, the administration of Governor Bala Mohammed was able to engage 2, 500 pre-service students that are now gainfully employed in the service of Bauchi State.
“The school of midwifery existing for more than 7 years has not employed anybody but 120 midwives are now employed in your administration and they are now serving in various health institutions across the state.