Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, said on Wednesday that his administration would continue to do everything to enhance the effectiveness of the civil/public service in the state.
The governor noted that the state was committed to training and retraining of civil and public servants to further enhance their performance.
Governor Makinde stated this while receiving the management of the Council of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN), led by its President and Chairman of the Council, Mrs Funmi Ekundayo, in his office.
He maintained that since the inception of his administration, the state government has been facilitating the training and retraining of civil and public servants in the state as required for their career progression and enhancement for better discharge of their duties.
Speaking on the appointment of Permanent Secretaries, the governor noted that his administration has always insisted on 80 per cent merit and 20 per cent special consideration in the selection of Permanent Secretaries and that it would continue to promote merit and excellence.
He said: “I only see names of people being recommended for Permanent Secretary positions and there is no personal interest. So, I hardly know them.
“For me, it is on paper. These individuals qualify and sometimes you want to balance the geopolitical zones of the state. If we don’t have anybody from Ibarapa, we check the most qualified from the zone and they bring them in. And sometimes, people bring religion into what we are doing.
“We have taken 80 per cent on merit and 20 per cent on special consideration. We look at how many Christians and Muslims from the special consideration should fill available vacancies.”
The governor promised the state’s support for the Institute on its building project.
He added, “On the employment of your members, we don’t discriminate here. If they are qualified, we will go through a selection process that is transparent and rigorous.
“The policy for us is to encourage 80 per cent merit, because we know that the 80 per cent will overwhelm the 20 per cent and can still put that percentage into perfection. It is quite different from what we met where the reverse was the case. But that has changed.
“We tried it for the first term with the recruitment of teachers and the 80 per cent that we brought in on merit without knowing anybody became the champions among teachers. The work ethics and the way they have taken the assignment encouraged us to maintain that standard.
“So, your members should apply. If specifically, you feel strongly about some people who take our exam and they are not selected, you can come back to us and we will see if they can be accommodated within the 20 per cent window.”
Earlier in her remarks, the President and Chairman of the Institute, Mrs Ekundayo, acknowledged the people-oriented policies and good governance being implemented by Governor Makinde.
She also solicited for more collaboration between the government and the institute on a framework for training and capacity development for civil and public servants, in order to help deliver values.
The event had in attendance the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Olanike Adeyemo; Chief of Staff, Otunba Segun Ogunwuyi and other government functionaries.
