Governor Sani Bello: Promotion to Grade Level 17 in Niger civil service now to be based on merit

Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello says henceforth, movement of officers to Grade Level 17 must be based on exhibition of requisite skills, competence and performance. 

Governor Sani Bello stated this when he declared open a three-day retreat for Deputy Directors in the State Civil Service organised by the Office of the State Head of Service in collaboration with the Institute of Administration, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, in Minna.

The Governor explained that the retreat is a reaffirmation of his administration’s desire to strengthen and reposition the Civil Service to perform its statutory responsibility as a major stakeholder in policy formulation, implementation, and general administration of the state towards the growth and development of the state. 

He reiterated that the capacity of the Civil Service to effectively deliver on its expected role of implementation of Government policies and programmes is non negotiable, adding that government will sustain efforts to provide enabling environment for those with adequate zeal and necessary qualifications to stand out. 

The Governor assured that the state government will take every opportunity to enhance the abilities of all public servants in a competitive process so that they would be better placed to contribute positively towards the realization of its goals. He said that he believed doing this, will ensure a vibrant, dedicated and result oriented civil service at all levels of government as it is a panacea for socio-economic development of the state. 

He categorically stated that all acts of indiscipline and corruption will not be condoned in the service anymore, and that those in the act of financial recklessness and salary racketeering should have a rethink as Government will ensure that anyone caught in any form of financial impropriety will be made to face the full wrath of the law. 

He urge participants to take full advantage of the opportunity to be attentive, speak up on issues, ask questions and make meaningful contributions to enrich the retreat as they all have equal stake and deserve to be given the opportunity to prove otherwise. 

“Training and retraining of civil servants which I believe is very important, I know it is capital intensive but the quality of our civil servants being the bedrock of the engine room of the entire system should be given a priority”, he added

Earlier, the Head of Service, Hajiya Salamatu Abubakar said the retreat is aimed at developing the state civil service in line with the transformational agenda of the present administration by reforming the service to meet up with the challenges of the 21st Century.

The lead consultant, Professor Mohammed Kabir Isah, stated that there was need to improve policy and management of service delivery in the present dispensation, explaining that the retreat will increase the capacity of the Niger State Civil Service.

Some of the module covered at the retreat include the Civil Service in a Democratic Setting; Political and Governance Issues, the Legal underpinnings of the civil service and its operarions; COVID 19 and the “New Normal”; the policy process in Government; Project Management and Service Delivery in the Public Service; Issues in Personnel Management; Issues in Public Financial Management; and Budgetary Process and Accountability, among others.