Governor of Plateau state, Simon Lalong, has warned civil servants against politicising the civil service, stating that those who were found sabotaging government activities due to political reasons would be shown the way out.
Lalong gave the warning on Tuesday while swearing in the substantive President of the Plateau State Customary Court of Appeal, Justice Blessing Lyop Dalyop, and 11 new Permanent Secretaries.
The governor, while congratulating the new appointees, also demanded loyalty from them, pointing out that the machinery of governance needs not only competent persons, but honest and loyal staff who will support the government to implement its vision and programmes.
He said, “Let me use this opportunity to again remind civil servants of the need to be loyal to the government and avoid all acts that are inimical to the smooth running of the affairs of the State.
“The civil service rules are very clear on responsibilities, privileges and expectations from all civil servants.
“Because we are in a political period, you should endeavour to conduct yourselves within the norms of the service and avoid being used by politicians to disrupt the smooth running of government business. We will not spare those who run contrary to the rules.”
Lalong added that he expected the new Permanent Secretaries to show leadership that is driven by excellence, capacity, discipline, fairness and honesty.
He said that because they are coming into these sensitive positions at a challenging time, they would be required to demonstrate innovation, creativity and resource management in the governance architecture of the State. The time for laxity, bureaucratic bottlenecks and sabotage are over.
He reminded them that the positions they hold are very important because the Rescue Administration is gradually winding down and there is a lot to be done between now and next year. According to him, this is the time for action and performance aa he is determined to complete on-going projects and programmes in line with our promise to leave Plateau better than he met it.
He commended the Head of Civil Service who in collaboration with the Plateau State Information Communication Technology Development Agency ensured the successful conduct of the ICT-based professional aptitude examination for the newly appointed Permanent Secretaries.
The governor said he has further directed the Head of Service to work towards ensuring that all civil servants are fully trained in the use of ICT tools for all Government business because since Plateau State joined the Open Government Initiative, it has continued to receive local and international accolades for our prudence, transparency and all-inclusive approach to governance.
Lalong congratulated the President of the Customary Court of Appeal, urging her to build on the legacies of her predecessors who did their best to ensure the dispensation of justice to the citizens.
Responding on behalf of all appointees, Dalyop assured the governor that they would do their best to serve with honesty and diligence.
Copyright PUNCH.
