Governor Fubara Promises Promotion, Training, and Transparency to Rebuild Rivers State Civil Service
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has revealed that his administration inherited a nearly “dead” civil service. He cited the lack of promotions and human capacity development as key challenges.
Governor Fubara made this statement while addressing Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, Head of Service of the Federation, and her team during their courtesy visit to Government House, Port Harcourt.
He explained that his administration initiated the promotion of civil servants, who had been stagnated for over 11 years. The governor further mentioned that consultants have been engaged to retrain the workforce for effective and efficient service delivery.
“When we came on board, we inherited a civil service with no promotions for 11 years. It wasn’t easy, but we had to restore hope by promoting the civil servants,” Gov. Fubara said. He noted that the last training session for civil servants in Rivers State was held in 2010.
Governor Fubara emphasized that training is essential for building a service capable of delivering transparency, efficiency, and accountability. “Training is the only thing that can build a service that assures hope,” he remarked.
He commended Mrs. Walson-Jack for her contributions and assured her of his administration’s willingness to collaborate to improve the Rivers State civil service. The governor described Mrs. Walson-Jack as a “worthy ambassador” and called on her to protect the interests of Rivers State at the federal level.
“When you become an ambassador of our state, you represent our people. You are also their messenger to protect their interest,” the governor noted.
Gov. Fubara stressed the need to restore the dignity of the state’s civil service, as demonstrated by Mrs. Walson-Jack’s career success. He called for a return to the system where hard work and diligence in state civil service earned recommendations to the federal level.
Mrs. Walson-Jack, in her response, praised Governor Fubara’s leadership vision, which she described as essential to advancing governance in both the federal and state civil services.
She highlighted the importance of collaboration between federal and state governments, stressing that it was crucial for effective governance. Mrs. Walson-Jack noted that her visit to Rivers State was to represent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the 2024 annual management conference of the Nigeria Institute of Management.
“My visit is an opportunity to strengthen our partnership and explore new avenues for collaboration. Together, we can achieve great things for Rivers State and Nigeria,” she said.
She also reaffirmed her commitment to amplifying Rivers State’s concerns and aspirations at the federal level. Mrs. Walson-Jack pledged to support any initiative that aligns with advancing the state, focusing on civil service reforms, including performance management and digital transformation.
In conclusion, Mrs. Walson-Jack expressed her excitement about the upcoming 2024 edition of the Federal Public Service Games, which Rivers State will host in November. She expressed confidence that the event would enhance the state’s reputation as a center for national activities.
