Plateau State Governor Simon Bako Lalong has vowed to continue to overhaul the State Civil Service in order to make it more efficient and responsive to the demands of current challenges in the state.
He vowed to weed out ghost workers in the State Civil Service to give way for more vibrant and talented young people who are experts in information technology
Governor Lalong stated this while swearing in some members of Statutory Boards and Commissions at the New Government House in Rayfield, Jos.
Among those sworn in are the Chairman and Members of the State Civil Service Commission, Disability Rights Commission, Plateau Independent Electoral Commission, State House of Assembly Service Commission among others.
Governor Lalong said the State Civil Service remains the engine of governance which must be constantly upgraded to perform effectively.
According to him, this has led to the current audit to remove ghost workers and those who have tampered with their records to remain in office perpetually.
‘As experienced technocrats, Plateau State will be relying on you to deploy the best of your skills, techniques, and experiences to track down ghost workers, and other fraudulent staff who have over the years tampered with their records to perpetually remain in service,’ he said.
‘This is the only way we can save cost and open up doors for the younger ones to be engaged in service and bring in fresh ideas about governance. Moreover, this is a generation that is driven by Information and Communication Technologies that are at the tip of the fingers of our children. Why then would someone continue to tamper with records to block the younger ones from having an opportunity to serve the State and the nation?’
While admonishing the members of the Disability Rights Commission to be up and doing, the governor said he will continue to fight for the rights of people living with disabilities and ensure their welfare is given priority.
On revenue generation, the Lalong said the target is to raise the internally generated revenue of the state to over 3 billion naira monthly.
He charged the chairman of the PSIRS to drive the process and ensure that the new revenue vision comes to pass.
Governor Lalong also harped on the issue of transparency and accountability by charging the Auditor General of the State; the Director-General of Procurement; and the Member of the State House of Assembly Commission; to be up and doing particularly as they were coming into office when the state has already commenced implementing Full Autonomy for the Legislature and Judiciary.
He said there is a greater need for transparency, accountability and due diligence across the three arms to ensure that resources are used judiciously and for the benefit of the people.
By Gyang Bere,
Sun Newspaper