Ekiti govt to elevate 1, 2890 workers

No fewer than 1,280 workers in the employ of the Ekiti State Government, at the weekend, sat for the 2014 Public Service Promotion Examination, which is a pre-requisite for their elevation to the subsequent grade level.

Speaking at Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, venue of the examination, the State Head of Service, Dr. Olugbenga Faseluka, stated that the promotion exercise was a demonstration of the commitment of the State Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose to develop a virile public service.

He asserted that Fayose has “walked the talk”; that he would neither retrench workers nor reduce the minimum wage paid to workers, in spite of the financial crunch which the country was facing.

Faseluka, who explained that the promotion examination would protect, preserve and develop the state public service, said that the Fayose administration depended tremendously on the civil service for the actualisation of its policies and programmes.

“The priority of the Governor Ayo Fayose-led government is to preserve, protect and develop the civil service institution in Ekiti State.

You must have listened to him severally that the welfare of workers in Ekiti State is the priority of his government and this he has demonstrated by walking the talk that there won’t be job-cut in Ekiti State and that there will be no reduction in the minimum wage paid to workers.

This promotion, coming on the heels of those policies, is a further attestation to what he has declared.

The promotion examination, at a very difficult time like this, speaks much about the commitment of the government to develop the capacity and competence of the civil service of Ekiti State”, Faseluka said.

Faseluka, who stated that government provided free transportation for the candidates urged the workers to avail themselves of the Public Service Rules and Regulation as a way of equipping themselves with more knowledge for efficiency.

“This promotion exam is an aspect of such capacity and skill development programmes that we have. I saw a lot of improvement in the service in the last one month since we sent out circulars of this exam.

Civil servants were now buying the civil service rules to read. So I call on them to see it beyond this exam. They should continue to familiarise themselves with the rules of engagement in the civil service so that it can tell on their productivity”, he said.

Also speaking on the examination, the State Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Raymond Ade-Adesanmi, who also wrote the promotion examination, commended the state government for acceding to the workers’ call for 2014 promotion, despite the financial constraints facing the state.

Ade-Adesanmi, who certified the examination to be well organized, said that the labour unions were initially sceptical about the conduct of the examination considering the 2011 examination, which witnessed the demotion of some school principals.

He commended government for releasing the syllabus for the examination; saying that majority of the candidates would pass.

Another candidate in the junior cadre, Miss Tomi Adewumi, described the examination as a welcomed development, and said that the Fayose administration deserved commendations for considering workers’ promotion, when some other states were laying off their workers.