Workers in Akwa Ibom State Public Service (HCS) are to receive the new national minimum wage by the end of the month with arrears.
Effiong Essien, Head of Civil Service in the state disclosed during this year’s pre-examination seminar conducted for officers due for promotion in 2019 held at the Community Secondary School, Aka Offot, Uyo.
The HCS who lauded the state governor for his sincere concern for workers as seen in various welfare packages, including the minimum wage implementation, approval for the conduct of the various service examinations in addition to the ongoing industrialisation scheme.
On the pre-examination seminar, Essien explained that the policy of training and examination before the promotion was introduced to refresh, test and broaden the knowledge base of the workforce and reposition them for the challenges and demands of the contemporary workplace for optimal productivity.
He said the era that workers were promoted without performance assessment was counter-productive and long gone, and acknowledged that introduction of the policy ensures equity, justice, fair play and self-development among workers.
Essien also informed that the state governor was making arrangement to introduce e-government in service through the automation of the public service.
He reminded workers to equip themselves with necessary ICT driven skills.
The HCS who was flanked by the chairman of the state Civil Service Commission, Sunny Akpadiaha, some members of the Commission, Dean, College of Permanent Secretaries, Uduak Iwoh, other permanent secretaries and directors in the state civil service, commended the chairman of the State Civil Commission and his team for delivering on the its statutory mandate.
He thanked the commission for giving due and prompt attention to all staff matters and for investing in the capacity development of the workforce and charged the participants to take advantage of the seminar to equip themselves for the promotion examination and wished them success.
In his address, the chairman of the Akwa Ibom State Civil Service Commission, Sunny Akpadiaha, said the 2019 Pre-examination Seminar was, aside preparing the candidates for the Promotion examination was also structured to enable the participants to have a fair knowledge and be familiar with the basic tools required for effective management of government business irrespective of their professions or speciality.
He said such tools include: General Principals of Management, Personnel Management, Financial Management, Law, Security, Current Affairs and General Knowledge.
The commission chairman, Akpadiaha, charged participants not to see the seminar as a mere aid to passing the promotion examination but a means of laying a sound foundation for effective performance.
According to the Commission Chairman, since the commission’ s inauguration in 2017, it has processed and released more than 99,00 promotions of Senior Civil Servants within the past three years including the hitherto pending 2015/2016 and 2018 promotions.
He explained that the seminar was for about 2,600 officers on salary grade levels 07-16 who were due for promotion in 2019.
He thanked the State Governor, Udom Gabriel Emmanuel for approving funds for the conduct of the seminar and examination. He assured that quality resource persons were selected for an effective impartation of knowledge.
