By Hillary Asemota
The Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Trade and Industry, Dr. Nasir Sanni Gwarzo has said that the present administration deserves commendation for not retrenching workers and for ensuring prompt payment of workers salary despite the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Gwarzo said this while fielding questions from journalists at the end of the special Jummat service in commemoration of the 2021 Civil Service Week on Friday in Abuja.
The Director of Press and publicity at the Head of Service, Mr. AbdulGaniyu Aminu, in a statement quoted Gwarzo as saying that the President’s magnanimity with respect to the welfare of civil servants was unparalleled, adding that “when the Private Sector and other countries were retrenching workers due to inability to pay salaries arising from Covid-19 pandemic, President Muhammadu Buhari ensured that civil servants got paid at the appropriate time even when the Work-From-Home directive subsisted in the Civil Service”.
The Permanent Secretary also praised the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan for taking bold measures in introducing innovative reforms in the Civil Service and added that in the next few years, Nigerians will start seeing the positive effects of these reform measures.
He explained that the reforms being piloted by Dr. Yemi Esan in such areas as Digitization, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Enterprise Content Management (ECM), Culture Change and general deployment of technology will eventually lead to enhanced service delivery and rob off on other layers of Civil Service like state and the local government administration in the country.
This, he added, will eventually impact on the life of Nigerians from the grass roots to the top.
Gwarzo further that said that he came on behalf of the Head of Service to seek God’s guidance and protection for the entire work-force in the Service.
He said similar prayers would be offered in churches across the nation for the Civil Service.
In his sermon, the officiating Iman at the National Mosque, Ustaz Muhammed Kabir Adam lauded Civil Servants for their sacrifice to the nation and prayed for their continued protection and safety in the face of many challenges.
He admonished then to shun corruption and carry out their duties which utmost commitment and dedication to the nation.