Dickson, before the kick-off of the town hall meeting, took his time again to explain the rationale behind the public service reforms to disabuse the minds of Bayelsans.
Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
For 192 hours, the Bayelsa State government through its officials carried the gospel of the human face of the public service reforms to the people across the eight local government councils.
From Sagbama to Southern Ijaw to Kolokuma/ Opokuma to Ekeremor to Brass to Nembe to Yenagoa to Ogbia, the mission was to puncture news making the round after the Amasooma violence in which about seven were killed that the on-going public service reforms was targeted at select group over perceived political differences. Governor Seriake Dickson had given his blessings to the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Daniel Iworiso-Markson to carry out the town hall meetings in the local government headquarters and spread the gospel of the human face of the public service reforms.
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Reforms or Bayelsa grind to a halt
Dickson, before the kick-off of the town hall meeting, took his time again to explain the rationale behind the public service reforms to disabuse the minds of Bayelsans.
He said his government has no intention to witch-hunt anybody.
“For the opposition spreading lies, I challenge them to develop their community and let us see, if they can’t they should join us. If you can’t bring development to us don’t bring destruction to our state. Part of the lasting legacies we would leave behind would not be only in the schools, hospitals and roads and bridges that we are building; it won’t be only a legacy of stability and security of our state, it would also need to include a legacy of a public service that is disciplined, well motivated and solid. This is what we are embarking on in the public service reforms. Like everything human, it cannot be perfect and I am always very sensitive to that. This is because I see people who should be dismissed; people who should be arraigned in courts for forgery, I said they should not because the reforms must have a human face. The people concern with fake certificates should meet the committee with the last genuine certificate otherwise stop complaining. Those who have to retire at 60 or 35 years of service, you have to go on retirement. Those whose names are there but are not coming to work but are receiving salaries, we are going to remove your names. All those who want to make a career in public service, particularly young graduates, this reforms would throw a lot of opportunities to you. We would not allow fraudsters in the public system, those who think they have a right to defraud this state. If you are a civil servant who is tired of the work, retire quietly and don’t stay to badmouth anybody. If you want to play politics, leave the service to play your politics. If you are a genuine civil servant ready to work with any government, let me assure you that no harm would come your way. These reforms are not intended to punish or bring hardship to any law abiding civil servant doing his job.”
Markson, at the opening of the town hall meeting at the Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre, explained the urgency of the public reforms to salvage the state from grinding to a halt due to the rot that has permeated the civil service. He reiterated that there were no plans to sack any civil service, except those who would use their own hands to sack themselves.
Markson harped on the same message in all the eight council headquarters he took the gospel to salvage Bayelsa to.
“The whole essence of this reform is to create space for our people, the youths. The interesting thing to note is that more opportunities would be created. That is why we need everyone to support this reform; we need the people to back the government. I am so excited already with the support we are getting with the attendance of stakeholders. I believe very strongly that over more 5,000 job opportunities would be created….The reforms are here to stay. We are going to continue to engage with our people so that all of us would carry this campaign to all nooks and crannies of our state that there is need to continue to engage our people so that we can sanitise the system and create more opportunities. This is what we must do as Bayelsans.”
Two first class traditional rulers, Funpere Akah of Gbarain Kingdom and Okpoitari Doingoli of Opuokun IV, Ibedaowei of Opokuma pleaded for human face for the reforms because of the adverse effect.
Akah who spoke on behalf of Yenagoa traditional rulers said the monarchs were in full support of government’s action, adding however, that government needed to look inwards and weed out the bad eggs sabotaging government’s good intention.
“The whole traditional rulers in Yenagoa agreed that we are going to key into these reforms. I am not here to say a different thing. I am here to declare that the traditional rulers in Yenagoa local government area are backing the reforms…The issue of certificate forgery, age, employment racketing… it was not ordinary people that did them. These things were done by people in government, past and now. So, government should also look inwards. I have told the governor that the civil servants have not told him the truth of the civil service.”
But Doingoli had just one request: make the reforms wear a human face for the sake of Bayelsans.
“The traditional rulers are supporting the reforms but as fathers we would wish to add that the reforms should have a human face. In the whole of Bayelsa, the private sector is non-existent, government is the only employer of labour, and so if the government decides to be radical in its approach, the lot of people and families would bear the brunt. Therefore, as fathers, we hear the cries of our people, some genuine, some not too genuine. For instance, those who have falsify their results, age, employment racketing, no genuine government would condone that. Those who are overaged should retire honourably. But let the reforms not be personalised. So far so good, what the government is doing is well intentioned and we don’t have any reason not to support the government. The tradi- tional rulers of Kolokuma/Opokuma wholeheartedly endorse the reforms of the Bayelsa State government.”
The hope is that the rot being taken out would not find its way back in multiple folds.