Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola , has restated his administration’s commitment to the welfare of the State workforce, describing it as sacrosanct and not a choice.
He mentioned the prompt payment of workers’salary, implementation of minimum wage, payment of gratuity and pensions to the senior citizens in the face of available resources as well as restoration of Car loan scheme among others.
“All these have been targeted at boosting the productivity of workers as the engine room of government and that of the economy as well to show the senior citizens that we cherish their meritorious services to our dear state”.
The Governor made these known in Osogbo on Friday, at the 4th Chief Inaolaji Aboaba Trust Foundation Lecture.
Oyetola, who described the State bureaucrats as trustees of the common wealth of the society said they must always be accorded their due respect and honour, adding that doing anything in contrary will jeopardize the public service.
The Governor, who was represented by his Deputy, Benedict Alabi, said the progress which the state has made within the last 30 years of its creation was made possible through selfless contributions of the bureaucrats.
He described as very apt and thoughtful, the topic of the lecture, “Dynamics of Relationship in the Contemporary Public Service”, arguing that societal development rests squarely on the arms of the interplay between public service and the society and the symbiotic relationship between the public service and the government.
Oyetola continued, “Considering the journey of the last thirty years of the creation of our State, I am convinced that we all can be proud of the progress we have made. This is particularly so because, your strident labours and sacrifice these past decades have given us a distinct identity among comity of states and have built for us an evolving developmental legacy characterised by its resilience and empathetic responsiveness to the socioeconomic needs of our people.
“It is equally on the strength of this conviction that our government, since assuming office over three years ago, has continued to place unrivaled premium on a healthy partnership between you, our supporting workers and us.
“Whatever it is you have seen in the last three years as a token of our commitment to you, either in terms of prompt payment of your remunerations, implementation of the minimum wage, restoration of the car loan scheme, among others have all been targeted at boosting your morale as the engine room of our economy”.
Prof. Taiwo Makinde from the Department of Political Science/Public Administration, Faculty of Business and Social Sciences, Adeleke University, Ede, in her Lecture suggested the way forward in the quest of building virile and productive public service.
He concluded that the training and retraining of civil servants remain very necessary for greater performance as well as regular seminars and workshop for political office holders.
She also recommended the enforcement of rules and regulations of the public service through giving appropriate punishment to erring officers among others.
